Urban Education, PhD

*PhD students admitted prior to Fall 2023 are elgibile to follow these revised requirements to qualify for graduation.*

The PhD program in Urban Education prepares scholars who conduct critical research in K-16 urban education understanding, engagement, and application of theories of law, policy, and the social and cultural contexts of education. Doctoral students have the opportunity to specialize in critical quantitative and qualitative methodologies, ranging from evaluation to ethnography. The program is built with a transdisciplinary, experiential, inquiry-focused curriculum that prepares scholars to address the multifaceted issues in urban education alongside the insurgent and self-determined educational praxes of communities and peoples. The Urban Education program prepares students research careers in both academic and non-academic institutions. 

Students collaborate with mentor scholars to develop rigorous thinking and methodological tools to examine the structure of urban education in relation to broader sociopolitical and economic processes that shape schooling and learning. The program centers Black and Indigenous knowledge traditions across multitudinous curricula, including credit-bearing coursework, research collaborations, writing groups, and symposia. Located in what is known as the City of Pittsburgh, the program draws upon its affiliated Center for Urban Education and its local relationships with community residents while building connections with social actors across the country and around the world.

For additional degree requirement information, refer to the School of Education section on Doctoral Degree Requirements.