EdD in Language & Literacy Education

This program is on moratorium until further notice.

The doctoral program in Language & Literacy Education offers candidates the opportunity to develop specialized knowledge in either language or literacy acquisition and development grounded in an understanding of cognitive, linguistic, cultural, social, economic, and affective factors as they relate to language and literacy learning. Doctoral students may specialize in either Language Education, Literacy Education, or American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Studies; and within those specializations, they may choose a particular area of interest (i.e., TESOL, Bilingual Education, Modern Foreign Language). They may focus their study by population (age, grade, or stage of development) or by educational setting (urban, preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school, college/university, workplace, community, clinic).

Most of the students who enroll in the Language & Literacy Education program at the doctoral level are interested in teaching, research, and policymaking in public or private institutions of higher education or in leadership positions in preK–12 education and policy settings. Those who enter the program are diverse in background experience: some are licensed educators with experience in public school settings; others hold graduate degrees in fields other than education and have had experiences in various educational settings, including private or community education settings or organizations such as Peace Corps and Teach for America. Many are international students whose experiences are in public or private school settings in their own countries.

Program of Study

A program of 60 units must be completed, and these include seven courses from one or more of the three specializations (Language Education, Literacy Education, ASL and Deaf Studies) and four courses in research. The remaining units are earned through guided inquiry (independent study, dissertation advisement, and research apprenticeship). In addition, each doctoral student must complete successfully two qualifying tasks that are designed to give students experiences that are common to future academic and professional activities (i.e., publishable literature review and research report). Finally, each doctoral student must propose, conduct, report, and defend an original research study (the dissertation).

Pro-Seminars (8 units across two terms; completed in Year 1)

• WED ED 800 Doctoral Pro-Seminar 1 Theories of Teaching, Learning, and Equity (4 units)
• WED ED 801 Doctoral Pro-Seminar 2 Educational Foundations and Systems (4 units)

Two-term pro-seminar designed to develop a common conceptual understanding of Schools, Educational Institutions, Communities, Educational Foundations, and Systems and Theories of Learning and Teaching, with Social Justice being a unifying theme throughout, across all Wheelock EdD students.

Research and Teaching Apprenticeships (minimum: 6 terms)

• At least 1 teaching apprenticeship: CT 700 Doctoral Teaching Apprenticeship (0 units)
• At least 3 research apprenticeships: WED RS 799 Doctoral Research Apprenticeship (0 units)
• Remaining apprenticeship foci determined in consultation with student’s doctoral advisor

Research (minimum: 16 units)

• Qualitative (Required)
• Quantitative (Required)
• Mixed methods
• Advanced research course
• Additional courses may be required by programs

Specialization Courses (minimum: 28 units)

Literacy Education Specialization (28 units)

A minimum of six literacy courses from the following:

• WED LR 780 Processes of Reading (4 units)
• WED LR 782 History of Reading Research (4 units)
• WED LS 690 Classroom Discourse as a Teaching and Learning Tool in Diverse Classrooms (4 units)
• WED LS 725 Discourse, Narrative, and Literacy (4 units)
• WED LS 727 Topical Seminar in Literacy and Language (variable units)
• WED LS 790 Literacy Assessment to Inform Instruction (4 units)
• WED LS 792 Teaching Adolescent Readers and Writers (4 units)
• WED LS 902 Seminar in Early Literacy (4 units)
• WED LW 781 Processes of Writing (4 units)

A minimum of one language course from the following or an elective alternative:

• WED BI 620 Educational Issues in Bilingualism
• WED BI 652 Reading and Writing in a Second Language
• WED LS 560 Introduction to Language and Language Acquisition
• WED LS 658 Second Language Acquisition (4 units)
• WED LS 726 Discourse Analysis: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches (4 units)
• WED LS 750 Culture, Language & Cognition (4 units)

Language Education Specialization (28 units)

Prerequisite: Students must have taken one of the following courses or its equivalent. This course does not count toward degree requirements.

• CAS LX 250 Foundations of Language (4 units)
• WED LS 565 Applied Linguistics: Language & Linguistics Survey

A minimum of one course selected from the following:

• CAS LX 611 Morphology: Introduction to the Structures and Shapes of Words (4 units)
• CAS LX 621 Syntax: Introduction to Sentential Structure (4 units)
• CAS LX 631 Semantics & Pragmatics: Introduction to Linguistic Meaning (4 units)
• WED LS 567 Structure of English (4 units)

A minimum of one course selected from the following:

• CAS LX 601 Phonetics & Phonology: Introduction to Sound Systems (4 units)
• CAS LX 703 Phonological Analysis (4 units)

A minimum of two courses selected from the following:

• SAR SH 524 Language Acquisition (4 units)
• WED/SAR CD 708 Language Theories, Acquisition, and Analysis (4 units)
• WED/SAR CD 735 Child Language Disorders (4 units)
• WED LS 560 Introduction to Language and Language Acquisition (4 units)
• WED LS 658 Second Language Acquisition (4 units)
• WED LS 726 Discourse Analysis: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches (4 units)
• WED LS 750 Culture, Language & Cognition (4 units)

A minimum of two courses selected from the following or relevant graduate-level electives offered at BU in consultation with the advisor:

• WED BI 535 Literacy Development for English Learners: Instruction and Assessment
• WED BI 620 Educational Issues in Bilingualism
• WED LR 780 Processes of Reading (4 units)
• WED LR 782 History of Reading Research (4 units)
• WED LS 567 Structure of English (4 units)
• WED LS 626 Intercultural Education: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches (4 units)
• WED LS 690 Classroom Discourse as a Teaching and Learning Tool in Diverse Classrooms (4 units)
• WED LS 725 Discourse, Narrative, and Literacy (4 units)
• WED LS 790 Literacy Assessment to Inform Instruction (4 units)
• WED LS 792 Teaching Adolescent Readers and Writers (4 units)
• WED LS 902 Seminar in Early Literacy (4 units)
• WED LW 781 Processes of Writing (4 units)
• WED TL 835 Advanced Seminar in TESOL Pedagogy (4 units)

American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Studies (28 units)

Prerequisites: Students must have taken the following courses or the equivalent. These courses do not count toward degree requirements.

• WED DE 583 American Sign Language III (4 units)
• WED DE 584 American Sign Language IV (4 units)
• WED LS 565 Applied Linguistics: Language & Linguistics Survey (4 units)
• WED LS 566 Language Acquisition (4 units)

A minimum of five courses selected from the following:

• WED DE 551 Teaching Deaf Literature and Visual Arts (4 units)
• WED DE 572 Social Psychology and the Deaf World (4 units)
• WED DE 575 ASL Development in Deaf Children (4 units)
• WED DE 576 Bilingual ASL/English Development, Assessment, and Planning for Deaf Children (4 units)
• WED DE 585 Academic ASL (2 units)
• WED DE 586 Applied ASL (2 units)
• WED DE 672 Sign Language Structure (4 units)
• WED DE 691 Advanced Seminar: Learning and the Deaf (4 units)

A minimum of two courses selected from the following or elective alternatives:

• WED BI 620 Educational Issues in Bilingualism (4 units)
• WED BI 652 Reading and Writing in a Second Language (4 units)
• WED LS 658 Second Language Acquisition (4 units)
• WED LS 690 Classroom Discourse as a Teaching and Learning Tool in Diverse Classrooms (4 units)
• WED LS 727 Topical Seminar in Literacy, Language & Cultural Studies (4 units)
• WED LS 750 Culture, Language & Cognition (4 units)
• WED LS 902 Seminar in Early Literacy (4 units)

Qualifying Tasks—ED 900 Qualifying Tasks (0 units)

• Participation in a research project culminating in a formal write-up and presentation at a Doctoral Student Research Symposium at the end of the student’s second or third year. The research report will include a statement of the student’s contribution to the research. Work will be evaluated by the student’s Qualifying Committee.
• Completion of a literature review and an oral defense of that review that examines an area of the student’s field of study in which there is a gap in understanding or in evidence-based approaches to solving a problem. The paper will culminate in identifying or proposing one or more promising practical or theoretical approaches to solving the problem or closing the gap in understanding. Work will be evaluated by the student’s Qualifying Literature Review Committee.

Dissertation Proposal

• Preparation of a written proposal for original research (dissertation study) that addresses an important, unanswered question or unsolved problem of practice.
• Oral defense of proposal to Dissertation Committee.

Dissertation Study and Oral Defense (minimum: 12 units)—WED ED 999 Dissertation Advising

• Dissertation (May take one of two forms: Traditional Comprehensive Report or Alternative format comprising three publishable articles)
• Oral Defense (to Dissertation Committee) of methods, findings, and implications

Residency Requirement

Every doctoral candidate must spend a minimum of two consecutive terms in residence at Boston University. Residence is defined as registration for a minimum of 12 unit hours at the University during each of two consecutive terms. (Summer terms may be considered one term.) The residency requirement may be met by holding a research or teaching assistant position or being employed at Boston University 35 hours or more per week and registering for a minimum of 8 unit hours for two consecutive terms. For additional information, students should contact their academic advisors.

For more information about requirements for the doctorate, please visit the EdD Implementation Policies website.