Elementary Education Doctoral Programs Admissions Information

Official Transcripts

Include a scanned copy of your transcripts with your online application, then arrange for an official copy to be sent to both Graduate Admissions and School of Education after you receive an offer of admission.

Department Graduate Testing Requirements

Official GRE is required for Elementary Education (Ph.D. or Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction ). Please have the testing agency send official scores to Virginia Tech Graduate School, code 5859.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required for Elementary Education (Ph.D. or Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction). You can include references/recommedations email addresses in your online application, or have them send paper copies directly to department.

Writing Sample

A sample of your best academic written work.

Letter of Interest and Curriculum Vitae

A letter of interest (250-500 words) is required by the School of Education along with your latest Curriculum Vitae.

Three or more years of K-12 teaching

Proof of 3 or more years of K-12 teaching.

Interview with members of the elementary education program faculty

Qualified applicants will be asked to complete an interview with members of the Elementary Education program faculty.

Applying as an International Student

International students might be required to submit TOEFL scores, immigration documents, and other additional materials with their application.

We require a minimum TOEFL score of 90 (IBT) or IELTS score of 6.5 for admission. Test scores should be sent to us using ETS institution code 5859.

Any Additional Information/Supporting Material

Applicants are welcome to submit any additional information with application material that would be useful in evaluation of your application.

Applying for Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships

Graduate Assistantships

A question on the application for graduate admission asks whether you want to be considered for a teaching assistantship. Check "yes". Please note that Indicating that you wish to be considered for an assistantship does not mean that you will be offered one, only that you wish to be considered for one, if available.

Learn more about other available funding opportunties

Application Fees

Degree-seeking students must include a $75 fee with their application. If this poses a financial hardship, check with the Graduate School to see if you qualify for a waiver or reduced fee. All application fees are non-refundable.

To apply to the graduate program, students must submit the Virginia Tech Graduate School online application. 

To apply to the Virginia Tech Elementary Education (Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instructions) program, select "Education, Curriculum and Instructions " as your major. You will be able to select " Elementary Education Program Area" later in the online form. Choose degree option, “Ph.D.” or "Ed.D." from the list.

 Send official scores to Virginia Tech Graduate School, code 5859.

In-state K-12 teachers are eligible for a 25% discount! Use this application form in order to receive the reduced costs. Otherwise, as with on-campus students, we refer you to the VT Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for information on financial assistance. Generally, distance learners may qualify for federal loans if they take 5 or more credit hours per semester.

Find out what loans are available as a graduate student and other opportunities.

School of Education Scholarships

The Graduate School sends an official offer of admission to applicants upon the recommendation of the department faculty.

After you have received your official offer of admission from the School of Education, please arrange with your institution(s) to send your official transcript(s) showing degree conferral to Graduate Admissions and to the School of Education at the addresses below:

_{To:
Virginia Tech Graduate Admissions
120 Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown
Mail Code 0325p 155 Otey Street NW
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061}

_{To:
Office of Academic Programs
School of Education
402 Wallace Hall (0565)
295 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061}