Doctoral Degrees

Our combined doctoral program in counseling psychology and school psychology, accredited by the American Psychological Association (750 First St., NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242, 202-336-5979), focuses on preparing psychologists who can evaluate, provide and enhance human services through scientific inquiry and practice. Our program adheres to the scientist-practitioner model of training that provides you with an opportunity to receive specialized training in either counseling psychology or school psychology. The major difference between the two concentrations is counseling psychology's emphasis on older adolescent and adult populations as compared to school psychology's focus on child and adolescent client populations.

Our doctoral program in educational psychology and quantitative methods focuses on preparing you to research problems in diverse educational settings. Educational psychologists improve educational processes through the collection and analysis of empirical data. The ultimate goal of this research is to improve teaching and learning, classroom and school organization, inequities in opportunities to learn, the assessment of educational outcomes, and a wide array of other pressing educational issues.

Our Doctor of Education (EdD) program in educational administration is ideal if you are a PreK–12 school leader/administrator at the building and/or district level and you are interested in either advancing your academic career or seeking stimulating professional development. Our program is designed to prepare future building and district level leaders, frequently operating at the highest levels of administration. The EdD program is different from the PhD program in that the EdD has a greater emphasis on application to identifying and addressing problems of practice as a leader/administrator.

Our Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in educational administration will prepare you with the theoretical and methodological skills for careers in university research, governmental and non-governmental policy analysis, educational and public agency leadership, and community-centered non-profit work. Our program is for researchers interested in connections between educational policy and leadership and increasing access, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within public educational spaces. It also is for researchers who aim to find new ways to integrate theory into practice and utilize interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to make a difference on critical problems affecting society today. The PhD program is different from the EdD program in that the PhD emphasizes training in empirical research, theory development, and the generation of new knowledge and is best suited for students who aspire to academic careers as university faculty or researchers.

Our doctoral program in educational culture, policy and society is for you if you are interested in the links between educational institutions (P–16+) and broader social, cultural, political and economic forces and consequences. We examine the roles of social forces such as race, class, gender, (im)migration and economic restructuring in shaping differential trajectories and outcomes for varying learning communities. We also engage multidisciplinary perspectives in reimagining the possibilities of schooling and education to nurture more inclusive and just societies. Our program emphasizes three main areas: (1) institutions, policies and practices that facilitate or limit individuals' well-being, and social and economic equity; (2) sociological, anthropological and comparative modes of inquiry, in order to examine the interplay among policy, practice, discourse and educational reforms; and (3) cross-national comparisons of educational policies, practices and outcomes central to policymakers and school leaders around the world. Students are trained in multiple theoretical and methodological traditions to conduct critical educational research across a wide range of settings.

Our doctoral program in higher education will prepare you for a variety of professional paths, including leadership positions in college and university administration, higher education faculty and policy research. Our program focuses on issues of concern to scholars and leaders in all types of higher education institutions. Given the variety of positions that you can pursue post-graduation, your advisor will work individually with you to craft a course of study and pursue experiences that will help you meet your individual goals.

As human interaction and cultural expression continue to be facilitated digitally, the workings of digital technologies, their impact and their uses need to be understood. Our doctoral degree in information science will provide the opportunity to study these issues in depth. A PhD in information science will give you the opportunity to develop sophisticated quantitative and qualitative research skills to equip you to delve into the complex information problems facing humanity and contemporary organizations.  The information field is changing rapidly, and offering myriad opportunities for future scholars of information science. This program is best suited for those interested in exploring research questions in information science, looking to fill a faculty position in the field, or who are working to enhance leadership experience in libraries.

Our doctoral program in curriculum, instruction and the science of learning is a multidisciplinary program that focuses on addressing practical educational problems through research in diverse contexts for learning and teaching. You can create your own customized program to meet your research and career interests in one of these seven concentrations — elementary education, English education, learning sciences,  literacy and reading education, mathematics education,  science education and social studies education.

Our doctoral program in language education and multilingualism
focuses on preparing you for research, teaching and administrative posts in colleges and universities, and for positions of educational leadership in the schools or in state education departments. The mission of our program is to foster the development of foreign/second/bilingual language education practitioners and researchers who can understand and analyze language teaching and learning, and language policy to improve language and content teaching and learning in diverse educational contexts.

Designed within an actionable, justice-focused framework, University at Buffalo’s Doctor of Education program in learning and teaching in social contexts blends contemporary theory and practice across synergistic learning experiences to produce the next generation of educational professionals dedicated to addressing emergent and persistent problems of practice.