Interdisciplinary doctoral research on the social and cultural dimensions of education.
The Ph.D. in Education, Culture, and Society provides a rigorous theoretical and methodological framework for the study of education, focusing on social, cultural, political, and normative dimensions. Following a rich academic curriculum centered in social theory and qualitative research methods, the program invites students to interrogate and contribute to scholarship on the social and cultural contexts of learning, both inside and outside of schools.
What Sets Us Apart
About the Program
In the Education, Culture, and Society Ph.D. program, students become part of a professional academic community—through their research apprenticeship, formal coursework, informal seminars, cross-cohort experiences, and research group participation.
Fall: 4 courses; Spring: 4 courses
Research apprenticeship20 hours per week, working on active faculty research project
Culminating experienceDissertation
Transfer courses acceptedUp to six courses with faculty approval
- Full-Time
The Education, Culture, and Society Ph.D. program explores educational processes, in and out of schools, focusing on their social, cultural, political, and normative dimensions. Research and teaching in this program interrogates tacit presuppositions about human nature and society that lie behind both popular and academic understandings of education, hoping to illuminate educational problems and prospects in more productive ways.
Education, Culture, and Society provides various tools to facilitate such interrogation: strong grounding in social theories that conceptualize the human world; study of theories and methods from such academic disciplines as anthropology, history, philosophy, political economics, and sociology; exposure to ways of life practiced in other parts of the world and to the rapid change brought by the increased movement of people and ideas in the contemporary world; and practice with ethnography and other methods that allow researchers to discover others’ categories and practices instead of imposing their own.
The doctoral program in Education, Culture, and Society not only provides a powerful theoretical and methodological framework for the study of education, but also helps students develop a foundation upon which new models of education can be built. Following a rich academic curriculum centered on social theory and qualitative research methods, the program invites students to interrogate and contribute to the scholarship on the social and cultural contexts of learning, both inside and outside of schools.
Curriculum
The Ph.D. program includes formal courses, mentored research, and informal seminars. Students must complete 16 courses and participate in a mentored research apprenticeship. To complete the course of study, students take a set of written examinations in their area of specialization and complete a dissertation on a problem in education.
Most students supplement their educational studies with significant coursework in a discipline of their choosing, including anthropology, sociology, history, urban studies, philosophy, or linguistics. It is possible to pursue a joint Ph.D. degree in Education and Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Africana Studies, or History.
For information on courses and requirements, visit the Education, Culture, and Society Ph.D. program in the University Catalog.
Sample Courses
Core and Foundations Courses
- Education, Culture, and Society (required)
Introductory Methods Courses
Methods courses prepare students in both the practical and theoretical implications of collecting, interpreting, analyzing, and presenting data on the human condition broadly—and education/learning in particular. Options include courses such as:
- Introductory Statistics for Educational Research (housed in the Division of Quantitative Methods)
- Qualitative Modes of Inquiry (Doctoral Level)
Advanced Methods Courses
Advanced courses build on introductory ones. Options include courses such as:
- Craft of Ethnography
- Advanced Qualitative and Case Study Research
- Methods of Discourse Analysis
- Ethnographic Research Methods
Sample Social Theory Courses
Theory courses are centrally concerned with preparing students to draw on, understand, and contrast theoretical frameworks within the context of seminal scholarly figures and traditions. Options include courses such as:
- Culture/Power/Subjectivities
Berkowitz Fellowship in History of Education
Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of the history of education in Penn GSE’s literacy, culture, and international education division, has been named the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor in Education. Using the proceeds from the Berkowitz Chair, Dr. Zimmerman is launching the Berkowitz Fellowship in History of Education beginning Fall 2021. It will help fund a fifth year of study for doctoral students who are admitted in tandem to the Graduate School of Education and the School of Arts & Sciences department of history, where Dr. Zimmerman holds a secondary appointment. Berkowitz Fellows will receive a joint Ph.D. in education and history, the only funded joint degree between a school of education and a history department in the United States. Those pursuing joint doctoral study with Education, Culture, and Society and Penn’s Department of History may be eligible to extend their funding through the Berkowitz Fellowship. Interested candidates should contact Professor Jonathan Zimmerman at zimmj@upenn.edu.
Our Faculty
Our faculty bring together expertise in philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and history as scholars in education. Please contact our program for information on selecting a faculty advisor.
Affiliated Faculty
Our affiliated faculty members are valued as part of our intellectual community, and students are encouraged to take their courses and connect on research matters and for mentorship.
Asif Agha Nicole Mittenfelner Carl Camille Z. Charles Karen Detlefsen Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher Joan F. Goodman Amy Gutmann Emily Hannum Jessie Harper Nancy H. Hornberger Richard M. Ingersoll John L. Jackson, Jr. Jerry A. Jacobs Michael C. Johanek Annette Lareau Jennifer Morton Hyunjoon Park Alex Posecznick John L. Puckett Rand Quinn Sharon M. Ravitch Rogers Smith Deborah Thomas Greg Urban
Professor of Anthropology, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Director, Urban Teaching Residency Program
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Professor of Philosophy and Education, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of Toronto
Senior Lecturer
Ed.D., Teachers College, Columbia University
Professor
Ed.D., Harvard School of Education
President and Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., Harvard University
Professor of Sociology and Education, School of Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Assistant Dean, Faculty Affairs and Diversity
Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania
Professor Emeritus of Education
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Professor of Education and Sociology
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Walter H. Annenberg Dean, The Annenberg School for Communication
Ph.D., Columbia University
Professor of Sociology, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., Harvard University
Senior Fellow
Ed.D., Teachers College, Columbia University
Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Professor in the Social Sciences, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Presidential Penn Compact Associate Professor of Philosophy
Ph.D., Stanford University
Korea Foundation Professor of Sociology, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison
Adjunct Associate Professor
Ph.D., Teachers College, Columbia University
Professor Emeritus of Education
Ph.D., University of North Carolina
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Stanford University
Professor of Practice
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., Harvard University
R. Jean Brownlee Professor of Anthropology, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., New York University
Arthur Hobson Quinn Professor of Anthropology, Penn Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Chicago
Our Graduates
The Ph.D. in Education, Culture, and Society prepares students for careers as researchers, particularly within universities, but also in research institutes, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.
Alumni Careers
- Assistant Professor, Cleveland State University
- Assistant Professor, Emory University
- Assistant Professor, Stanford University
- Clinical Associate Professor, NYU Center for Global Affairs
- Global Director of Talent Development, Genworth Financial Faculty, American University
- Lead Researcher and Policy Analyst, United Federation of Teachers
- Lecturer, Columbia University
- Professor, Villanova University
- Visiting Assistant Professor, Swarthmore College
Admissions & Financial Aid
Please visit our Admissions and Financial Aid pages for specific information on the application requirements, as well as information on tuition, fees, financial aid, scholarships, and fellowships.
Contact us if you have any questions about the program.
Financial Aid
Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania
3700 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 898-6415
admissions@gse.upenn.edu
finaid@gse.upenn.edu
Alex Posecznick, Ph.D.
Program Manager and Associated Faculty
(215) 573-3947
alpos@upenn.edu
Paula Rogers
Program Assistant
(215) 898-5023
progers@upenn.edu
Please view information from our Admissions and Financial Aid Office for specific information on the cost of this program.
All Ph.D. students are guaranteed a full scholarship for their first four years of study, as well as a stipend and student health insurance. Penn GSE is committed to making your graduate education affordable, and we offer generous scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships.
Related News & Research
Convened by the Center for Urban Ethnography at Penn GSE since 1980, the Ethnography in Education Research Forum is the largest annual meeting of qualitative researchers in education.
The Penn GSE Perspectives on Urban Education journal is an electronic, student-run publication and interactive forum to investigate critical issues in urban education.