Elementary Education Doctoral Programs Admissions Information
Ph.D. in CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION, specialization in ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- An appropriate master's-level degree from an accredited institution
- Qualify for admission to the Graduate School
- A GPA of 3.0 or above in one’s graduate work
- At least 3 years of experience teaching in grades K-12
- TOEFL/ IELTS (For all non-U.S. citizens or non-U.S. permanent residents). Learn more about testing requirements.
- Applicants are evaluated based on written and oral communication skills; technological competence; letters of recommendation; and their commitment to completing the program.
GRE Scores are NOT required for application to this program.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
| STUDENT TYPE | STARTING SEMESTER | DEADLINE |
| Domestic | Spring | January 5 |
| Summer 1 | May 1 | |
| Summer 2 | June 1 | |
| Fall | August 1 | |
| International | Spring | September 1 |
| Summer 1 | January 5 | |
| Summer 2 | February 1 | |
| Fall | April 1 |
Note: Deadline for early decision admission with Graduate Assistantships consideration for Fall: February 1
Note: Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, contact the executive director for Equity and Access at (540) 231-8771 or Virginia Tech, North End Center, Suite 2300 (0318), 300 Turner St. NW, Blacksburg, VA 24061.
Application Checklist
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
At this time, GRE scores are not required for Elementary Education (Ph.D. or Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction ).
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.
For graduate assistantships in the Elementary Education program, applicants are required to have 18 graduate hours in the discipline and/or a U.S. teaching license.
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.
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 Admisions and to the School of Education address below:
To:
Office of Academic Programs
1750 Kraft Drive (0302)
Suite 2000
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Office of Academic Programs Application Support
Casey Walker
Enrollment Services Specialist
1750 Kraft Drive (0302), #2003
540-231-5394
caseywalker@vt.edu
For Further Information, Contact the Program Leader
Dr. Donna Fortune
Program Leader
1750 Kraft Drive (0302), #2011
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-232-8466 | donnafortune@vt.edu