Degrees Offered
Graduate Programs in Education offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Education (EdD), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), and Master of Education (MEd) degrees in Educational Research in six areas of specialization as noted below. The Doctor of Philosophy degree program is normally intended to prepare scholars for careers in research and teaching. The Doctor of Education degree program is normally intended for practicing professionals in education-related situations. The Master of Arts and Master of Science are equivalent thesis-based research degrees that prepare students for further research. The Master of Education is a course-based professional degree intended to enhance the professional practice of the student.
Specializations Offered
Adult Learning
This specialization is informed by a rich heritage rooted in a commitment to human, community and social development. As a hub of interdisciplinary research, the focus of graduate studies within this Specialization is on adult learning and adult education. Our graduate students come from multiple and diverse contexts and interest areas which include: post-secondary and continuing education; business and industry; NGOs; community development and international organizations. (PhD, EdD, MA, MEd)
Research interests of faculty members can be found at: werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/adult-learning-faculty-members.
Curriculum and Learning
Graduate students will have opportunities to understand how interpretive disciplines in curriculum and emergent theories of learning offer meaningful and potentially transforming ways of thinking about schooling, knowledge, research, teaching/learning, and the nature of pedagogical relationships. Curriculum and Learning encompasses issues of content, context, and teaching in both formal and non-formal educational settings. Students can explore contemporary themes of curriculum and learning, including issues of globalization, gender, culture, power, traditions of wisdom, ecology in education, and the ideas and practices of social justice. Students may examine these themes from social, cultural, historical, political, discursive, ecological and other interpretive perspectives. (PhD, EdD, MA, MSc, MEd)
Research interests of faculty members can be found at: werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/curriculum-and-learning-faculty-members.
Interdisciplinary Studies
This specialization is informed by an academic shift from a generalist notion of interdisciplinarity, in which a single individual is expected to have a mastery of a range of domains, towards one understood in terms of teams of specialists with varied but compatible and complementary expertise. Upon becoming familiar in two Specialization topic areas, this Specialization area provides graduate students with competencies to connect and integrate these topic areas. (MEd)
Language and Literacy
Language and Literacy prepares students to understand and conduct research on various dimensions of literacy, linguistic and cultural diversity, especially as they relate to the acquisition, use, teaching, and learning of languages, multiliteracies (multiple meaning-making systems, including print, visual, oral, audiovisual, and gestural texts), and new literacies and digital media. This program is open to applicants from a broad array of regions/countries, It will be of interest to prospective educators and researchers in the areas of literacy, English as an additional language (EAL) or second language (ESL), bilingual education, teaching and learning French as first and second language and other languages, including Aboriginal languages, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, German. (PhD, EdD, MA, MEd)
Research interests of faculty members can be found at: werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/languages-and-diversity-faculty-members.
Leadership
This specialization prepares researchers and practitioners for the analysis and resolution of issues and problems related to educational policy and leadership specifically related to: the direction and management of schools; school systems; post-secondary institutions; and both governmental bodies and non-governmental organizations concerned with public and private education. Graduates in this specialization will be well-placed to pursue academic, administrative and research-related careers with an understanding of organizational change in the field of educational leadership and policy. (PhD, EdD, MA, MEd)
Research interests of faculty members can be found at: werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/leadership-faculty-members.
Learning Sciences
As our theories about knowledge change in concert with rapid advancements in the learning sciences, graduate students in learning sciences need to consider the cultural, social, political and economic implications for learners and for learning in diverse contexts. Studies in learning sciences seek to balance the practice of education and research in education as a hands-on, minds-on discipline that emphasizes knowing and doing. Our graduate programs provide active learning and mentoring opportunities that engage students with both the cognitive and technological tools of their discipline. Graduate students will develop in-depth competency in educational research methods, comprehensive understanding of the learning sciences field and its research methods, and be able to propose, design and carry out supervised research and inquiry in the field of learning sciences. (PhD, EdD, MA, MEd)
Research interests of faculty members can be found at: werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/learning-sciences-faculty-members.
Program Descriptions