Curriculum and Instruction Program Overview

This 60-hour program includes four phases:

• phase 1 – coursework according to your program of study
• phase 2 – qualifying research project and comprehensive exams
• phase 3 – proposal and prospectus
• phase 4 – research and dissertation

See the academic catalog listing for full details on this degree, including a course listing.

Professional Development Requirement

NAU’s professional development requirement provides doctoral students the benefit and opportunity to engage in and contribute to the full spectrum of educational and professional opportunities provided by faculty and other students within their program and across the university. The Office of Graduate and Professional Studies and the University Graduate Committee concur that the doctoral professional development requirement at NAU may be met in a variety of ways, some of which fit the ethos of a particular discipline or type of cohort engaged in a particular program.   

When considering appropriate standards for professional development, graduate program faculty are expected to encourage, design, provide, and monitor the professional development activities in which their doctoral students acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values appropriate to their discipline. These activities extend beyond the required coursework and may include but are not limited to attending and presenting at professional conferences; participation and active engagement in presentations of scholarly work, seminars, and events; assisting and engaging in various funding efforts to support research, scholarship, and creative work; and active participation in professional development opportunities offered by programs and the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.   

A minimum of 5 hours of professional development activities is required between matriculation in the program and admission to candidacy.  

Graduate program faculty have the responsibility of identifying and approving how the specific professional development requirement for their program will be met, in consultation with the dean of the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. Details regarding each program’s professional development requirement are listed on the program of study, and documentation of the completion of the professional development requirement is submitted with the candidacy application.” 

Our courses focus on four areas:

1. Curriculum and Instruction Core Courses:  Review the paradigms, theories, and dimensions of praxis from multiple perspectives.
2. Research Coursework:  Build your research skills in quantitative and qualitative methods.
3. Field of Study/Discipline-Specific Coursework:  You will choose these courses in collaboration with your adviser, based on your specific interests and research area. You can take courses from almost any graduate program at the university.
4. Dissertation