The PhD in Educational Studies, housed within Wilfrid Laurier’s Faculty of Education, will offer a
program of study to students interested in the critical and comparative examination of
educational structures, policies, processes, practices, and outcomes. Through course work and
supervised research, students enrolled in the PhD in Educational Studies will draw upon
educational and interdisciplinary theories and methodologies to undertake study of a selective
focus of inquiry into education as a field of study and a profession. The PhD in Educational
Studies will be offered as a full-time, four-year program of study and as a flex-time, six-year
program of study for working professionals. The PhD in Educational Studies commences with
foundational and seminar coursework, which support the students in the cultivation of advanced
understanding of Educational Studies epistemologies and research methods, as well as their
differentiated areas of research focus and according to their specific learning needs. A
comprehensive portfolio of learning and dissertation proposal produced following the conclusion
of coursework promotes reflection and integration of the knowledge gained and tasks the
students with casting forward to the application of knowledge in pursuit of novel research in the
planned dissertation. The dissertation itself is expected to be an original contribution to
knowledge, a contribution to scholarly dialogue on a matter of consequence, and a
demonstration of advanced research skills.