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STEM Education Doctoral Program

Stem education, doctoral program.

STEM Education Programs

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in STEM Education examines how people learn STEM subjects and how teachers, schools, and communities can inspire learners of all ages in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

• The program is designed for students who are preparing for research careers.
• 63 hours of coursework (including dissertation) are required for the degree, 12 of which are graduate coursework in a discipline area (science, mathematics, engineering).
• The discipline content hours may be waived for students who have a master’s degree in a content area (e.g., mathematics, not mathematics education).
• The typical timeframe for completing the degree is 4-6 years.
• The Ph.D. degree requires active engagement with faculty and a research group on campus, and therefore it is not usually recommended for students who are working full time or not in residence at UT Austin.
• All admitted applicants to the PhD program are considered for research fellowships; no additional materials are required to be considered.
• Due to the limited number of fellowships, most first-year PhD students work as Teaching Assistants (TAs) in the College of Natural Science (in their area of undergraduate specialty such as math), or in the College of Education (primarily for those with K-12 teaching experience).
• Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) positions are typically reserved for PhD students in later years of their program.

Students in the Ph.D. STEM program will learn about and participate in cutting-edge research that explores ways in which to make STEM education more effective, inclusive, and transformative. The overall focus of the program is to ensure that all learners have an equitable opportunity to learn. Our faculty are involved in research across a range of topics, including how people learn core ideas and practices in STEM, how the nature of learning environments affects STEM student access, opportunity, and identity, the preparation and professional development of STEM teachers, and the role of STEM learning in informal spaces.

Please note:  Required STEM Ed Core and Advanced Topics courses must be taken for a letter grade. Other coursework (including content courses, research methods, and supporting coursework) may be taken as credit/no credit with instructor permission. However, no more than 20% of a student’s program of work (no more than 9 credit hours for Ph.D. students; no more than 6 credit hours for master’s students) can be taken as credit/no credit.

Investigates the nature of STEM interests and interest-driven participation and learning, foundations of cognition in STEM disciplines, and learning out of schools.

Studies engineering and STEM higher education, including faculty, graduate students and undergraduates.

Explores the intersection of the sociopolitical and mathematical lives of children with a focus on identity and learning.

Investigates intersections of race, language, and mathematics through the experiences of Latinx students learning and doing mathematics.

Research explores the intersections of multilingualism, scientific sensemaking, and teacher education, with a specific focus on the ways multilingual students engage in science practices through translanguaging.

Focuses on the ways students learn in science courses using computational modeling.

Engages humanizing research approaches to examine equity-focused PK-16 STEM teaching and learning across urban contexts with a focus on Black girls.

Teaches courses for pre-service in STEM subjects and explores student understanding of mathematical and physical models.

Focuses on the social construction of gender and racial/ethnic inequality in educational opportunities and experiences in STEM fields from a sociological perspective. Methodological expertise in quantitative research methods and analyses of large sca...

Studies the ways culturally and linguistically diverse groups of people use disciplinary the core ideas and practices of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to explain phenomena or to solve problems that are meaningful and consequ...

Teaches preservice K-12 teachers how to teach meaningful STEM content in innovative, student- and community-centered ways.

Dr.Yeh's research examines the intersections of race, language, and disability to provide a more nuanced analysis of the constructions of ability in mathematics classrooms and mathematics education systems. Her scholarship centers on partnerships wit...

Prerequisites for Admission

Prerequisites for admission to the doctoral degree program are a baccalaureate or master’s degree and prior coursework in one or more STEM fields. The amount of prior coursework expected depends upon the student’s grades and area of interest. Teaching experience is highly desired.

Admission into the doctoral program is not automatic for STEM Masters graduates. A STEM Master’s student applies to the doctoral program by completing the full application process. This requires submission of three letters of recommendation (as many as possible from professors on our faculty attesting to your ability to fulfill the requirements for a Ph.D.), transcripts, and a personal statement. The personal statement should address why you want to pursue a Ph.D., what you plan to research, which faculty members you wish to work with on research and why, and what you anticipate doing with a Ph.D.

Graduate students wanting to pursue a degree in STEM Education will matriculate once a year, during the fall semester. Graduate students may transfer from other programs within the Graduate School to a degree plan in STEM Education. In order to transfer, students must apply to and be recommended for admission into the GPSME. Transfer student applications from other programs in the Graduate School will be handled in a manner consistent with the policies established above for regular applicants. In addition, students should follow current Graduate School policies regarding transferring to UT.

NOTE:  Those of you applying to the STEM Education program should select STEM Education (32800) for your major. 

Application Guidelines

As a prospective student, you are required to apply first using the state application system,  ApplyTexas . Here, you will input your biographical information, resume/CV, statement of purpose, transcripts and letters of recommendation. We strongly encourage you to start this process well in advance of the deadline to allow us enough time to process your information.

NOTE: Those applying to the STEM Education program should select STEM Education (32800) for your major.

Program Requirements

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in the U.S.; or proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution.

A minimum GPA of 3.0, particularly during the last two years of college and in any previous graduate study. The department will consider applications with lower GPAs. If you feel that your grade point averages or test scores are not valid indicators of your ability, please wait till you have submitted your application and  upload a miscellaneous document  explaining your concerns.

We also consider teaching experience as a criterion during the admission process. EC-16 teaching experience, especially among underserved populations, is preferred by most program areas. 

Application Status

Once all application materials are uploaded and completed, the  Graduate School  will refer your application to the department. This initial review process by the grad school will take about 1 – 2 weeks, so be sure to have everything turned in well in advance of the deadlines. 

After Your Decision

Applicants may be admitted, admitted with conditions, or denied admission.  Learn more on the Graduate School website .

Contact  Stephen Flynn , our departmental Graduate Admissions Coordinator, with any questions regarding C&I or STEM Education admissions. 

Please also see  General Guidelines from the Graduate School .

Course Requirements

• Core courses: 12 hours
• STEM content courses: 12 hours
• Research Methodology courses: 12 hours
• Research Practicum: 9 hours
• Advanced Topics courses: 6 hours
• Supporting course work: 6 hours
• Dissertation: 6 hours
• Total: 63 hours

Core Courses: 12 hours

All doctoral students are required to take  f our core courses:

• STM 385 Knowing & Learning in STEM Education
• STM 386 Curriculum History and Development in STEM Education
• STM 390-1 Equity in STEM Education
• STM 390-2 Research on Teaching and Teacher Development in STEM Education

STEM Content Courses: 12 hours

Students must take a minimum of 12 hours of courses in one or more STEM content areas. This requirement is waived for students who have a master’s degree in Science, Math, Engineering, or Computer Science. Other kinds of degrees or course work are considered on a case-by-case basis.

If students are preparing to teach at the post-secondary level, they will be advised to study one particular discipline in depth. If they are preparing to work at the elementary or secondary level, a broader program of study is recommended.

Research Methodology Courses: 12 hours

A minimum of 12 hours of courses in research methodology is required. All students must enroll in a qualitative and a quantitative course or courses sufficient for competent technical review of manuscript articles and proposals.

In addition, students must have a methodology specialty that will be used in dissertation research. A course in program evaluation can also be used to satisfy this requirement.

Students who enter the program with a Master’s degree in Education will have one, 3-hour Research Methodology Course waived.

STEP 1: 6 hours

• EDC 385R  Introduction to Quantitative Research Design Other course choices for this requirement must be approved by the Graduate Advisor
• AND  EDC 386R  Introduction to Qualitative Research; other course choices for this requirement must be approved by the Graduate Advisor.

STEP 2: 6 Hours

Two Advanced Research Courses—either Quantitative, Qualitative or Mixed-Methods. Courses that meet this requirement are at the consent of the student’s Faculty Advisor and the Graduate Advisor.

Examples of Advanced Quantitative Research Choices

• EDC 387R  3-Survey Research Methods
• EDC 387R  4-Mixed Methods Design-Based Research
• ELP 392P   Advanced Quantitative Research Design

Examples of Advanced Qualitative Research Choices

• EDC 388R  1-Narrative and Oral Tradition
• EDC 388R  2-Discourse Analysis
• EDC 388R  3-Ethnographic and Qualitative Research methods

Research Practicum (9 hours)

• STM 396 T* Directed Research in STEM Education (9 hours)

Note : These 9 credit hours are to be completed over the course of at least three different semesters.

One course (3 hrs) is a content- Specific Education Course; students choose a content area in which they want to focus in terms of education research (e.g. math education, science education, physics education, engineering education) and sign up for an independent study to work with a faculty member to read key research in the field. Recommended that students do this the summer of their first year or beginning of the second year. For the remaining two courses (6 hours total, but to be taken in separate semesters), students join and actively participate in a faculty member’s research working group. Recommended that students enroll in these courses during the second year of coursework.

Advanced Topics Courses: 6 hours

Faculty will provide regular advanced topic courses on special areas of interest or on emerging areas of research. These courses appear under the STM 390T heading in the online course schedule.

Students who enter the program with a Master’s degree in Education will have one 3-hour Advanced Topics Course waived.

Supporting Courses: 6 hours

Students are expected to broaden and deepen their program of work through taking a variety of related course work consonant with their scholarly interests, in consultation with a graduate adviser. 

Students who enter the program with a Master’s degree in Education will have one 3-hour Supporting Course waived.

Dissertation: Minimum 6 hours

Students are required to continuously register for at least three credits of dissertation once they have  advanced to candidacy . 

You must register in X99W (399, 699, or 999W) in each semester of candidacy until you graduate.

Please Note:  Students receiving fellowships, assistantships, or other financial aid, may be required to take 9 hours of dissertation credit each semester.

Research Methodology Requirements

STEP 1 (6 hours)

• EDC 385R  Introduction to Quantitative Research Design Other course choices for this requirement must be approved by the Graduate Advisor  

STEP 2 (6 Hours)

Two Advanced Research Courses—either Quantitative, Qualitative or Mixed-Methods. Students should meet with their individual Faculty Advisor or the STEM Education Graduate Advisor to select these courses.

Additional Resources

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• Frequently Asked Questions
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At a Glance

• Program Starts : Fall
• Deadline to Apply : December 31
• Credit Hours Required : 63
• Schedule : Flexible
• Program Location : On Campus
• GRE Required? No

Program Area Coordinator, Advisor Catherine Riegle-Crumb

Find out information about the admission process and application requirements.

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PhD in STEM Education

The PhD in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education offers students the opportunity to advance knowledge in STEM Education through original research. Graduates of this program pursue careers as researchers and educators dedicated to improving STEM education.

STEM Education is an interdisciplinary program. We conduct research in many different STEM learning environments including, college-level STEM courses, K-12 classrooms, makerspaces and afterschool programs, and community-based collaborations. We work collaboratively across other departments at Tufts and with the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) and the Institute for Research on Learning and Instruction (IRLI).  

The program enrolls five students each year on average. Both full-time and part-time options are available. Full-time PhD students receive full tuition support for five years, a stipend, and health coverage.

We encourage interested students to look over faculty research areas and email a potential mentor, providing a brief summary of your background and research interests, before the application deadline. Admissions decisions are made by the STEM Education faculty as a whole.

Message from Program Director

Julia Gouvea Director, STEM Education Program

Program of Study

Upon entry into the program, each PhD student is assigned two program advisors, one of whom is a faculty member in STEM Education and serves as the student’s primary mentor. Program advisors help students choose courses, internships, and research activities. These advisors can be changed at any time within the program.

PhD students generally work in research assistantships on externally funded projects and may also have opportunities to serve as teaching assistants, either in education or in STEM courses. We also encourage students to apply for a teaching fellowship through the GIFT Program.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete 18 courses to fulfill requirements for the PhD in STEM Education degree. These include:

• 12 graduate-level courses in Education
• 2 graduate-level courses in a STEM discipline
• Enrollment in the STEM Education program seminar for 2 years (2 courses)
• Two courses in dissertation work

These requirements can be adjusted, depending on the student's background as evaluated by their advisors and by the STEM Education Program Committee. Students who have taken graduate-level coursework in education or in STEM may reduce the number of required courses by applying for a transfer of credits. No undergraduate courses will count towards the PhD degree.

Research/Internship Requirement

PhD students must complete an original research study for their dissertation. The program is built around a set of experiences designed to help students reach this goal. In addition to coursework, PhD students complete two qualifying papers. Ideally, qualifying papers lead to professional presentations and publications and into the dissertation project.

Read more about STEM PhD Program Requirements .

Job Placement

Graduates of the STEM Education program pursue careers in many areas of PreK-university STEM Education. About 40% of graduates conduct research or teach in higher education institutions. About 25% of graduates are K–12 educators. And about 35% have research or administrator positions in educational institutions including museums, non-profits, and universities.

Examples of positions held by alumni of the STEM Education PhD include:

• Program Coordinator for Math and Science at Lakes Region Community College
• Research Scientist at Educational Testing Service (ETS)
• Manager of Research and Evaluation at the Museum of Science and Industry
• Tenured and tenure track faculty at research institutions around the world

To learn about our alumni visit the Meet Students and Alumni page.

Related and Joint Programs

Students interested in cognitive science may consider the joint Cognitive Science PhD program. In order to apply to this program through the Education Department, you must identify a primary mentor in the STEM Education program who is also affiliated with the Cognitive Science program.

Students may also consider applying to graduate programs in STEM disciplines, many of which have formal or informal opportunities to conduct education research. Students with strong backgrounds in physics may consider the Physics Education track , which we offer in collaboration with the Department of Physics & Astronomy. 

Students with a strong background in biology may consider the Biology Education Research concentration offered through the Department of Biology. We encourage prospective students to discuss these options with potential advisors.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the PhD STEM Education program will allow students to do the following:

• Theory and research on learning, development, and teaching; cognitive science; and the sociocultural foundations of education, both broadly and within their discipline
• Developmental, pedagogical, content specific, and sociocultural challenges inherent in teaching and learning
• Research methods and results appropriate for the development of studies that will contribute to new theoretical insights and practical approaches to education
• Knowledge and practices in their respective disciplines
• Theory and research on learning and teaching in their disciplines
• Express themselves and disseminate effectively within professional research communities through oral presentations and manuscripts submitted for publication in peer-reviewed venues.
• Address questions of educational and social relevance grounded in disciplinary knowledge, where relevance refers both to the field at large and to students' particular professional experiences and interests
• Collaborate with others on joint research projects
• Situate their research within a global and international community
• Understand the importance of respecting the children, teachers, students, and educators with whom they work
• Build on the work of others and eventually contribute to the corpus of human knowledge and understanding in their fields
• Formulate researchable questions, design methods for addressing them, execute empirical studies, and validate conclusions

Program Faculty

Meet our STEM Education Faculty

College of Education and Human Development

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

STEM education

The PhD in STEM education is interdisciplinary across STEM fields. Students pursuing this degree will choose an area of emphasis in one of four specializations—science, mathematics, engineering, or agriculture—while simultaneously participating in scholarly work that spans all areas of STEM education. This integrated style of study is one of the first in the nation, and is designed to prepare scholars to conduct thoughtful disciplinary and interdisciplinary research in STEM education in order to assume roles as university faculty members, educational leaders, policymakers, and researchers.

This program emphasizes: 

• K-12 STEM integration 
• Teacher preparation and professional development 
• Equity and social justice 
• Research on K-12 and higher education teaching and learning

Quote from Felicia Leammukda

I chose the University of Minnesota because I wanted to work with a diverse population of students and develop a curriculum that would fit the needs of a differentiated classroom. The grant I was first assigned to allowed me to do both those things. Felicia Leammukda PhD candidate 2019

Mathematics specialization

Mathematics education faculty spend significant time in K-12 schools, collaborating with teachers, and conducting research to improve mathematics curricula and pedagogy. Coursework and research in this field emphasizes both: 

• Mathematics teacher preparation 
• Mathematical knowledge for teaching 
• Practice-based teacher education 
• Teaching and learning rational numbers and fractions in grades 4-8 
• Identifying strategies to increase underrepresented student achievement 
• Math in urban classrooms 

Agricultural specialization

This is a research-oriented program that will prepare students for university faculty positions, public and corporate leadership roles in education, natural resource management, extension education, international development, and many other professional careers in agriculture and life sciences. 

Career outlook

Graduates of the program have assumed positions as university faculty, instructional leaders in the public schools, curriculum developmental specialists, and assessment specialists. 

Some recent graduates have gone on to the following positions: 

• Assistant Professor, Teacher Education, St. Thomas University 
• Assistant Professor, University of Idaho
• Visiting Assistant Professor at Carleton College 
• Assistant Professor of Science Education at Iowa State University 
• Assistant Professor, Purdue University 
• Assistant Professor of Natural Sciences at Metropolitan State University 
• Coordinator of Science and Mathematics, St. Cloud Public Schools 
• STEM Coordinator, Owatonna Public Schools 

Science specialization

This includes both science and environmental education in PK-12 settings, at the college level, and in informal and adult settings. Focus areas of research include: 

• Pre-service and in-service science teacher education and induction and mentoring of beginning science teachers
• Design and implementation of K-16 curricula 
• Environmental education 
• Integrated STEM education 

Engineering specialization

Engineering education is an emerging research discipline that spans pioneering work in how engineering concepts are introduced, learned and effectively taught at the K-12 level. Connect with students and faculty in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering . Be challenged by the rigors of the engineering field and the complexities of integrating and evaluating engineering curricula in both formal and informal settings. 

PhD curriculum

The PhD in STEM includes a core curriculum and four specializations to choose from depending on your research interests. Students will complete 51 course credits and 24 thesis credits for 78 in total. To view the curriculum requirements in detail visit the Education, Curriculum, and Instruction PhD page in the course catalog,  go to Requirements, go to program subplan, scroll down to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education.

Research opportunities

Students can engage in research that advances the field of STEM education and ties into their area of interest. Faculty work closely with each student to achieve research and educational goals and improve educational opportunities for students. Learn more about the student research experience in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. 

Gillian Roehrig Gillian Roehrig

• she, her, hers
• 612-625-0561
• [email protected]

My research and teaching interests are centered on understanding how teachers translate national and state standards into their classrooms.

How to apply

Application deadline and instructions.

Priority deadline : December 1 for admission to the fall of the following year Admissions decisions : January

Applications submitted after this date are considered on a case-by-case basis and may not be reviewed until the following year. Faculty review applications in mid-late December, and the Graduate School will notify applicants about admission decisions shortly thereafter. Final admission decisions are based on complete applications. All application materials must be included for the application to be released for review.

Before applying online , go through the application checklist to ensure you have all the required materials. We are here to help! If you have questions, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator . If you are a returning Graduate School student, follow the Readmission guidelines . If you are a current Graduate School student and need to change your program, follow the Change of Status guidelines.

Tuition and funding

We have several funding options to support students full-time through program completion. Support is available in the form of:

• Teaching Assistantships. The majority work as student teaching supervisors for MEd initial licensure students. Daytime availability, a teaching license, and teaching experience are required
• Research Assistantships
• Fellowships. Based on a departmental nomination process. You will be notified by the Director of Graduate Studies if you are being considered for a fellowship. Decisions are made by April 15.
• Graduate students are also eligible to apply for fellowships and graduate assistantships through other University departments. Visit the University's employment page or fellowships through the Graduate School's Graduate Fellowship Office .
• Find more detailed federal financial aid and graduate tuition information.

Application requirements

What we look for.

Admission to our master's of arts and doctoral programs are competitive and we look for candidates whose goals and interests align with the program’s research and scholarship. Program faculty make admissions decisions based on the candidate’s experience and research competencies, along with compatibility of research goals.

Please look at our current faculty members’ research interests.

Our masters and doctoral candidates display

• Evidence of strong interest in research and in the development of research competencies
• Evidence of substantial experience in the discipline
• Strong writing skills
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution or foreign equivalent

Required application documents

• Unofficial transcripts .Upload your transcripts into the application system. Please include all transcripts from any institution you have attended, even if you did not earn a degree or certificate. Please do not mail your transcripts. Official transcripts are required only after you are admitted. Tips for uploading your transcript(s) .
• CI Application Form . Upload in the graduate program additional materials section.
• Three letters of recommendation . Ask professors, employers, or supervisors to speak to your potential for successfully completing your degree; they will upload their letters directly into the online application.

The GRE is being waived for those applicants applying for Fall 2024.

Required written statements

• Why you want to study in our department
• What strengths, expertise, and research experience would contribute to your success in our program
• Your professional goals for pursuing a research-focused degree
• Diversity statement .Upload to the Applicant Statements section of the online application. Identify the distinctive qualities, characteristics, and life experiences you would contribute to our community. You may wish to include examples that address your contribution to the diversity of the student body and illustrate your motivation to succeed by setting high standards for accomplishing intellectual and other goals, overcoming obstacles to achievement, and/or helping others to gain access to the resources necessary for success. (please do not exceed one page in length)
• Short writing sample .(Optional except for Literacy Education applicants). For example, an excerpt from a term paper or research paper for publication. No longer than five pages in English.
• Common Ground Consortium Fellowship. (Optional) The primary purpose of the CGC is to assist graduate programs in the College of Education and Human Development to recruit exceptional students with the distinct experience provided by HBCUs or similarly distinguishing contexts, provide these students with financial assistance support during their graduate studies, and assistance with career development and job placement afterwards. It offers a pipeline to excellence and an opportunity to diversify perspectives in the academy. If you wish to apply, submit a statement that describes how your participation as a CGC scholar would a) enhance your graduate student experience, b) prepare you for your chosen career, and c) benefit the public. Upload to graduate program additional materials section.

Additional admissions information

Application checklist.

Before applying online , go through the application checklist to ensure you have all the required materials. We are here to help! If you have questions, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator .

If you are a returning Graduate School student, follow the Readmission guidelines. If you are a current Graduate School student and need to change your program, follow the Change of Status guidelines .

Transfer credits

MA students must complete at least 60 percent of their coursework (not including thesis credits) within our program. PhD students may transfer no more than 15 credits from an outside institution.

A maximum of 12 graduate course credits taken as non-degree seeking or non-admitted status at the University of Minnesota can be transferred; this is counted separately from the maximum 60 percent or 15 non-UMN credits. For example, a PhD student could transfer a maximum of 27 credits (15 non-UMN and 12 non-degree from UMN).

If you earned a MA at the UMN, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator to discuss transfer procedures. Thesis credits cannot be transferred.

After you are admitted, you will work with your adviser to determine which credits may transfer.

International applicants

International applicants may also need:

• An English translation of your transcripts, if the transcript is not in English. Please note: the Graduate School Admissions Office will not accept an evaluation of your international coursework by an outside agency such as ECE or WES; they only accept the original transcripts.
• TOEFL/IELTS or MELAB. You may qualify for an exception if you have completed 16 semester or 24 quarter credits within the past 24 months in residence as a full-time student at an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States or other country where English is the official language (i.e. U.K, Canada). Score requirements and submission guidelines

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STEM Education PhD

The STEM Education PhD program at UMass Dartmouth helps address the national shortage of essential STEM educators and the need for better STEM education teaching practices. Doctoral students gain in-depth knowledge, robust interdisciplinary research skills, and a variety of practical experiences. The STEM Education PhD offers concentrations in Mathematics Education and Science Education .

In this doctoral program, you will develop the knowledge and skills needed to:

• reconstruct, appropriate, and develop mathematical and scientific knowledge
• explore approaches that emerge from the study of the research literature
• write original research that represents your own contribution to knowledge
• use critical-thinking skills to deal with transformation of knowledge
• formulate and design solutions to complex educational problems

Your research projects involve real-world situations ranging from local schools to higher education departments and other formal and informal learning settings. Your advisors will work with you as you conduct, publish, and present your own research throughout the program.

Doctoral students can explore questions about:

• how to improve STEM education at the K-12 level
• how to promote better learning in STEM fields
• how to engage more K-20 students in STEM-related fields
• how to prepare teachers to better teach STEM content
• how to develop materials to support teaching and learning in STEM fields

The Kaput Center

UMass Dartmouth has a long-standing tradition of leadership in STEM with its nationally renowned  Kaput Center for Research and Innovation in STEM Education . The Kaput Center fosters a spirit of innovation among the faculty, graduate students and educational and scientific institutions, industry, and federal agencies. All benefit from the expertise of UMassD faculty and graduates and their research.

Degree requirements

• 18 credits of introductory coursework to develop your knowledge of research tools, methodologies and theories
• 18 credits of preparatory coursework that refines and focuses your understanding of the research process
• 36 hours of doctoral work, 12 of which are doctoral coursework and 24 credits of dissertation research

Student success

Accepts tenure-track position at Appalachia State University

Assistantship opportunities

A limited number of assistantships are available on a competitive basis. This award is subject to the work needs of the position and department, your satisfactory performance of duties, your academic record, and availability of funds, and may be subject to change.

Learn more about assistantships at UMass Dartmouth

University requirements for graduate admissions

• Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
• Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
• Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
• Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts. 
• Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
• International students : official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details . We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Marine Science and Technology (MS, PSM, PhD), Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy. 
• All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration. 

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

• GRE is waived
• 3 letters of recommendation. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.

Program deadlines

STEM Education faculty

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• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
• UMassD Course Catalog

Course descriptions, schedules and requirements

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Discover why UMass Dartmouth is the right place to earn an advanced degree or certificate.

Application Deadlines

Fall: April 15 Spring: Fall only Summer: Not applicable

Stephen Witzig , PhD

Associate Professor STEM Education & Teacher Development Liberal Arts 398E

508-910-9030 w{mx~mkDyqewwh2ihy

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STEM Education, Ph.D.

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The PhD in STEM Education

The PhD in STEM Education is designed for those who seek to increase their competence in a selected area of STEM education (e.g., science education, mathematics education, educational technology), including competence in a particular STEM field (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). Recipients gain appropriate knowledge and skills for teaching, supervisory, research, and administrative positions in higher education, including college and university STEM Education programs, and programs in STEM fields in community and state colleges, liberal arts colleges, and universities.

There are three primary specializations within the PhD in STEM Education program: Science Education, Mathematics Education, and Educational Technology.

Who May Apply for This Program

Admission to this PhD program requires completion of a Master's degree. Program requirements include completion of:

• a major technical area (MTA), with 21 graduate credits in a STEM field beyond the Bachelor's degree; and
• a minimum of 42 credits of PhD coursework and research.

In addition, Master's graduates who have a strong background in their content field because of their Bachelor's degree and graduate coursework have been admitted into this PhD program. For example, doctoral students with a background and interest in Environmental Education have pursued their PhD studies in Science Education.

Although it is advisable that Master's students seeking to pursue a PhD complete a research experience, students with non-thesis research experience have been allowed to pursue PhD study in STEM Education.

There are three phases of study in this PhD program:

• Phase 1 consists of coursework, both for the MTA requirement and in educational theories and trends, research, and statistics. The coursework in Phase 1 is designed to broaden and deepen students' knowledge in their STEM field and in education, as well as prepare them for dissertation research. Upon completion of the coursework, PhD students take their doctoral comprehensive exams.
• Phase 2 involves the development and defense of a research proposal, with guidance from your major advisor and committee. The preparation and defense of a proposal ensures that each student is able to translate their knowledge into a coherent and feasible research plan.
• Phase 3 involves carrying out all aspects of the proposed study, collecting and preparing data, running analyses, and completing and defending a dissertation. Students enhance their understanding of what goes into the conduct and reporting of educational research in an area of STEM education.

Typically, Phases 1 - 3 require at least four years of full-time effort, but can require more time.

The knowledge and experience gained in this program are useful to graduates as teachers, consumers of research, researchers, and research advisors.

Do Cutting-Edge, Real-World Research

The PhD program in STEM Education is designed to emphasize coursework and research; unlike Bachelor's and Master's degrees, it does not include an internship opportunity. However, courses in educational theories, research, and statistics engage students in projects, and these can be as real-world as students wish. MTA coursework often includes lab and fieldwork.

In addition, although dissertation studies usually emphasize theory and research, many PhD students also design their study to address needs within a particular area of educational practice.

Internationally Recognized Faculty

Among the faculty who teach in this program, Dr. Thomas Marcinkowski has received the Walter E. Jeske Award (2010) and the award for Outstanding Contributions to Research in Environmental Education (1994), both from the North American Association for Environmental Education. His emphasis is on assessment, evaluation, and research studies in the areas of environmental literacy, responsible environmental behavior, and environmental quality. He has been involved in the development of assessment tools in these areas and, more generally, in program evaluation studies.

Samantha Fowler has received the Outstanding Position Paper Award (2013) from Southeastern Association for Science Teacher Education. She focuses on socio-scientific reasoning - how the general public uses scientific information in their day-to-day lives and how policy-makers use scientific evidence in their decisions. She is currently researching how social media effects socio-scientific reasoning, particularly regarding controversial issues. She also explores the effectiveness of new pedagogy styles in lecture and laboratory classes.

Career Benefits

This PhD degree is not designed to help doctoral students satisfy credentialing requirements - that is undertaken at the Bachelor's and Master's levels. However, from both an occupational and a professional perspective, one of the benefits of completing a PhD is to become more competitive career-wise, which is vital in today's challenging job environment. The research background and experience students gain in this PhD program adds depth to their teaching, and provides them with insights that aid them in their future research and research advisory work.

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2024 Best Online STEM PhD Programs [Doctorate Guide]

A STEM PhD allows you to advance your studies in a particular STEM field while exploring STEM education as a whole.

For example, you can examine the various ways in which teachers may best instruct students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Editorial Listing ShortCode:

Earning a Ph.D. in STEM Education is also a strategic move for professionals who are interested in research as well as teaching or administration roles in higher education. Graduates may also pursue education leadership roles in K-12 schools.

Universities Offering Online Doctorate in STEM Education Degree Program

Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.

American College of Education

The American College of Education offers a Doctor of Education in Leadership with a focus in STEM. The program consists of fully online courses that are 5 or 10 weeks long, and it can typically be finished in 3 years. Courses include Management of Financial Resources, Global Perspectives, Applied Statistics, and more.

American College of Education is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.

Drexel University

Drexel University offers a PhD in Education with a concentration in STEM Education. Part-time and full-time scheduling options are available, and on-campus classes are held in the evenings to accommodate working adults. Courses are also available online. Full-time students may apply for research or teaching assistantships.

Drexel University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Montana State University

Montana State University offers a PhD in Education, Curriculum, and Instruction program that is intended to prepare students for conducting research related to STEM education. The program uses both face-to-face and online courses, and there is also a 1 year on-campus residency requirement. Coursework includes Dissertation Seminar, Higher Education History and Philosophy, Advanced Educational Psychology, and more.

Montana State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Murray State University

Murray State University offers a Doctor of Education in P-20 and Community Leadership with a specialization in STEM. The program requires the completion of 60 credit hours of coursework. Courses include Advanced Methods of Quantitative Research in Education, Leadership and Ethics in a Diverse Society, Emerging Trends in STEM Education, and more. Murray State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction with a track in STEM. Students in the program must complete 63 credit hours of online and face-to-face coursework. Applicants must submit GRE scores and have at least three years of professional experience teaching STEM subjects. New students can begin every fall. Texas Tech University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky offers a PhD in Education Sciences with an emphasis in STEM Education. To graduate, students must complete 45 credit hours of coursework and a dissertation. Select courses are available online or in hybrid formats, but students do need to be able to come to campus in Lexington at least once a week.

The University of Kentucky is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

University of Massachusetts – Lowell

The University of Massachusetts—Lowell offers an EdD in Schooling with a STEM option. The program is mostly online, with a one-week residency on campus each summer. Students in the program take two courses each semester with a cohort and can typically finish the program in 3 years. Coursework includes Developing Inclusive School Contexts, Applied Research Design, and Data Analysis for Practitioner Leaders.

The University of Massachusetts Lowell is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh offers an EdD in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Accepted students may enroll part-time starting in the summer and can typically finish the program in 3 years. The program requires a total of 84 credits, 24 of which can be transferred from a qualifying master’s degree.

The University of Pittsburgh is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina offers a 100% online program for a Doctor of Education in STEM Education. The program’s courses use an 8 week format. Classes include Introduction to Diversity and the Curriculum, Educational Policy Analysis, Principles of Engineering for Teachers, Integration of Technology and Instruction, and more. GRE and GMAT scores are not required to apply.

The University of South Carolina is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

University of the Southwest

The University of the Southwest offers a Doctor of Education in STEM Education that can be earned 100% online. Textbooks, course materials, and a laptop are included in tuition costs. The program requires two residencies, but students can choose to either come to campus or participate virtually. The University of the Southwest is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Online STEM PhD Programs

An online STEM PhD program can help you advance your knowledge and skill sets in the STEM education field. STEM-focused online education degree programs can also help you gain a better understanding of how students think and learn when it comes to STEM-related subjects.

In a PhD in Education in STEM program, you can explore how to develop theories and design solutions and curricula for STEM education that benefit all students. You can also choose a specific STEM-related field to further your studies in.

Here are some of the many areas of study your STEM doctorate program may cover:

• How students think and learn in STEM fields
• Educational trends, research, and theories
• In-depth study of your chosen STEM field
• How to ensure all students get a high-quality STEM education
• Learning environments and their effects on STEM education access
• Professional development of STEM teachers

Professionals with a PhD in STEM Education may pursue a number of career paths. For instance, graduates may go on to pursue careers as:

• University teachers
• Curriculum development specialists
• Assessment specialists
• Instructional leaders
• Researchers
• Policymakers

Some graduates also pursue careers as STEM coordinators in public schools. STEM PhDs can also help K-12 teachers advance their skill sets and professional qualifications in their field.

Common Online PhD in STEM Education Specializations 

The STEM field encompasses math, science, engineering, and technology. Students pursuing STEM studies can often choose one specialization among multiple STEM-related fields. Common specializations include:

• Science Education . You can learn about science and environmental education and curriculum design in K-12 schools, postsecondary institutions, and informal settings.
• Agricultural Education . This concentration focuses on education in agriculture and life sciences, especially in postsecondary education settings.
• Engineering Education . You can learn about engineering concepts and how they are introduced and can be taught effectively in K-12 schools.
• Mathematics Education . With this concentration, you can learn how to improve math curricula, teaching and learning of math concepts, and strategies for increasing student achievement.
• Educational Technology . This concentration encompasses the study and teaching of computer science.

Different schools may offer different specializations. Much like with an on-campus or online masters in secondary education , when searching for the PhD STEM program that’s right for you, it’s helpful to research what specializations schools have available.

STEM Education Careers & Salaries 

Professionals with a PhD in STEM education can pursue a number of careers in education and research. A PhD is also a common educational requirement for teaching at a college or university. Some graduates may pursue leadership or administrative roles in higher education as well.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , here are the median salaries of some of the many career paths related to the STEM education field.

Some graduates work in public schools, teaching STEM-related subjects to students or acting as STEM coordinators for the school as a whole. Teaching roles typically require a state license.

Other STEM education professionals focus on designing or assessing curricula. They might work as curriculum developers or leaders in instructional coordination.

Doctorate in STEM Education Curriculum & Courses 

Here are some examples of courses that a STEM doctorate program may offer:

• Educational Statistics : You’ll learn about various sampling procedures, about analysis and correlation, and about computer analysis of educational data.
• Critical Examination of Curriculum in Context : This course may discuss concepts, ideas, and debates in general curriculum.
• Theories and Trends in Education : This course provides an overview of human development and learning, including cognitive, social, and behavioral learning theories.
• Statistics for Educational Research : You’ll learn about regressive and correlation methods and how to analyze data.
• Essentials of Educational Research : You’ll learn about different research skills and about planning and reporting applied research.
• Teaching Theory and Research : This course provides an overview of teaching research, including historical perspective, modern research, and implications for the future.
• Readings in Educational Research : You’ll learn to investigate research in a STEM-related field.
• Nature of Inquiry in STEM Education : This course may teach you how to evaluate national teaching standards, how to research, and how to utilize cognitive theories of learning in the STEM field.
• Equity, Policy, and Social Justice : You’ll learn about the issues of diversity, equity, policy, and social justice in the role of education.
• Research Approaches to Classroom Discourse : This course may teach you about the analysis of classroom discourse, conversational analysis, and critical discourse.

The courses offered in your program will depend on your specialization and school. It could also help to look at what courses a school offers to make sure you take the courses that fit your interests and goals.

Admissions Requirements 

Admission requirements for a STEM PhD program can depend on the school, but here are some common requirements:

• GRE scores (if required)
• Masters degree and prior coursework in a STEM-related field
• Official transcripts
• Prior teaching experience
• Statement of intent

Your school may also require up to three letters of recommendation and an application fee. Not all programs require you to have prior teaching experience. It’s helpful to check a program’s specific admission requirements by checking their website or speaking to an admissions officer.

Accreditation

When searching for an online STEM doctorate program, it’s strategic to find out if a school is regionally accredited. Regional accreditation means that a school has been reviewed by a reputable accrediting agency and has been found to meet certain standards of quality.

A school’s accreditation status can affect whether your credits can be transferred to another school. Attending an accredited school is also a precondition for some forms of financial aid. Plus, many employers look at a school’s accreditation status when determining a candidate’s qualifications. You can learn more about accreditation at the US Department of Education ’s website.

Financial Aid and Scholarships 

When you’re searching for the PhD program that’s right for you, you may want to consider available financial aid opportunities as well.

Schools often have scholarship opportunities based on merit, and some may be specifically meant for STEM students. Some schools also offer fellowships or assistantships to PhD candidates. Federal student loans are also available to students who qualify. Unlike scholarships, loans need to be paid back after a student is no longer attending school.

You can see what forms of federal aid are available to you by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) . If you’re currently working, you can also see if your employer offers any tuition assistance programs.

What Is a STEM Education PhD?

A PhD in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is a doctoral program that explores how students learn STEM subjects and how to better inspire them to engage in these lucrative fields.

Through a STEM PhD program, you can gain more experience and expertise in your chosen STEM field and advance your knowledge surrounding STEM educational programs. This program aims to help you develop the knowledge and skills to overcome challenges in providing high-quality STEM education to students at all levels.

Graduates are often prepared for teaching, supervisory, research, and administrative positions in K-12 or higher education.

What Can You Do with a PhD in STEM Education?

With a PhD in STEM Education, you may qualify for a number of careers in the education field. Many STEM educators have teaching roles in K-12 schools.

Experienced educators may pursue administrative roles, working as instructional coordinators or STEM coordinators for schools or school districts. Many graduates pursue jobs as instructional leaders, curriculum developers, and assessment specialists. A PhD can also help you qualify for research, administrative, and teaching positions in institutions of higher education.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Doctoral Degree in STEM Education Online? 

It’s common for a PhD to take 3 to 5 years to earn with full-time study. How long it takes to complete an online STEM education PhD depends on many factors.

For instance, your timeframe can be affected by how many credit hours your program has, whether you’re studying full-time or part-time, and how long it takes complete your dissertation. If a dissertation isn’t required, a doctoral degree can generally be completed in 3 years of full-time study.

Is a STEM PhD Worth It?

Yes, a STEM PhD is worth it for many students. A STEM education PhD is beneficial to those who teach science, technology, engineering, or math to students in K-12 or postsecondary schools. It can also help you qualify for research positions in higher education.

A PhD program in STEM education can help you prepare for leadership roles or curriculum development roles as well. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that many jobs in education are seeing steady growth. Overall, training, education, and library occupations are expected to see 10% job growth over the next ten years.

Getting Your PhD in STEM Education Online 

Earning a PhD in STEM Education could be a strategic step if you’re passionate about a STEM-related field and want to share that passion with the next generation.

A STEM PhD program can help you research different ways to improve STEM education and to provide a high-quality education for students at all levels. A PhD program in STEM education is especially beneficial for those who want to pursue STEM careers related to teaching, administration, instructional design, and research.

If you’re ready to advance your expertise in STEM education, then you can start exploring accredited schools today to find the PhD program and specialization that’s right for you.

Graduate School

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Graduate School Essentials for STEM PhDs

Graduate school essentials for doctoral students in stem.

Graduate School Essentials provides a framework for understanding what is expected of doctoral students at every phase of grad school. If grad school is a journey, Graduate School Essentials meets you where you are, and points you in the right direction.

how to navigate

Graduate School Essentials is organized around five different components. You can navigate each component by three different phases of the doctoral experience for students in the Humanities and Social Sciences: Years 1-2, Years 3-4, and Years 5+ . 

Essential Components

• First Steps Checklist
• Communicating with Advisors

Research and Writing

Building relationships and career development, seeking financial support, first steps checklist.

Make sure you are familiar with our First Steps Checklist at every phase of grad school. The more you understand on the First Steps Checklist, the more prepared you'll be. 

+ Get to know your department culture

• Bookmark your program’s student handbook, intranet page/website, and events calendar. 
• Know the answer to “who in my program/department do I go to if …”
• Save the name and email of your Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) .
• Save the name and email of your Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) . 
• Save the name and email of the staff in your program/department and their roles.
• Attend your program/department’s annual orientations and info sessions.
• Be aware of any  program/departmental policy changes.
• Schedule a meeting with your faculty advisor to discuss their Advising Statement, if applicable, and how to collaborate on an Individual Development (IDP) .

+ Map out your program course prerequisites, exams, and degree milestones

• Work with your advisor on an overview of your degree completion process.
• Map out major degree milestones and timeline (lit review, exams, committee formation).
• Track your degree progress with GPAS (Graduate Planning & Audit System) .
• Prerequisites
• Literature review 
• Committee formation
• Contact GSSP (Graduate Student Services and Progress) to get help tracking your degree’s completion steps.  
• Familiarize yourself with Dissertation Calculator .
• Talk to your advisor and peers about which elective courses would complement your research.
• Explore new areas of interest.

+ Update your information at MyU and GPAS

• Go to myu and login.
• Click your name and select “account”.
• Add your current information. 
• Contact the Graduate Student Services & Progress (GSSP) office with any questions about your degree completion steps: [email protected]

+ Seek out support centers and academic and professional resources on campus

• Council of Graduate Students (COGS)
• Council of International Graduate Students (CIGS)
• Disability Resource Center (DRC)
• First-Gen Connect
• Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life (GSC)
• Graduate School Diversity Office (GSDO)  
• Community of Scholars Program (COSP)  
• Graduate Students of Color Alliance (GSOCA)
• Student Conflict Resolution Center
• Graduate Student Community Organizations and Graduate and Professional Support Resources 
• Graduate and Professional Student Parents (GRaSP)
• Graduate and Professional Students with Disabilities
• Improving Campus Climate
• International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)  
• Equal Opportunities and Affirmative Action (EOAA)

+ Search for funding and apply for graduate assistantships (GA)

• Talk to your advisor, GPC, and DGS about teaching assistant (TA), research assistant (RA) and administrative fellow (AF) resources. 
• Ask your GPC about resources available to support success in your GA role.
• Familiarize yourself with the Graduate Assistantship (GA) job search page.  
• Search your program, department, and/or college for resources and openings.
• Familiarize yourself with employment benefits and health plans .
• Explore teaching resources from the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) .
• Get to know Canvas LMS for online learning and teaching. 
• Use your network of faculty, staff and colleagues to find funding sources that align with your research.

+ Explore University health and wellness resources

• Boynton Mental Health
• UMN Student Mental Health
• Mental health resources specific to international students 
• Student Counseling Services
• University Student Legal Services
• Recreation and Wellness

+ Learn financial literacy and budgeting while in graduate school

• OneStop Financial Wellness Counseling
• Student/faculty discounts, savings, and subscriptions
• Chronicle for Higher Education
• Inside Higher Education
• Third party academic and professional development platforms

Communicating with Advisors

Your advisor is your academic point person and advocate: together, you can use Grad School Essentials to chart requirements and milestones. 

At the start of graduate school

+ if you are not assigned an advisor.

• Contact your Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) and Director Graduate Studies (DGS) to inquire about the advisor selection process. 
• Browse the faculty and staff page on your department websites and look for faculty research topics that interest you. Contact them and ask for their availability to advise new graduate students. 
• If a prospective advisor is available to advise new students, ask about their communication style and expectations.
• Ask for an Advising Statement if they have one. 
• Talk to the current advisees of your potential advisor. Ask them about the potential advisor's advising and communication style, availability, approach to supporting research, etc.
• Inquire about attending a group meeting or seminar to learn more about the prospective advisor’s research if there is dual research.
• Attend research talks hosted by the prospective advisor to learn about their research.

Once an advisor is assigned/selected

+ ask yourself if your advisor is a good fit.

• Ask yourself, is your advisor a good fit overall? Will they be supportive of your research interests? Will they support your academic and professional development? Will they support your career goals and pathway?
• Reflect on your experience thus far and determine if you have had a positive and supportive relationship with your advisor.
• Contact your Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) or the equivalent (Associate DGS, etc.) if you do need to have a confidential discussion about changing your advisor.
• Consider finding another advisor before proceeding with your degree milestones, if you feel that your advisor is not a good fit for your research interests, or if you have reservations (e.g. communication style, personality, accessibility, etc.).

+ Draft an Individual Development Plan (IDP)

• Watch the student perspective Individual Development (IDP) video , browse examples, then make a copy of a blank IDP template . 
• Reflect on your long and short-term goals, and add those to your IDP. 
• Share your IDP with your advisor and/or mentor(s) to seek feedback. Getting feedback on your IDP is important but don't be discouraged if your advisor is only interested in select parts of your IDP. Your IDP is your development plan for yourself. It is up to you to decide which portions of your IDP you share when soliciting feedback from others.

+ Communicate with your advisor about their research and goals

• Talk to your advisor about publications and their expectations for you.
• Ask your advisor about their research career. What have been the different focuses of their research over their career? How did they end up doing their current research? What are their future research interests? 

+ Understand personalities, positive communication styles, and discuss expectations early in your advising relationship

• Do you have an Advising Statement?
• Do you use an Individual Development (IDP) or career planning tool with your advisees?
• How often should we meet with each other?
• In what ways would you like to collaborate with me?
• Besides the departmental requirements, what unique requirements do you have for me?  
• How can you help support my degree progress, professional development, and career goals? 
• In what ways will you support my overall wellbeing? 
• What is your preferred way of communicating?
• What does the feedback process on research and writing look like?
• What does feedback on research and lab work look like? 
• Would you be open to discussing different ways to provide feedback if I don't find these helpful?
• What are your expectations in terms of me applying for fellowships and research grants? 
• Are there funds for travel, fellowships, or teaching opportunities that fit me? How do I prepare for the fellowships? 
• What do I need to do to be competitive for these fellowships and  teaching opportunities?

+ Develop timeline to degree completion

• Draft a timeline to complete your degree, with guidance from your advisor and the Graduate Planning & Audit System (GPAS) .
• Familiarize yourself with requirements and milestones specific to your graduate program.
• Break down academic goals into manageable tasks.
• Establish a visual aid to make the journey seem less daunting.

+ Discuss publishing and authorship protocols

• Discuss with your advisor and classmates about different types of publications or expectations for publishing in your field. 
• Discuss with your advisor what the expectations are for you to publish.
• Discuss with your advisor what the expectations are for co-publishing. Publishing with your advisor is sometimes required in STEM fields.
• Discuss with your advisor and DGS what the lab or department requirements are for different levels of authorship on publications.
• If applicable to your research, ask your advisor about interdisciplinary opportunities to publish with faculty outside your department, if this is applicable to your field.

+ Request feedback on your writing and research

• Identify faculty (other than your committee members) who have expertise in your research area and can provide feedback on your scholarly work.
• Develop a plan for requesting input, think about what you want to specifically ask these faculty experts and what kind of feedback you are looking for (e.g., conceptual, technical, rhetorical).

+ Discuss committee selection for your preliminary exam and dissertation

• Discuss expectations for the preliminary exam(s) and dissertation committee selection process with your advisor.
• Consider the expertise of the faculty who would be appropriate to serve on the committee. Seek suggestions from your advisor, other faculty and peers on who they would recommend to be a good fit for your committee.
• Think about faculty who may not have expertise directly related to your research but may share perspectives that could  be complementary.
• Become familiar with the research of suggested faculty within and outside your department.

Once you've passed your preliminary exam

+ update your advisor on your career goals and milestones.

• Schedule regular meetings to communicate your career goals and professional accomplishments with your advisor and other faculty/staff whom you wish to serve as references for professional development opportunities so they can write effective reference letters. 
• Provide a copy of your CV, resume, and the description of the funding or professional development so they can address how your experience or research fits with the opportunity for which you are applying.

+ Update your timeline for degree completion

• Develop a timeline by setting a tentative date for defense and work backwards.  
• Identify major steps to accomplish (e.g. data collection, dissertation chapters, etc.) and assign a completion date for each task. 
• Break down major tasks into smaller steps and assign completion dates for each step.

+ Request feedback from expert readers for your scholarly work

• Write the message as a letter and attach it to the draft to be reviewed. The message should clearly define the aspects of the document you want each reader to critique (technical content, organization, etc.)
• Consider using Wilber's Five Elements of Effective Writing as an example to ask feedback on specific aspects of your writing (central idea, organization, supporting material, word choice, and grammar).  Attach this form to your draft.
• Allow at least three weeks for review and send a courtesy reminder no later than three days prior to  the deadline.  
• The review period may need to be longer depending on the length of the document.  
• Make sure your readers are comfortable with the deadline.

+ Submit dissertation drafts to your advisor and committee members

• Discuss with your advisor the submission process around drafts of your oral exam,, dissertation chapters, or your entire dissertation looks like.
• Talk with your advisor what a reasonable amount of time is for feedback from them as well as your committee members. 
• Send your draft first to your advisor, make any changes needed before sharing with your committee.
• Share your draft with your committee, along with specific notes for feedback needed and the deadline.
• Send a few reminders to committee members about feedback deadlines.

Once you've completed your dissertation research and are preparing for the final defense

+ set defense date.

• Meet with your advisor to set the date for the defense based on availability of your advisor and committee members. 
• Know ahead of time the dates of major conferences or events in your field at which faculty may be attending to avoid scheduling conflicts. 
• Reserve space(s) for the public defense and the subsequent committee meeting (if held in person). If virtual format is permitted, select a platform that works for everyone in your committee and reserve an online meeting room.

+ Evaluate final feedback from readers in preparation for defense

• Evaluate the feedback on your dissertation draft with your advisor and decide what to incorporate into your final draft.
• If you did not incorporate a committee member's suggestions, be able to explain why you haven't in case it is raised in the defense.

+ Consult with advisor about defense format and roles of participants

• Discuss with your advisor what the defense will look like, what is expected of you, what is expected of your committee members, and what is expected of your advisor.

Establishing productive research and writing practices is the cornerstone of being successful in graduate school. 

Pre-Priliminary Exam

+ identify your discipline’s academic and scientific writing styles.

• Watch the UMN Libraries Publishing 101 webinar .
• Get to know major (and minor) publications, current trends, and experts in your field.
• Discuss with your advisor important publications in your area of research.
• Get to know the publishing cycle and expectations in your field. 
• Explore recommendations of “good, scholarly writing examples” from advisors, faculty, and librarians.
• Talk with your advisor about your observations from writing examples.
• Get to know your peers’ interests and publications.

+ Explore potential research methods/protocols within your discipline

• Discuss with your advisor about research methods/protocols/techniques within your field. 
• Talk to senior students about their research. 
• Take research methods and data management courses or training, if applicable. 
• Attend departmental talks, seminars and conferences to engage with faculty, staff and peers about their research.
• Seek training and mentorship opportunities to get feedback from your own research and writing ideas.

+ Explore campus library resources

• Explore UMN Libraries website and services for graduate students .
• Look on the Library website for your subject librarian and meet with them to discuss your scholarly interests, discuss strategies for more efficient searches and the best search engines to use for your research.

+ Explore campus writing resources

• Learn the importance of an organized reading, writing, and notation practice .
• Explore and bookmark Center for Writing and Student Writing Support (SWS) .
• Create a mySWS account to request an appointment and ask how the Center for Writing can assist you in your research and writing.
• Contact the Graduate School Diversity Office for information about writing support and resources for Indigenous and graduate students of color.

+ Learn to use a good citation manager and keep good notes on relevant papers

• Register for UMN Library sessions on citation managers
• Talk to your peers and colleagues about what citation manager they use. 
• Keep a record of your readings in your citation manager.

+ Discuss expectations of the preliminary exam with your advisor

• Discuss your advisor’s role in the preliminary exam.
• Ask your advisor the extent to which they can offer support to prepare for the exam (providing sample questions, suggesting specific strategies or resources).

+ Prepare for the Preliminary Exam

• Read your program website/handbook for exam requirements.
• Identify key components and characteristics from recent preliminary exams, if available.
• Get to know what constitutes an academic paper and practice synthesizing the information. 
• Begin preparing for the exam as early as possible.
• Talk to your advisor about taking the preliminary exam and program expectations.
• If permitted by the program, ask senior students  for sample drafts, ‘cheat sheets’, previous exam work,  and sample proposals. 
• Ask them to set up a mock oral exam for your practice answering questions.
• Review non-academic resources like Wikipedia and YouTube if there are concepts that you don't need to learn from an academic paper. 
• Practice your oral exam with your advisor, peers, and other members in your lab.

+ Begin committee selection

• Identify faculty who you already know you would want on your committee.
• Ask your advisor to help you identify faculty members who may be a good fit for your committee. 
• Explore faculty webpages on department websites.
• Discuss your research interest, methods, and publication goals with the prospective committee member.
• Get to know their communication style and personality. 
• Briefly discuss your timeline with your prospective committee member.
• Discuss their role on the committee.
• Is the faculty member familiar with my study?
• Does my research topic align with their research interests? 
• How have they contributed to my area of study?
• Do I need help from them to improve my research?
• Are they collaborative? 
• Will they be generous with their time and support?  
• Select your committee members and send confirmation emails to them.

Post-Preliminary Exam

+ prioritize your time and efforts.

• Discuss and finalize your dissertation topic with your advisor.
• Reevaluate your research and writing goals and update your IDP to prioritize efforts.
• Take only classes that are necessary and learn to say no if an opportunity doesn’t fit your plan/goal.
• Discuss with your advisor how to develop a strategy for prioritizing feedback from multiple readers and incorporate key feedback into the revision process.

+ Begin your concentrated focus on the dissertation

• Be familiar with Dissertation Calculator . 
• Develop and maintain a dissertation writing schedule.
• Determine from whom and how you will seek advice on next steps/feedback on emerging drafts.
• Attend public presentations of a dissertation/thesis defense to know what the process is like.
• Set up a mock presentation for your own dissertation/thesis defense with peers to practice.

+ Assess your degree timeline and completion

• If you plan to keep the same committee as your oral preliminary exam committee, send emails or schedule meetings with all of your committee members to update your plan with them and make sure they will be available.
• Get to know the key faculty in your area of research, both within and outside the UMN by attending lectures/workshops, reading articles or taking classes.
• Discuss with your advisor on whether the committee member can help you with your dissertation and how they can help.
• Form relationships with faculty you want to have on your committee.

+ Continue improving your writing and getting published

• Ask for peer feedback to improve your writing practice.
• Provide feedback on your peer’s writing.
• Practice communicating your research to different audiences within and outside your field.
• Advocate for yourself in attending/participating in conferences.
• Join or form a peer writing group to support your scholarly writing and publishing.
• Reflect on what worked and what didn't upon completion of major writing projects. 
• Gather manuscript guidelines of key journals in your field and related areas of study.
• Discuss with your advisor, senior students, and postdoctoral associates about “good” examples of writing in your field.
• Prepare a writing plan to guide you in the transition from dissertation writer to  postdoctoral associate, junior faculty, or positions outside academia.

Managing Lab Life

Many students join their program without a pre-assigned lab, but some programs require their students select a lab for themselves. This section provides ways to find a lab and to explore lab culture.

+ When exploring labs, focus on the lab culture in which you will feel comfortable working

• Assess your overall research goals (topic, methods, etc.) and identify the lab that will provide the best fit and support to reach your goals. 
• Find a Principal Investigator (PI) whose research topic and methods, personality and communication style, teaching philosophy and mentorship style align with your own.
• Complete onboarding, training, and required  protocols of your specific lab to make sure you understand procedures.
• Join social events with your lab colleagues to build community.

+ Ask your Principal Investigator (PI) and/or lab manager questions about lab culture and expectations

• What are our regular hours of operation?
• Which projects are available, and are there students that have worked on these projects previously?
• Where in the “cycle” will I work on this project if the project was started before I join.  
• What is the vacation policy? Who do I talk to if I am ill? 
• What are safety rules in the lab?
• In what ways will you support my career and professional development?
• What confirmed funds are available for my tuition/salary for the coming years? 
• Will I need to secure funding upon joining the lab? 
• What kind of funding do you offer for professional development?

+ Ask your cohorts, peers, and senior students in your lab questions about the lab

• What factors did you consider when joining this lab?
• How does the PI or lab manager react if you make a mistake?
• What are group dynamics like in the lab? Do you feel your input is valued ?
• What are weekend expectations in the lab? 
• In what ways is your professional/career development supported? In what ways is it not supported?
• Any other questions that your PI hasn’t answered.

+ Know your rights and who to talk with for difficult or toxic situations

• Refer to First Steps Checklist for offices that offer support.

+ Plan your financial situation throughout your time in graduate school

• Explore OneStop  budgeting techniques .
• How to budget during graduate school . 
• Ask your advisor/PI how much funding they can guarantee specifically for you. 
• Ask your advisor/PI if you are expected to TA all semesters or if there is funding available to support you on an RA.
• In case you need to supplement your living expenses, ask your advisor/PI whether seeking part-time jobs is allowed and their expectations regarding course or lab research workload.

+ Seek Graduate Assistantship (GA) opportunities

• Inquire about teaching, research or administrative assistantships within your graduate program or department by asking your advisor, Graduate Program Coordinator, Director of Graduate Studies, and department chair. 
• Explore the UMN jobs site for available positions across UMN that would fit your skills and experiences.
• Talk with faculty, staff, and peers about possible networks/listservs to join so you can receive information about assistantships and funding opportunities.
• Inquire about summer funding as some departments may  not offer such support.
• Pay attention to GA opportunities that may be for specific communities (underrepresented, women, first-generation, etc.).

+ Explore grant and fellowship resources

• Inquire about funding sources within your graduate program or department by asking your Graduate Program Coordinator, advisor, Director of Graduate Studies, department chair and advanced graduate students.  
• Pay close attention to the eligibility requirements, especially international students, as there may be citizenship requirements for certain funding. 
• Explore opportunities within your college and within central University units. Review eligibility  and proposal submission process each year to be current.
• Graduate School Fellowship Office
• Office of the Vice President for Research
• Global Programs and Strategic Alliance
• Council of Graduate Students (COGS)  
• Research resources external to the University administered by foundations, government agencies, and professional organizations or associations. 
• Ask individuals in your department on possible external funding options and names/contacts of specific individuals they recommend you contact directly.
• Use higher education related social media to explore grant and funding opportunities.
• Attend workshops or webinars to learn about how to write a grant proposal.
• Reach out to faculty and peers who have previously applied for the grant to understand what reviewers are looking for and what the review process looks like.
• Pay close attention to the budget of the grant proposal. Ask you advisor or peers who have previously had experience with the grant you are applying for if you need specific guidance on the budget content and format.
• Explore the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) for opportunities to serve on a  grant committee.

+ Identify application processes and timelines for fellowships and travel grants in your field(s)

• Become familiar with the Request for Proposal (RFP) , application processes, selection criteria, and timelines of fellowships and grants for which you would like to apply.
• Seek out and review successful applications to get an idea of the types of research or topics previously funded.
• Ask for suggestions from your advisor, mentors, and peers on funding resources.

+ Identify and complete prerequisite trainings

• Complete all prerequisites to conduct research involving human or animal subjects, as some fellowships, especially those intended to fund efforts directly related to research, will require proof of prerequisite completion.
• Make sure to submit the application for the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval in a timely manner so you do not miss fellowship deadlines.

+ Apply for fellowships and major travel grants for research and major conferences

• Start drafting the proposal as early as possible and collect necessary supporting materials. 
• Apply to UMN grants in addition to external funding. External funders will likely expect you to have applied for funding from your own institution prior to seeking external funding.
• Apply for travel support, fellowships, and teaching opportunities. Make sure your project fits within the parameters of the funding guidelines or Request for Proposal (RFP).
• Provide references with a copy of your application materials and identify specific content you'd like them to include in a recommendation letter. 
• Be considerate of your references and allow ample time for them to write the letters.
• Send a courtesy reminder one week before the deadline.
• Fit with funding objectives
• Viability of the project or study
• Project aims or objectives
• Overall organization/clarity of the proposal
• Evaluation or impact statement

+ Apply for internships

Refer to the Building Relationships and Career Development section.

Refer to the Building Relationships and Career Development section. 

+ Build Relationships across campus and in your fields

• Seek out opportunities within and external to the UMN (departments, centers, institutes, professional associations) to hear presentations, lectures, and discussions relevant to your research and professional  interests.
• Learn how conferences operate, including program planning, calls for papers/posters, review of proposals.
• Do you have examples of proposals I can look at?
• Could you review my proposal and provide feedback?
• Are there funding opportunities for registration and travel? 
• Consider using social media and web presence/platforms to explore social opportunities
• Understand the benefits of engaging in the UMN community : learn the range of social, cultural and interest groups available on campus in order to determine which groups to make part of your local support network. Building relationships can expand professional networks that could lead to scholarly collaborations, future funding opportunities and letters of recommendation.
• Seek multiple mentors from within and outside the University to offer different perspectives and expertise that can support various aspects of your academic, professional and personal growth.
• Build upon your cross-cultural communication skills by networking with peers, faculty, and staff across departments from cultures and experiences different from your own.
• Explore and join student organizations .
• Explore the social, cultural and interest groups available on campus . 
• Become familiar with academic and career workshops , online resources and free webinars put on by various professional societies.
• Opt in to the Graduate School’s workshop calendar and e-newsletters .
• Taking advantage of opportunities for collaboration if they are offered. Consider collaborating on research, resources, publications, and proposal writing with peers and faculty outside of your lab.

+ Explore career services across the University

• Bookmark and navigate the career services office in your college or department.
• Explore career resources offered by the Graduate School.
• Join Maroon and Gold Network and connect with alumni in careers that interest you.

+ Develop a professional portfolio and/or LinkedIn profile

• Add your professional and academic contacts.
• Explore Beyond the Professoriate 's LinkedIn webinars.

+ Begin professional networking

• Explore how networking can further your dissertation research and future career.
• Watch the Networking for Introverts video.  
• Consider do’s and don’ts of communication and networking on social media.
• Explore and join professional associations.
• Conduct informational interviews for careers of interest.
• Explore career pathways and trends within your discipline.
• Meet peers outside of your own department, especially concentrate on building  cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary connections.

+ Draft an Individual Development (IDP)

• Create or refer to the Graduate School’s Individual Development Plan (IDP) template .
• Assess career development areas or skills you want to develop.
• Explore Career Discernment and self-reflection practices.
• Define long-term goals around career development.
• Define short-term goals around career development.
• Discuss career aspirations and plan to monitor them over time.
• Identify primary career path along with alternate options.
• MyIDP/Science Careers
• National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)
• Beyond the Professoriate
• Decide how often you will update your Individual Development Plan (IDP) and with whom you will share it. It is strongly encouraged that you share it with your advisor and/or mentors so they are aware of your needs and can suggest resources to help meet your goals. Remember that the IDP is your personal document.  It is up to you which portions of your IDP you share when soliciting feedback from others.

+ Understand the importance of transferable skills

• Gain an understanding of transferable skills and how they relate to every aspect of graduate school and your future career.
• Graduate School digital badges and University-wide digital badges and certificates
• Add transferable skills goals and assessment to your Individual Development Plan (IDP) .

+ Consider an internship or project to build skills transferable to other sectors

• Explore and network in another sector or professional association, particularly if you are interested in pursuing careers outside academia.
• Meet with your collegiate career advisor/PI to discuss opportunities to apply for short-term semester internships or longer-term summer internships.
• Connect with peers and other individuals who might connect you with potential internship venues.

+ Assess and update your Individual Development (IDP)

• Refer to or create the Graduate Schools Individual Development Plan (IDP) template . 
• Reflect on your career aspirations, skills, interests, and accomplishments. 
• Update your long-term career goals. Have they changed?
• Update your short-term career goals to align with your long-term goals.
• Discuss career aspirations and current trends in your discipline with mentors in your network.
• Identify your primary career path but be open to other possibilities that could be equally rewarding.

+ Submit and present at conferences

• Ask your advisor about conferences where you should begin presenting your research. Add conference dates to your  Individual Development (IDP) .
• Pay attention to submission guidelines and the selection process.

+ Search for and connect with alumni in fields or positions of interest

• Continue to assess you r transferable skills and make goals to learn new ones.
• Continue building a professional network with LinkedIn .
• Start promoting yourself for specific job openings.
• Connect with department/research group alumni with Handshake and the Maroon and Gold Network .
• Conduct informational interviews . 
• Develop an elevator pitch .

+ Explore academic opportunities and postdoctoral fellowships

• Explore whether a postdoctoral position fits within your career goals. 
• Talk to your advisor about seeking a postdoctoral position and discuss possible options. 
• Know which research topic(s) you would like to pursue during your postdoctoral.
• Attend conferences and network with presenters and peers around postdoctoral opportunities.
• Ask your advisor and or postdoctoral alumni about the qualifications and required skill sets of postdocs in your fields. 
• Identify universities and research centers that are conducting research or are offering teaching fellowships aligned to your interests.  
• Use professional society job boards and Twitter to search for post-doc opportunities. 
• Depending on your discipline and career choice, you may be expected to complete postdoctoral training for one to three  years.
• Consult with your advisor, mentors or peers about possible postdoctoral programs for which you would be a fit.
• Be familiar with postdoctoral fellowship announcements, recruitment and selection processes in your field.
• Be aware of postdoctoral fellowships funded by central units seeking fellows across disciplines.
• https://www.postdocjobs.com/ https://www.postdocjobs.com/
• National Postdoc Association

+ Research the non-academic job market

• Explore if your department/program has relationships with recruiters in industry.
• Identify skill sets that recruiters are looking for.
• Talk to alumni who work in the industry.
• Science Careers
• UMN Handshake , a career network for students, alumni, and employers with local, national, and international opportunities.

+ Update components of your professional job search portfolio and apply for open positions

• LinkedIn profile
• Personal website
• Cover letter template  
• Curriculum Vitae (CVs), Cover Letter and Teaching portfolios
• Resumes vs. CVs
• Research statement
• Teaching philosophy statement
• Diversity statement
• Integrate transferable skills and co-curricular accomplishments to CV/resume/profile.

Actively network and build relationships in your career field of interest

• Search LinkedIn for people in a desired career path and reach out.
• Talk with various mentors about day-to-day life in their career path.
• Keep meeting peers outside of your own department, especially concentrate on building  cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary connections.
• Build relationships with alumni in fields of interest.
• Conduct informational interviews with mentors and alumni.
• Conduct and practice mock interviews . 
• Become familiar with language and culture of employment sectors.
• Familiarize yourself with language and employer expectations in actual job postings.

+ Search for jobs and postdoctoral opportunities

• Create a system for tracking job search, including openings and applications.
• Apply for opportunities of interest.

+ Negotiate job offers

• Learn job offer negotiation skills prior to an offer in case you are asked to give a decision in a tight timeline.
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Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

March 23, 2021

What to Know About Applying for a PhD in STEM [Episode 410]

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Are you considering a PhD, either in the United States or abroad? [Show summary]

Dr. Eva Lantsoght, a professor of civil engineering who has lived and studied all over the globe, shares her insights on applying to PhD programs in STEM fields.

What to expect when applying to domestic and international PhD programs. [Show notes]

Would you like to attend a US or UK master’s or PhD program in a STEM field? Are you concerned about the process of both applying to and completing the degree?

Dr. Eva Lantsoght is a citizen of the world, professor of civil engineering, blogger, and podcast host. Dr. Lantsoght was born in Belgium and earned her bachelor’s in civil engineering in Brussels and her master’s in structural engineering at Georgia Tech, with a full ride scholarship and a scholarship from the Belgian-American Educational Foundation. She earned her PhD at TU Delft, where she has been a researcher since earning her PhD in 2013 and recently received tenure. Since 2013 she has also been an assistant professor at USFQ in Quito, Ecuador, where she also has tenure.

Officially, you’re a professor of civil engineering with a focus on concrete. However, you’ve been blogging and podcasting about something not so “concrete”: how to get into and complete PhD programs. How did you get interested in this process? [2:14]

I started blogging in the first year of my PhD, and at that time, it was just documenting my experience in the laboratory. I wanted a place where I could write about what didn’t work in the lab or the processes behind what we do in the lab, like how to keep lab notes, how to organize all that information, things that don’t get into a journal publication. So I started to use my blog as a space for documenting those things. As I progressed through my career, I started to write about other topics related to PhD research and PhD education, and then came questions from students thinking about doing a PhD. “What is it like? What should I consider? How do I select a school? How do I select an advisor? What is different about a PhD in the Netherlands versus the United States?” I started to write about all of these topics.

I think there’s a lot of information out there, but I found that, especially in my niche of engineering and civil engineering, there may not be that many professor bloggers or PhD student bloggers out there. I stepped up to the lack that was there and started to address those. From those questions came my interest in looking at what PhD programs are like at different universities and why there are these differences and how that then impacts the career of researchers after going through a more research-oriented or more a coursework-and-research-oriented PhD program.

What is the typical process for earning a PhD in a STEM field? [4:24]

It also really depends on the country, but mostly I’ve worked in the Netherlands. What I see is that typically, if it’s full-time, it will be a three- to four-year endeavor. If you do it part-time, of course, it takes at least five years. There will always be a time of reading, familiarizing yourself with the literature, defining what is really going to be your research question, the topic that you really want to address. And from that comes the methods that you will apply, and in a STEM field, that typically has either a theoretical component or an experimental component, or that experimental component can be physically in the lab, or it can be numerical experiments. That requires a large amount of time on either bench work or computer simulation work, or a deep theoretical analysis. And from there comes interacting with the data, wrapping up everything, getting back to your research question, and then writing the dissertation and defending at the end.

What if a PhD student has a hypothesis, and the test shows that the hypothesis is false? [5:31]

I do a lot of experimental work, so I am very well aware of all the surprises one can get in the lab. There’s a lot of things that can happen. It could be that your experimental design is not correct, that you are finding something different there, or that you are measuring the incorrect quantity to address your research question, or you can be finding something completely new, and everything we’ve known before cannot be extrapolated to this particular case. It is very common, and it’s important then to figure out for a PhD student, what’s really the reason for this finding? That can be very difficult, but you go through the basics first, the experimental design, the set of parameters that you use, all of that, and from there ask, “Oh, did I really find something that nobody else found before?”

That’s really exciting. So I wouldn’t get too disheartened. I understand that if something unexpected happens in the lab, it can be shocking. You’re like, “I’ve done all this reading. I think I know what’s going to happen.” And something completely different happens. It still happens in my field and my experiments. Sometimes different failure mechanisms occur, for example. Then, I get excited because then you’re finding something new. But I do understand that if you’re just starting to do experimental research, you may be like, “What happens here? Maybe everything I’ve been doing was wrong.” In short, I would say, cover your bases, make sure that the experiment is properly designed. And from there, see if you are finding something new and then link it back to theory.

Let’s say I’m an undergrad and I know I want to get a PhD in a specific field. Do I have to get a master’s first? And if so, should I get a master’s that requires research and a thesis? Or should I try and take classes as an undergrad that require research and go directly to a PhD? How would you advise an undergrad? [8:02]

The short answer to that is: It depends. If I hear that a student has identified a topic, that probably will mean a university and a professor to work with as well . In that case, it would really depend on the requirements of that university. If you can enroll in a master’s that then immediately continues into a PhD, then that may be the right way to go. If you’re already interested in research, I would say, start doing research as an undergraduate with a professor at your undergraduate institution and talk with them on what they recommend. They may say, if you aim for that university, perhaps it would be good to go do a master’s somewhere else, get a particular experience that they may not have there, and then have a larger chance of being an excellent contributor where you want to go do your PhD.

What is the typical application process for a PhD applicant? [9:35]

That also really depends on the university and the country, and in the United States, it is a very standardized process. Whereas in the Netherlands, the way I got into my PhD program was by cold emailing a professor and saying, “I saw this on the website and I’m interested.” That’s really the only professor I emailed for a PhD position. He didn’t answer for a month, and then he answered and said, “Oh yeah, we are actually still looking for one PhD student. Send your CV, and we will talk.” I know that I’m very lucky there because I get cold emails from applicants pretty much every day now, and I get so overwhelmed with emails that I can’t even politely decline. I’m very sorry to say that, but I just delete most of them, unfortunately, and I guess that’s what most people do. For us, when we have a project, that project is funded, and then we start to look for the person.

In some cases, these positions get advertised on the website, the vacancies at the university, but in some cases, especially when we are on tight schedules for funding, we will either just ask some of our recent master’s students if they are interested or reach out to colleagues saying, “Hey, do you have a student who just did a master’s in the lab and would be willing to continue?” Or we share it within our own networks. That’s the time when a cold email would land very well. But of course that’s a lottery.

In the US, I think applying for a PhD is a much more formalized process. Am I correct? [11:23]

I did my master’s at Georgia Tech. I went through the whole procedure of applying to universities there, as well as applying for the Fulbright and the Belgian American Educational Foundation. Those are very standardized processes where you take standardized tests such as the TOEFL, and in my case the GRE. In other fields, that would be the GMAT. You put together your application package with your letters of recommendations from your professors with your statement of purpose and your autobiographical essay. It is a much more standardized process, especially for foreign students. I was in Belgium at the time where these types of applications do not exist. For me, it was a bit of a learning curve on how to write those essays. But once I got the hang of it, then I knew it was the same for all the schools, so I could pretty much process them all together.

How important is the fit with your advisor? [12:45]

It depends. For a master’s program, especially if you’re going to do coursework with perhaps a thesis or the first semester, it will be fully coursework. Then you may still have a very vague idea of what your research would be like. Of course, identifying the people that are important to work with and having some direction is helpful. But at the PhD level, it becomes much more important, and knowing for yourself as well if you want to work with an assistant professor who may have less resources, but may have much more drive to publish and get tenure and all that, or to land in an established lab where you may be with other PhD students, have more resources, but where your supervisor may be much more hands-off. Seeing somebody’s career level and what would fit you and your learning style is quite important there.

I see applicants questioning the role of the university’s reputation and brand versus some specific strength, usually a specific professor’s strength in your particular area of interest. Are you better off going to a less well-known university that has a professor studying exactly what you’re interested in and want to pursue? What kind of advice do you have on that? [13:55]

It really depends on how you as a student work. If you are self-directed and you are fine with very limited supervision and you think, “Oh, if I go to Harvard and I get those resources, I will talk to the postdocs and the other PhD students and find my way around,” then that would be a great opportunity. If, on the other hand, you say, “I really want to be somebody’s apprentice, and I want to be side by side, and I want to learn as much as possible on this particular topic,” then go to the perhaps lesser known university where you could be having a much closer working relationship. Later in your career, that very close working relationship can also help you, because if you go somewhere where your supervisor does not have that many PhD candidates, eventually when he or she steps down from any service position or editorial board thing, you may be the person that they will recommend. Whereas if you are one in many, then it’s harder to be the one that stands out.

How important is international exposure when pursuing a career in academia? Do PhD programs like to see applicants who’ve lived in multiple countries or studied, like you, in the Netherlands, South America, and in the United States? [15:39]

For me, that was the right decision, but I also understand that may not be right for everybody personally. Any international exposure is good to shake up your thoughts. Not just working in a different working environment, but seeing a different school of thought helps you to be able to see a problem from different angles. That is really something that I have appreciated from going through different countries and seeing different ways that engineering is being taught. Belgium is very mathematical. Every engineering problem would be written out as a differential equation or something like that. We see things very mathematically, whereas in the United States, engineering is very hands-on, very practical. And then in the Netherlands, it is also more practical, but then very entrepreneurial as well.

I’ve appreciated those different angles in being in these different places and learning from that. But I also understand that there’s many family situations and personal situations where that may not be the right decision, and that committing to a full study abroad may not be the right thing for you, but there’s always opportunities to go for a short-term. You could always spend a shorter amount of time abroad. Especially for PhD students who may already have some work experience and already have a family and their house, it’s not the right time and season in their life to move to another and shake everything up. Still, if they have the opportunity to go for six weeks to another lab, that would still be very enrichening. I wouldn’t write it off completely, but I would see what would be a right fit for the right person.

What do you think would surprise international applicants applying to US MS or PhD programs? [18:10]

What surprised me was the level of standardization. As I mentioned before, in Belgium and in the Netherlands, things are much more haphazard, especially at the PhD level. When I did my first masters in Belgium, it flowed directly from the bachelor’s. There were no cuts in between and no application process. The level of standardization was something that surprised me. I hadn’t done standardized testing in I don’t know how long, so I had to get used to it again. I have my own ideas about that, but it’s one of the things that’s part of it, so you’ve got to practice for it and do your best and rise to the occasion.

I was also surprised to see the difference between the schools. I was looking for a master’s in structural engineering at the time, and I was interested in concrete structures, but of course, every university has its own special sauce. They have their own research that they do. I was coming from a small country, where we didn’t even have a concrete professor at the University of Brussels. He was from another university. Seeing that there’s so many people working on the topic in a large country, like the United States, was for me a big surprise.

Sometimes internationals struggle with the fact that US programs demand more than just your test scores and your grades. The concept of other qualities being sought by graduate school feels foreign to them. Did you have the same experience? [19:43]

I’ve always been a little bit of an odd duck, so for me, I think it was one of my strengths. I’ve always been very active as a musician as well. That’s something that I wrote in my autobiographical essay. When I went to interview for my BAEF (Belgian American Educational Foundation) scholarship, one of the jury members said, “Oh yeah, you’re that engineer musician, right?” So I knew at the time that’s the thing that stuck with them. That’s also something that now I tell my students when they apply to go do their master’s in the United States: “Your scores are excellent. Your GPA is great. You are going to be at the same level as all the other 3.8, 3.9 GPA students from all the rest of the world. So show them who you are , what makes you, you, what makes you unique.” I think that is really what a professor looks for as well. You’re still working with another human being.

What would surprise somebody applying, let’s say, to a UK program or a South American program? [21:37]

When it comes to the UK, it’s very different from continental Europe. We need to acknowledge that as well. There is a very large difference in the nature of the PhD, as well as in its defense. I’m currently working on a book on the topic of the PhD defense, and the Viva from the United Kingdom is very different from the defense in different parts of the world. There are variations of the Viva in the United Kingdom, but typically it will be a closed examination. For your defense in the Netherlands, for example, you can bring your friends and family, and in the United States you can bring your friends and family. There may be a part where you’re just alone with the committee, but your presentation is open to everybody.

In the United Kingdom this is going to be closed. You typically have an external and internal examiner. In the traditional Viva, you are in a room, closed off with just these two people that grill you and then give a recommendation on your defense, for the Viva as well as your PhD thesis. In the Netherlands, you have a committee of a lot of people which will include your promoter or supervisor as well. There are variations in the UK where the supervisor can be in the room to take notes, but not ask questions. In some cases there will be a chair of the department as well to make sure everything follows the rules, but traditionally, it’s just an internal and external examiner in a closed room with the PhD candidate. That can be a very difficult exam to pass. In the Netherlands, for example, we have these committees of eight people.

It’s very ceremonial, the defense. There’s what’s called the beadle. That is a person who has a ceremonial role in university. They have full regalia and a very long stick. They come in with the committee, then they go back, and after exactly one hour, they come in and they tap the floor with a stick and say, “Hora est (it is the hour),” and then you’re supposed to end the defense. So it’s very, very ceremonial, caps and gowns and everything. Standard sentences to address the PhD candidate. There’s very, very strict protocol. There’s only one room in the university that can be used for the defense. So it’s very, very ceremonial, very medieval, almost. It’s a very different atmosphere. Even though it’s still a defense, you still get grilled, you’re still nervous. It also has that very ceremonial and celebratory aspect to it, with the caps and gowns.

Is the outcome for sure that you’re going to get the PhD? Is the defense more of a ritual than a reality? [24:39]

Yes, you get the degree at the end of that. After that hour, the committee will sign, and then you get your degree. It really is the commencement and defense all rolled together. The months before, the going back and forth with the committee, is really the time to get the thesis up to speed.

We mentioned how the US schools in particular were interested in the fact that you love music, but are there non-scientific skills that you need to succeed in a PhD program and in academia? [25:23]

I think these are very important. People tend to say that your publications are the currency of your academic career. In order to get to the point of getting your work publishable, you will need to be able to write in a clear manner and make good figures and present visual information in a clear way. These are things that typically are not thought of in engineering school. Those are very important skills. If somebody has never had a course like that, you can still, when you are in graduate school, hone those skills. I had the chance of taking a course on writing and presenting during my master’s at Georgia Tech, and I still credit that course with a lot of what came afterwards as successes in my career, because in that class, I really learned how to write clearly and how to present formulas and complex mathematical elements in a clear way that the audience could follow. Those are such important skills.

What are your top tips for getting funding for PhDs? [26:44]

It depends on the program. For example, if you go to the Netherlands, you may be hired on a funded project, and that is different from going somewhere with funding, either from your home country, an institution, such as a Fulbright , or getting an excellent scholarship, or any of these opportunities. If I am an engineer interested in concrete, and I’m up against somebody who is going to work on cancer research or baby hearts, as I often say, maybe my research will be less attractive to a committee, because concrete is gray and boring. But there is always a value to society to what you do. In my case, concrete is the second most used material in the world after water. The possibility of impact there is very large. Just look around and try to think away everything that is concrete, and not much would be left standing. It’s still important. Finding the thing that connects to people and connects to funding bodies and committees by showing beyond your mathematical model and your experiment, trying to explain why it’s relevant and how you contribute to learning in the world, is what’s going to help a lot with getting funding.

How do you combine your academic career and parenting since your daughter was born? [29:29]

Since part of my work is also in the Netherlands and requires a lot of traveling, it took me a bit of learning. First I thought, I’ll just go in the summer and get my research done and then pick up being Mom again. That’s what I thought before having my daughter. I did that one summer and it was pretty miserable. That’s when I said, well, I guess I cannot switch off being Mom. And then the next summer that I went to the Netherlands, I just made sure I had arranged childcare in the Netherlands and took her along with me. I had a bit of fear of going with a toddler and being on my own with her for six weeks and in a tiny apartment and how that all would work out. But then, I was much happier having her around and sharing some of Europe with her and taking her to see my family.

What I’m getting at here is your identity changes as you become a parent. You cannot think like I thought, that I would just flip off being a mom and go work for six weeks and then flip on again. That’s impossible, and I didn’t know that. Any idea that I had of how I would combine career and motherhood before having my daughter, things turned out different. The important thing is finding what works for you. That comes back to my answer of, “It depends.” Find what works for you. That may mean finding very good childcare that you can rely on, knowing when it’s time to lean into work and when it’s time to lean out to work, knowing when it’s time to be there for your child. That’s still the most important thing in life. Work can wait for a moment. Let things rest when they need to rest and go with the ebb and flow has been what I’ve been learning these years. It has brought so much extra value to my life to have my daughter and to see her grow. 

And as a teacher, it inspires me to see how she learns. It inspires me to see how she sees the world and how she sees things. It makes me think of my students; for them, what I teach is all new as well. It has changed me as a teacher and it also has added a level of purpose to my work. I’ve always had the feeling that the research that I do is for that contribution to society that I mentioned before, making sure that our bridges are safe and thinking about a way that we can keep using concrete or concrete-like materials in a future where we may not be wanting to use so much cement because of the amount of CO2 production that’s related to the cement production. It adds a level of purpose to what I’m doing, knowing that my research is going to contribute to a better world for when she grows up.

What would you have liked me to ask you? [33:02]

For students in Ecuador, what would be good advice for applying , and where they should apply to go to graduate school? Why should they go to graduate school? From the perspective of having started in Ecuador, what would be something that would surprise them when they apply to a graduate program?

I’ve helped a lot of my bachelor thesis students apply to graduate school in both the United States as well as in Europe. One of the things that’s been important for them is to know that even though they are from a small country, they still have a chance. We now have a master’s of engineering program in the university where I teach. We have a masters of engineering structures, but for somebody who really wants to go into any of the other fields of civil engineering, we’re very limited in what is available in Ecuador. It’s considered, “This is as much as I can learn because that’s what’s available here.” I’ve been challenging my students in trying to break that thought pattern. When I applied at University of Brussels, that’s a small school as well. Not many people know that school. While of course I’m privileged having grown up in Europe and all that, but any good student can go on to the university where they want to study. The first thing to do there is the work of really believing in yourself. I’ve had students with excellent GPAs ask me, “Do you think I would be good enough for that school?” And I just want to tell them, “Yes, of course you are.” That’s the most important: to believe in yourself and go for your dreams.

In addition to that, I’m always very impressed by the work ethic of my students here in Ecuador. They are hardworking. I look back at myself when I was a student. I sometimes think like I was so lazy compared to them; they work so hard. I hope for more faculty in programs in the United States and Europe to know that these students are at that excellent level. They’ve gone through a lot of adversity. There’s just not that much available here for them. They’ve done the extra work. They’ve done all the extra reading to get to that level. Their work ethic is so impressive.

Where can our listeners find you online? [37:13]

My website is evalantsoght.com , and my blog is there as well. My podcast is the PhD Talk podcast, which I co-host with Rico Massa from McGill, who is a PhD student. You can also find me on Twitter @evalantsoght and on Instagram @evalantsoght, and my Facebook page is PhD Talk.

Related links:

• Eva Lantsoght’s website
• Plotting Your Way to a PhD , a free guide
• How to Be a Competitive PhD Applicant and Apply to the Best Programs for You
• 3 Things You Should Look for When Researching PhD Programs
• Accepted Admissions Consulting Services

Related shows:

• Application Trends to Watch in 2021, and a Look Back at 2020
• Wake Up to Your Amazing Career Possibilities
• Writing a Compelling Personal Statement
• Awards! Grants! Scholarships! Oh My!
• How to Get Into Grad School, and Get Jobs After Grad School

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10 Best Online STEM PhD Programs [2024 Doctoral Guide]

If you’re passionate about making STEM education more effective, inclusive, and accessible, then earning a STEM PhD may be the next step in your professional journey.

Whether your focus is on science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, earning a STEM PhD can help you gain the skills needed to teach and contribute research on STEM education.

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A STEM PhD program can be beneficial for professionals who are looking to take their careers in education to the next level, whether in an administrative, research, or teaching capacity.

STEM PhD Programs Online

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education PhD programs are designed to prepare students for cutting-edge research, teaching, and administrative careers in STEM education.

Students in this program focus on methods to make STEM education more effective and inclusive for both students and educators.

In this program, you’ll study a range of topics, such as:

• Advanced evaluation models and survey methods
• Learning, development, and teaching theory
• Sociocultural foundations of education
• Executing empirical studies

Research in this program is also heavily focused on optimizing learning and teaching methods, so there may be a significant amount of cognitive and anthropological coursework. You could also learn about content-specific and sociocultural challenges currently present in teaching and then design study models that analyze these challenges.

In addition, a STEM PhD can help you develop the necessary skills to present to and collaborate with professional research communities as well as submit manuscripts to peer-reviewed publications. Most PhD programs in STEM education also offer various degree specializations, allowing you to focus your studies and research within a specific discipline.

Graduates with an online doctorate in STEM may go on to become research scientists, faculty members at a university, or even directors of program development. It’s also common for graduates to be educators or administrators at K-12 or postsecondary schools.

Some graduates move into instructional design, where they help develop STEM curricula. Others go on to work as policy directors at the local, state, or national level.

Common Online STEM Education PhD Specializations

While online doctoral programs in STEM education have a core curriculum, students are encouraged to choose a specialization that reflects their research interests.

These specializations may include:

• Educational Technology . This specialization focuses on current and emerging educational technologies used both in classrooms and in online learning environments.
• Science Education . This specialization focuses on science and environmental education in K-12 and higher education settings, and it also emphasizes science teacher education and the design of science curricula.
• Mathematics Education . This specialization focuses on mathematics teacher preparation, improving math curricula and pedagogy, and practice-based teacher training.
• Engineering Education . This specialization explores methods of introduction of engineering concepts, how they are taught, and how to integrate engineering curricula.
• Agricultural Specialization . This specialization prepares students for corporate or faculty leadership roles in education, resource management, and other careers in life sciences and agriculture.

Different programs may have more or less specializations available. So, before applying to a school, it’s helpful to find out what concentrations they offer.

STEM Careers & Salaries

As a research-focused program, a STEM PhD can help prepare graduates for a variety of careers within the academic world.

Many graduates of this program choose to enter research positions, where they contribute to the body of knowledge regarding STEM education and learning methods. Others become faculty members at universities or community colleges, where they teach STEM education or work as administrators.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , here are the median salaries of potential career paths related to the STEM education field.

Some professionals with a STEM PhD become directors of program development or policy directors, where they help implement policies and curricula direction in STEM subjects.

Graduates with this PhD may also work as instructional coordinators, helping design learning environments and curricula within STEM subjects. Educators with this degree also choose to teach STEM subjects or work as administrators in K-12 schools.

STEM Doctorate Curriculum & Courses

While curriculums can differ depending on the school, many courses in online STEM PhD programs cover similar topics. Below are several types of courses you may take:

• Foundations of Learning, Cognition, and Academic Intervention : This course overviews foundational theories of learning and cognitive development as well as research-based academic interventions.
• Advanced Intellectual Development of Young Children : This course focuses on theories and research surrounding intellectual development in children, and it explores strategies for applying development research to learning environments.
• Technological Tools for Thinking and Learning : This course overviews current and emerging learning technologies that may enhance thinking and learning in classrooms.
• Theory and Research in Science Education : This course covers foundational theories and research in science education, ranging from historical to modern methods.
• Mathematics Learning Environments : This course overviews learning environments for mathematics, with a focus on classroom environment, cultural environment, and the use of technology to create an immersive learning environment.
• Anthropology and Sociology of Schooling : This course focuses on schooling from an anthropological and sociological perspective, highlighting traditional schooling methods and cultural influences on learning.
• Educational Research Methods : This course overviews education research methods, including qualitative, survey, correlational, experimental, and more.
• Advanced Statistics : This course covers advanced concepts in statistics as well as the practical application of statistical analysis.
• Problems in Research: Methods and Design : This course explores problems in research methodology and design, including topics like theoretical frameworks, research limitations, and more.
• Theory and Research in Engineering Education : This course emphasizes foundational theories and research analysis and methodology in engineering education.

You might also be able to complete elective courses, which could consist of topics like curriculum development, cognition, bilingual students in US schools, and more.

Admissions Requirements

While admission requirements can vary depending on your school, here are some common requirements for doctoral programs:

• All official college transcripts
• Resume or CV
• Personal statement
• Letters of recommendation
• Writing sample

Some programs may also require an interview prior to admission. A growing number of schools no longer require the submission of GRE or GMAT scores for admissions. It’s beneficial to check the specific requirements of your prospective school.

Online STEM Programs Accreditation

Confirming whether a prospective school is accredited or not is an essential step to take before applying. Many forms of financial aid are only available to students who attend accredited schools.

In addition, employers, especially those in academia, often require applicants to have received an accredited education. Regional accreditation is considered the most widely recognized type of accreditation, and it acts as quality assurance that your school meets high-quality standards for postsecondary education.

You can verify any prospective school’s accreditation status through the Council for Higher Education Accreditation ’s website.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Many students looking to complete STEM doctoral degrees require financial aid to help cover upfront tuition costs.

It’s common for graduate students to apply for student loans from the federal government. Aid may also be available at your state level, depending on where you live or where your school is located.  To determine your eligibility for federal aid and other forms of need-based aid, you can fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) .

You might also be eligible for grants and scholarships from various private institutions, including your prospective school. These financial aid opportunities exist for many situations, so it could be beneficial to explore these options. If you’re currently employed, your employer may also be a resource. Many employers offer benefit programs designed to fund employee education.

What Is a STEM PhD Degree?

A science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) PhD degree is designed to increase competence in education in a specific STEM field. Students in this PhD program are provided with the skills needed for advanced research, teaching, supervisory, and administrative positions in STEM higher education.

The cutting-edge research skills gained in this program may allow graduates to make STEM education more effective and inclusive. Students also have the opportunity to contribute original theories in education.  Most PhD in STEM Education programs also offer degree specializations that allow you to tailor your studies and research to a particular STEM discipline.

What Can I Do with a STEM PhD Degree?

Graduates with a STEM doctoral degree often pursue career opportunities in research, teaching, and education administration.

Many of these degree holders choose to enter research or faculty positions at universities or community colleges, where they can teach or conduct and publish original research. Others may become directors of STEM education or policy directors at the local, state, or national level.

Some STEM education professionals become curriculum developers or instructional coordinators and help design curricula and optimize STEM learning environments. Educators may also want to continue teaching STEM subjects at the K-12 level.

How Long Does It Take to Get a PhD in STEM Education Online?

Generally, a PhD can take 3 to 5 years to complete with full-time enrollment. This depends not only on the number of credit hours required but also how long it takes to complete your dissertation.

If no dissertation is required, STEM doctoral programs can generally be completed in 3 years with full-time study.Of course, if you enroll part-time at any time, this may extend the overall time it takes to complete your program.

Is a PhD in STEM Education Worth It?

Yes, a PhD in STEM Education is worth it for many students. Many graduates with a STEM PhD pursue administrative, research, or teaching careers in K-12 schools or higher education institutions.

If you want to make an impact on future STEM education, you might consider earning this terminal degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of postsecondary teachers is forecast to grow 12% over the next ten years, which is much faster than average.

Universities Offering Online Doctorate in STEM Degree Programs

Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.

American College of Education offers a Doctor of Education in Leadership. Several concentrations are available, including Curriculum and Instruction, Higher Education, Instructional Technology, STEM Education, and Literacy. The courses are housed fully online. On average, the program’s 64 required semester credits can be completed in 36 months of full-time study.

American College of Education is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Drexel University offers a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Management. This program may be an ideal fit for educators pursuing career advancements or current administrators hoping to deepen their expertise. The program can typically be finished in 5 years of part-time study or 3 years of full-time study. Classes can be attended entirely online.

Drexel University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Montana State University offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Education, Curriculum, and Instruction. Potential courses include Higher Education History, Leading Social Justice, Advanced Quantitative Research, and Program Evaluation. The program utilizes a blend of online and in-person class offerings. It requires the completion of 66 credits.

Montana State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Texas Tech University offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction. Educators teaching primarily in sciences, technology, engineering, or mathematics may find an excellent fit in the STEM Education emphasis. The program requires the completion of 63 credit hours. While classes meet primarily online, periodic on-campus intensives may be required in summer terms.

Texas Tech University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The University of Kentucky offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Education Sciences – STEM Education. The curriculum is designed for researchers and educators who wish to have scholarly expertise in the field of STEM Education. The program may be attended in a hybrid online format. It requires the completion of 45 credit hours to graduate.

The University of Kentucky is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The University of Massachusetts – Lowell offers a Doctor of Education in Leadership in Schooling. Individuals who teach science, technology, engineering, or math may find an ideal fit in the STEM concentration. Classes meet entirely online throughout the year, but there are summer residency requirements in summer. The program can typically be completed in 3 years.

The University of Massachusetts – Lowell is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

The University of Pittsburgh offers a Doctor of Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The curriculum is designed to help educators gain advanced theoretical and practical knowledge in their field of teaching. The program is housed primarily online, though monthly in-person sessions are required. The program is usually attended part-time and can typically be completed in 3 years.

The University of Pittsburgh is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

The University of South Carolina offers a Doctor of Education with an emphasis in STEM Education. Potential courses include Principles of STEM Integration, Advanced Study of Diversity and Curriculum, Educational Policy Analysis, and Research in STEM. Classes meet 100% online and are 8 weeks long. The program requires the completion of 60 credit hours.

The University of South Carolina is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The University of Southern Mississippi offers a Doctor of Philosophy in STEM Education. It is intended for individuals who have completed a previous degree in a STEM-content area while maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher. The program requires the completion of 66 semester hours. Students can complete their coursework online or at one of two campuses.

The University of Southern Mississippi is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The University of the Southwest offers a Doctor of Education in STEM Education. A master’s degree and three years of industry experience are required to apply. The curriculum emphasizes four key aspects: leadership foundations, organizational change, strategic planning, and research. While classes meet online, the two required residencies may be completed on campus.

The University of the Southwest is accredited by Higher Learning Commission.

Getting Your STEM PhD Degree Online

Getting your STEM PhD degree online could be a convenient way to earn a doctoral degree while balancing your current career responsibilities.

If you’re passionate about making an impact in one of the STEM subjects or STEM education as a whole, then this research-focused PhD may be the next step in your professional journey. Whether you’re looking to enter an administrative, teaching, or research position, this degree can help you advance your expertise and qualifications in the STEM education field.

Comparing online PhD in STEM Education programs from accredited schools could help you determine which ones best align with your research interests and career goals.

Ph.D. in Education: STEM Education

The Ph.D. in STEM Education prepares you at an advanced level to work in the professorial ranks of higher education or assume positions of leadership in schools and agencies. The degree provides rich preparation by exposing you to a wide variety of courses and experiences related to fundamental theories and concepts associated with education, as well as current issues and trends in teaching and learning.

World-Improving Research and Creativity

Students will develop expertise in mathematics or science education by studying and engaging in research on how students think and learn in these content areas. This high-quality program prepares candidates to engage in interdisciplinary collaborations and research.

About Our Program

The STEM Education area of emphasis prepares educators to pursue higher education careers or leadership positions in mathematics or science education. Specializations include:

• Elementary mathematics education (K-8)
• Secondary mathematics education (7-12)
• Elementary science education (K-8)
• Secondary science education (7-12)

Candidates will develop expertise in mathematics or science education by studying and engaging in research on how students think and learn in these content areas. This high-quality program prepares candidates to engage in interdisciplinary collaborations and research. It allows candidates to work collaboratively with faculty to develop an individualized program of study based on their area(s) of interest. This program is flexible for both the working professional and full-time students. Graduate assistantships and financial aid may be available.

The STEM Education area of emphasis is guided by the general framework found in the Doctoral Program in Education Application Manual. The manual provides general information about doctoral concentrations offered in the College of Education. This page will provide you with specific information that is unique to the STEM Education strand.

Request More Information

Admission deadlines.

Applications and all associated documents must be received by the following dates to be considered. Fall Semester: April 15 | Spring Semester: Oct. 1.

Program Information

If you miss the Graduate School deadline, you may still apply to be a Graduate Special to begin taking coursework for your intended first semester. Materials and criteria for the STEM Education area of emphasis are as follows:

• Undergraduate and graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher
• At least three years of teaching experience
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Statement of Intent that includes a Philosophy of Education
• Three letters of recommendation
• One sample of scholarly writing

To get started on the application process, please contact Teruni Lamberg, program coordinator, at [email protected] .

All materials are submitted through the University's application portal . Once you create your account, go back to MyNevada to log in and start your application. Please reach out to Dr. Lamberg if you have any questions.

Program Structure

The Ph.D in Education with a concentration in STEM Education is a research-oriented degree intended for educators who wish to advance their study in elementary mathematics education, secondary mathematics education, elementary science education, or secondary science education . Students may select either subject as their key research focus and take STEM courses of interests in a cognate area that can include engineering education. This degree program prepares students to advance their K-12 careers (teaching or curriculum leadership), pursue education-related positions at the state or national levels, or earn a tenure-track professorship in higher education.

The full-time track is intended to be completed in three years, but the program also exercises flexibility for working professionals with part-time options that allow for evening courses. Students get to work closely with faculty mentors to develop an individualized course of study and area of research. A minimum of 72 credits are required beyond the baccalaureate degree, which includes a minimum of 12 credits of dissertation. At least 30 credits of 700-level courses, exclusive of dissertation credits, are required for this degree. Degree requirements must be completed within eight years of admission to the program.

Tuition, Cost, and Graduate Assistantships

Please see the University tuition and fee rates for information regarding costs and financial aid. Graduate assistantships are available  through various departments in the College of Education & Human Development. Prospective students who indicate their interest in a graduate assistantship will  be interviewed for one of multiple positions within the department following their application. Several highlights of a graduate  assistantship include:

• 20-hour work week
• Monthly salary
• Grant-in-aid/fee waiver (does not include fees such as room/board, textbooks, etc.) (Students will have to pay remaining portion of tuition, per credit fees and ALL mandatory and differential fees.)
• Health insurance coverage
• In-state Nevada resident status
• Funding to present at conferences through the support of the Graduate Student Association (competitive process)

Looking for a Graduate Assistantship?

The College of Education & Human Development has a limited number of Graduate Assistantships for full-time students admitted to masters or doctoral programs. 

World-Class Education and Human Development

The College is a recognized leader in guiding, shaping, and mentoring high-performing education professionals who will go forth with a lifelong love of learning and with the skills essential for thriving in a global, knowledge-based economy. The U.S. News and World Report ranks the College of Education and Human Development's graduate programs top 100 in the nation . T he online graduate programs are ranked 88th in the nation.

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Getting a PhD in a STEM field is a great start to a winning career

Mary elizabeth maxon.

a Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720

A PhD in a scientific or engineering discipline can lead to a multitude of interesting positions, spanning from research in academia and industry to grant-making for a philanthropic organization to science policy positions in state and federal governments. I know because my career path has given me opportunities in all of them, and in each position my skill set grew in new and unexpected, positive ways.

A SUCCESSFUL STEM CAREER REQUIRES A WINNING STRATEGY: OPEN-MINDEDNESS

In 1994, I regularly participated in outdoor volleyball tournaments, and thanks to a great doubles partner, we frequently advanced to the finals. Waiting to find out who we would face in the next round provided a lot of time to sit around under a beach umbrella and think. And I had a lot to think about. I was just completing my PhD from UC Berkeley, and it was time to decide what would be my next professional step. What to do? Did I want to stay in academia and do a postdoc? Or get a job in biotech? Or leave research altogether and use my PhD in some other science-related career? Although I had a poor grasp of the range of career opportunities ahead of me, I used to play endless “what if” games while l waited for the next opponents, trying on different options in my mind to see how they felt.

What I realize now is I never could have guessed that, in some ways, the correct answer to my speculations was “all of the above.” The path to my present position has taken me through a stunning variety of jobs and positions, all of which required a PhD and none of which I was fully prepared for by my PhD studies. Although my path has been unique, there is a basic truth revealed by my experiences: don’t get locked in on one outcome. Staying open to opportunities is a key part of a strategy that has led to unanticipated rewards.

CREDENTIALS AND ANALYTICAL THINKING SKILLS UNLOCK A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES

Earning a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathe­matics)-related PhD means developing a deep, specialized knowledge in a specific scientific or engineering discipline. And it also forces you to develop multiple conceptual and methodological approaches to address complex problems. These assets, especially the latter, are useful in a wide variety of disciplines. For me, the ability to apply the scientific method and the evidence-based decision-making skills I learned in graduate school have been essential components for my success in a wide variety of positions in a number of research-related sectors.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a worker with a bachelors degree or higher (e.g., masters, professional, doctoral) holds 12 positions over the course of a lifetime, with women holding slightly more (12.7) than men (11.4; Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2019). Since receiving my PhD in molecular cell biology in 1994, I’ve held 10 different positions:

• postdoc at UCSF in genetics;
• research scientist at Microbia, a start-up biotech company;
• anti-infective drug discovery team lead with start-up biotech company Cytokinetics;
• deputy vice chair for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine;
• initiative lead for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation;
• deputy director of the President’s Council on Science and Technology in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President (EOP) under President Obama;
• assistant director for biological rsearch at OSTP in EOP under President Obama;
• biosciences director of strategic planning at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory;
• executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance; and
• biosciences associate laboratory director at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Each of these opportunities was an unexpected next move that came as a consequence of unpredictable events: a start-up company was formed related to my expertise, California passed a stem cell proposition that gave rise to a new $3B state grant-making agency, a new philanthropic foundation needed a technical lead to manage a biological grant program, and a new U.S. President with a commitment to science and technology was elected and someone recommended me for a position with the new Administration. There would have been no way I could have predicted all of these outcomes while sitting under that beach umbrella in 1994. But one thing is clear, a PhD and a record of accomplishment were required every step of the way.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS MATTER

My PhD training didn’t fully prepare me for the future jobs I would have; additional professional skills were needed to execute the requirements of my jobs. Although I could write papers and give clear scientific presentations, I wasn’t trained to work on a team or on a multidisciplinary research question. I didn’t have the time and project management skills that would enable me to achieve deliverables on time and on budget. I wasn’t skilled in conducting effective meetings. I didn’t know how to motivate and manage people, including effectively providing (and receiving from my bosses) constructive criticism. I didn’t know how to respond to reporters who would want to interview me about some newsworthy effort. I didn’t know how to write a memo for the President of the United States. Well, perhaps this last deficiency isn’t likely to apply to a majority of PhD holders, but you never know… .

While new jobs frequently provide on-the-job training specific for the position description, there was one “training” early in my postacademic career that has significantly fueled my ability to accelerate through my series of positions of increasing responsibility. In 1999, my new biotech colleagues and I—all of us straight out of postdoctoral positions—took a short class called “Mastering Meetings” during which we learned things that would be key assets for the rest of my professional career: how to determine when a meeting is needed, how to articulate the purpose and desired outcomes of a meeting, how to decide who needs to attend the meeting based on its purpose, and if it’s a decision-making meeting, how decisions would be made—by consensus or majority. If I could add only one course to the curriculum of every grad program in the country, it would be a short class like this! I have found that the ability to conduct effective meetings leads to faster and better achievement of deliverables and wastes much less time and money.

EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY AND FEAR IS A POWERFUL STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS

As an experimental biologist, I learned quickly that although a scientific result may be predictable based on the hypothesis and the experiment designed to test it, unpredictable outcomes are common, and that some of the most interesting outcomes arise as a function of unpredictability. So, too, can a career benefit from unpredictability. Under my beach umbrella, I had no way of knowing that my future would someday be filled with a dizzying number of federal government experiences, without which I wouldn’t know today how the priorities for the U.S. research enterprise are determined, or how it is organized and funded. For example, when I first arrived in Washington, D.C., I learned that each year the OSTP and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) release a memo for the federal agencies that fund science and technology (S&T) that describes the Administration’s priorities for the next federal budget, essentially a “road map” for where science funding will go 2 years from then.

I also didn’t know that I would become the primary author of a national policy document, the 2012 National Bioeconomy Blueprint (NBB; Maxon, 2012 ), foreshadowed by the FY2012 OSTP and OMB S&T priorities memo ( Orszag and Holdren, 2010 ) Writing a document meant to shape the future of U.S. biotech policy was intimidating. At the same time, I knew my science chops would help me define the core questions and come up with reasonable strategies. While developing the NBB, I was also responding to urgent happenings such as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami, and a number of other urgent OSTP activities (Office of the Press Secretary, The White House, 2016 ) that served to make every day an unpredictable and exciting one.

Eventually I came to embrace uncertainty and the fear of not being perfectly prepared for job duties with which I had little experience. I began to see them as helping me to develop skills of resilience and resourcefulness. Now, as the Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, I see these as my main valuable assets when multiple competing priorities and intimidating assignments present themselves, as they always do. For example, when I first testified before Congress ( Figure 1 ) in 2015 ( Maxon, 2015 ), I did my best to overcome my fears by imagining the experience might be similar to my grad school oral exam. (Perhaps my grad school experience prepared me for more than I realized when I began this essay!) My past experience has had other ways of leading to interesting professional opportunities: to this day, my previous work on the NBB continues to result in international invitations for me to describe the development and outcomes of our national strategy.

Mary Maxon, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has testified twice to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: here on March 14, 2018, in a session on world-leading innovations in science from the Department of Energy’s national labs. Photo credit: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology—Majority.

NAVIGATING THE COURSE AHEAD REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING YOUR VALUES

With an endless array of career options ahead and the importance of choosing wisely, what approach enables sound decision-making? What I’ve learned is that there are three key aspects to making the right career moves. First, I try to understand the motivations of people who provide advice about my career decisions and learn whether they have anything to gain by my choice. I’ve made a mistake or two in not thinking about this before making a decision, following the advice of people I assumed might have my best interests in mind but in retrospect probably didn’t. Second, it is important to know what motivates me. Am I motivated by fame or praise? Am I instead motivated by impact, the satisfaction of a job well done, or helping others without the need for credit? Understanding this can determine whether a future position in “the limelight” or “in the shadows” fits with my personal motivations. Finally, when given a choice, I always choose the more “noble” option, however I define it at the time, and I have rarely regretted my decisions. Clearly understanding my own values is a strategy that has helped me make my own winning choices, and I bet that would be true for others.

At this point, it would be reasonable to ask whether I have anything to gain in providing the above career advice by way of sharing my personal philosophy. Not really, although it does help with my commitment to follow a noble path toward national-scale impact. And if you need any assistance writing that Presidential memo, I’d be happy to help.

Abbreviations used:

DOI: 10.1091/mbc.E19-04-0219

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor (August 2019). Number of jobs, labor market experience, and earnings growth: results from a national longitudinal survey, www.bls.gov/news.release/nlsoy.toc.htm .
• Maxon ME. (April 2012). National Bioeconomy Blueprint, Executive Office of the President, Office of Science and Technology Policy, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/national_bioeconomy_blueprint_april_2012.pdf .
• Maxon ME. (December 2015). The future of biotechnology: solutions for energy, agriculture and manufacturing, Subcommittee on Research and Technology Committee on Science, Space and Technology U.S. House of Representatives , https://science.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Maxon%20Testimony%20and%20Bio.pdf .
• Office of the Press Secretary, The White House (June 2016). IMPACT REPORT: 100 Examples of President Obama’s leadership in science, technology, and innovation, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/21/impact-report-100-examples-president-obamas-leadership-science .
• Orszag PR, Holdren JP. (July 2010). Memorandum for The Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, Science and Technology Priorities for the FY 2012 Budget , Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/memoranda/2010/m10-30.pdf .

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Opportunity Spotlight

Looking for an amazing PhD programme or funding opportunity? Then make sure to check out the opportunities below while they last.

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About discoverphds.

Our mission is simple – to help you find the right STEM PhD programme, supervisor and university for you. Our database allows you to effortlessly search through the latest PhDs, research projects and studentships in a matter of minutes.

In addition to this, we provide comprehensive guidance via our PhD Advice page. Whether you’re considering a PhD or already undertaking one, you’ll find useful information for each stage of your journey.

Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (4 years) MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This programme offers a unique environment with one of the largest and strongest concentrations of high-quality developmental and stem cell biologists anywhere in the world. Students working in the laboratories are welcomed into vibrant groups of enthusiasts, and exposed to a wealth of expertise in an extraordinarily open and collaborative scientific community.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

Applications open

• Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate subject or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or a recognised Master’s degree in an appropriate subject.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

If you are intending to apply for a time-limited visa to complete your UCL studies (e.g., Student visa, Skilled worker visa, PBS dependant visa etc.) you may be required to obtain ATAS clearance . This will be confirmed to you if you obtain an offer of a place. Please note that ATAS processing times can take up to six months, so we recommend you consider these timelines when submitting your application to UCL.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

This programme provides training at the interface between developmental and stem cell biology. It includes a first year with rotations in three laboratories, also active, small group training in key skills including good writing, experimental design, reviewing papers and many modern techniques.

Who this course is for

Our PhD programme will provide you with the opportunities to develop the analytical and research skills you need to answer the scientific questions of our time.

What this course will give you

The groups at UCL are world-leading, generating seminal contributions to their fields of study. 

This four-year programme comprises three lab rotations and a taught component in the first year, providing the basis for an informed choice and an excellent platform for progression in the research project in years two to four.

The foundation of your career

UCL is an internationally recognised and respected institution. A graduate degree from UCL opens up numerous national and international employment opportunities. Our students work with renowned mentors and are immersed in research at the cutting-edge of basic and biomedical science, emerging well-trained and well-rounded with outstanding skills, poised to take up posts in leading groups around the world. Most of our graduate students pursue very successful careers in science and medicine. Two of our recent students have been awarded the  Beddington Medal .

Employability

Many of our recent graduates have taken up postdoctoral positions, e.g. at UCL, the Francis Crick Institute, the University of Edinburgh and the California Institute of Technology.  Others have taken up analyst, consultant and specialist positions at Amazon, Costello Medical in London, Merck Ventures BV in Amsterdam and the Boston Consulting Group in Berlin.

UCL and its extended network of research institutes are located in the centre of London and are surrounded by numerous other research institutions, including the Francis Crick Institute and the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour. Students are encouraged to meet and collaborate extensively with members of these institutions.

You will have the opportunity to attend divisional seminars relevant to your research and participate fully in the activities of the research group to which you belong, including participating in meetings of the group and presenting data to the group as required. You will also be encouraged to take advantage of subject-specific national or international meetings and conferences every year to showcase your work and to meet and discuss your work with your peers in related areas. These meetings provide a valuable way to make contacts for future career opportunities.

Teaching and learning

PhD students work closely with their supervisor and the research team, usually in daily contact. The considerable deepening of knowledge and understanding of the research area that is characteristic of PhD study requires constant self-directed study and participation in the discussion of research methods, data analysis and interpretation.  

Throughout the PhD programme, regularly scheduled progression points are used to review academic progress. This will take the form of either a report or a meeting and is overseen by a Thesis Committee, comprised of a secondary supervisor and a thesis chair. The student is also expected to meet regularly with their supervisor and/or supervision team to oversee progress. Students are required to undertake training in statistics, transferable skills, research ethics, and skills appropriate to their studies. These are provided by the Faculty or through the UCL Doctoral School. 

The student would be expected to commit to a minimum of 36.5 hours per week, as consistent with a full-time post at UCL. This time frame also includes self-directed learning. The demands of a PhD may also necessitate additional out-of-hours work to accommodate a project’s need, e.g., data collection.

Research areas and structure

• Cell fate determination and pattern formation
• Cell migration
• Cell signalling and signal transduction mechanisms
• Early development (e.g. fertilisation, gastrulation, embryonic induction)
• Evolution and development
• Gastrulation
• Induction, tissue interactions
• Left-right asymmetry
• Live imaging
• Morphogenesis, tissue patterning
• Neural development and neural cell biology
• Regeneration and repair
• Stem cell biology
• Tissue engineering

Research environment

This programme provides an exceptional setting, boasting one of the most extensive gatherings of developmental and stem cell biologists found anywhere globally. For more details please see our Departmental website

Research areas

This programme includes a first year with a taught component and rotations in 3 laboratories, providing the basis for an informed choice and an excellent platform for progression in the research project in years 2-4. You will be trained in key skills including good writing, experimental design, reviewing papers and many modern techniques appropriate to the project.

• First year: 3 rotations of 3 months each in different laboratories, and a weekly journal club, overseen by all supervisors on the programme.  At the end of each rotation, you will be required to write a report and give a presentation.
• Second year: thesis work starts in August/September of the first year. In the second year, an advanced modern microscopy course and an intensive workshop to develop writing and reviewing skills take place in parallel, with a small group of 5-7 students.  Upgrade from MPhil to PhD – write a report and give a presentation.
• Third year: continue thesis research work, complemented with experimental design workshops.
• Fourth year: complete research project, and write up your thesis. Workshops on funding, career planning and other skills tailored to each student.  You will also give a final-year presentation.

During your programme, you will have regular meetings with your supervisors and graduate tutor, and are required to complete a number of progress points which are recorded in the mandatory Graduate Research Student Log. 

You will have access to the Doctoral Skills Development Programme which offers free practical skills training courses and workshops to give you the opportunity to expand your research and transferable skills in order to support your research, professional development and employability. You are expected to take full advantage of the training on offer and should be aiming to participate in the Doctoral Skills Development Programme and/or appropriate other activities equivalent to two weeks of training per year.

You will have the opportunity to be employed as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant to assist in the running of undergraduate student tutorials and practical demonstrations.  This not only counts towards your skills development, but is a valuable addition to your CV. 

The PhD programme is expected to be completed within four years. If you are not ready to submit at the end of the fourth year, you may be able to go onto Completing Research Student status – up to one year free of fees.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

Your research degree may be subject to an Additional Fee Element (AFE).  The AFE (also known as bench fees) is an additional cost, incurred by yourself or your sponsor.  It is levied to cover the costs related to consumables, equipment and materials etc which are not included in the tuition fee.  As each research project is unique in nature, the AFE is calculated on a student by student basis and is determined by your academic supervisor.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

Applications from self-funded candidates are welcome. Please note that there is no funding attached to this programme, but you may apply for a UCL scholarship.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

This programme commences in October each year. The application deadlines are usually mid-December for candidates applying for a UCL Scholarship, and the end of May for self-funded candidates. For more information please see our department's website .

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions get in touch.

Division of Biosciences

[email protected]

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Only the degree programs listed below are STEM designated. All other degree programs, including the Schoolwide DrPH, are NOT  STEM designated.

The STEM OPT extension is a 24-month period of temporary training that directly relates to an F-1 student's  program of study  in an approved STEM field. Eligible students can receive an additional 24 months of work authorization, beyond the initial 12 months of post-completion OPT, for employment that directly relates to their program of study in an approved STEM field.  All STEM designated programs are STEM OPT extension eligible in the full-time, on campus format. The only program listed below that does not offer full-time, on campus options is the MAS in Spatial Analysis for Public Health. For further information on STEM OPT, please review the additional eligibility information on the Office of International Services website .

Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Master of Health Science (MHS)

Master of Science (ScM)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Learn More about these Programs

Department of Biostatistics

Department of environmental health and engineering.

Master of Health Science (MHS) in Environmental Health

Master of Science (ScM) in Environmental Health

Master of Science (MS) in Toxicology for Human Risk Assessment

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Environmental Health

Department of Epidemiology

Graduate training programs in clinical investigation.

Master of Health Science (MHS) in Clinical Investigation

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Clinical Investigation

Department of Health, Behavior and Society

Master of Health Science (MHS) in Social Factors in Health

Learn More About This Program

Department of Health Policy and Management

Master of Health Science (MHS) in Health Economics and Outcomes Research

Learn More about this Program

Department of International Health

Master of Health Science (MHS) in Global Health Economics

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) all concentrations

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) all concentrations

LEARN MORE ABOUT THeSe PROGRAMS

Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology

Department of population, family and reproductive health.

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH)

Master of Applied Science (MAS)

in Spatial Analysis for Public Health

LEARN MORE ABOUT THis PROGRAM

Master of Public Health

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Master of Public Health (MPH)/Master of Business Administration (MBA) dual degree program with the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS

Tradeable Points for a PhD in a STEM subject in the Skilled Worker route

Applicants with a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the role for which sponsorship is required will benefit from a more lenient minimum salary requirement when applying for permission on the Skilled Worker route.

Skilled Worker route – tradeable points

Applicants under the Skilled Worker route require 50 mandatory points to be eligible for permission to enter or stay, which are obtained by meeting the sponsorship, skill level and English language criterion.

A further 20 tradeable points must be awarded for meeting the salary requirement. The minimum salary a Skilled Worker needs to be paid for their role will differ, depending on the applicant’s circumstances. There are six ways (options A – F) in which the salary requirement can be met.

The ‘standard’ position under Option A is that an applicant’s salary will need to equal or exceed all of the following:

• £25,600 per year;
• £10.10 per hour; and
• the going rate for the occupation code.

However, applicants with a relevant PhD in a STEM subject can be awarded 20 points for meeting the conditions of Option C, under which the salary must equal to or exceed all of the following:

• £20,480 per year;
• 80% of the going rate for the occupation code.

Therefore, those with a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job will benefit from a lower minimum salary threshold compared to those with a PhD relevant to the job that is not in a STEM subject under Option B and significantly less than the ‘standard’ Option A.

Who qualifies under Option C?

An applicant must be sponsored for a job in an appropriate occupation code listed as being ‘eligible for PhD points’ in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations . The qualification in question must be in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics subject relevant to the job that the applicant will be performing.

The applicant must have a relevant UK PhD or other academic doctoral qualification in a STEM subject or an overseas academic qualification confirmed by ECCTIS as meeting the recognised standards of a UK PhD in a STEM subject.

The applicant’s sponsor must provide a credible explanation when assigning the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to the applicant of how their qualification is relevant to the job for which they are being sponsored and confirmation that the qualification is in fact in a STEM subject will also be required.

Where a credible explanation is not provided points will not be awarded under this category and the application will be refused if the general minimum salary requirement cannot be met. It is therefore important to consider carefully how the PhD in a STEM subject is relevant to the role for which sponsorship is required and ensure that a credible explanation is provided in order to benefit from tradeable points under this category.

What evidence must be provided?

Evidence of the relevant qualification must be provided by the applicant when they make their initial application under the Skilled Worker route. Where the applicant is correctly awarded points in this category, they do not need to provide evidence of their qualifications in any subsequent application. However, the sponsor is required to provide a credible explanation in any subsequent applications for permission to stay made by the applicant, where Option C is still relied on to earn tradeable points.

How our immigration solicitors can help

We are experienced in advising both employers  and  individuals  in relation to the minimum salary requirement and should you require any further information about this or any other aspect of sponsorship, please  contact us  or complete our enquiry form below.

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By Carter Thomas | 10 January 2022 | Education . Personal . Business .

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Skilled Worker visa: jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount

Check if an occupation code is eligible for the PhD salary discount on the Skilled Worker or Health and Care visa routes - and how much you'll need to be paid.

Skilled Worker visa: Jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount

Check if your job or occupation code is eligible for a PhD salary discount on the Skilled Worker or Health and Care routes. The table also includes the minimum salary you’ll need to be paid:

• if you have a PhD level qualification in a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) subject (80% of the standard going rate)
• if you have a PhD level qualification in a non-STEM subject (90% of the standard going rate)

Updated in line with changes to the Immigration Rules.

Updated salary information - the annual salaries are now based on a 37.5-hour working week (previously a 39-hour working week).

Updated the minimum salary for each occupation.

First published.

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