APHD: Child Study and Education EdD

Doctor of Education

Admissions have been administratively suspended. (See amendment made on September 19, 2023.) The next intake for this program will be Fall 2025. Applications for the EdD in Child Study and Education for the 2025-26 admissions cycle are set to open in early October 2024.

Program Description

This professional doctorate is designed to prepare professionals working in the field of education (or a highly related area) to extend their professional knowledge and practice to further develop their ability to be scholar-practitioners within child study. This program aims to provide practitioners with an advanced degree to enable them to engage in innovation, advanced professional practice, and understand how the field of child study can inform decision making in multiple contexts including the classroom.

This degree is designed for practitioners who are working within contexts in which children are served or supported and/or with individuals who support or guide those who work with children (for example, parents, families, and teachers).

The Doctor of Education (EdD) program is only available on a full-time basis.

Delivery options: Although not all elective courses are offered in each modality, students may be able to complete the EdD degree program through one of two delivery modes:

  • in-person (students will mainly complete their coursework and other program requirements in-person, with up to one-third of their coursework online); and
  • hybrid (students will experience a mix of modes of engagement, with some of their coursework and other program requirements in-person and between one-third and two-thirds of their coursework online) depending on their choice of emphases and elective courses.

Note: students should consult with their faculty advisor and/or graduate liaison officer regarding available options.

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the additional admission requirements of the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development stated below. Please note that applicants will be accepted into this degree program every other year.
  • A master’s degree: an MA or MEd degree in Education (for example, Master of Arts in Child Study and Education, Master of Education degree, Master of Teaching degree) with high academic standing (equivalent to a B+ or better) from a recognized university. Applicants with master’s degrees in other disciplines may be eligible to apply for admission, but may have to complete additional courses in developmental psychology and/or child study.
  • Letter of Intent: applicants must submit a well-written letter of intent in which they highlight their research interests, provide some insight into the problem of practice they are currently wishing to address, and describe their professional experiences and how these relate to their research interests and proposed problem of practice.
  • Normally applicants will have in-depth work experience (i.e., normally a minimum of 3 years of current or recent work experience) in an education-related field within a school or community setting. They should be able to identify how their work environment would be able to support and facilitate their research related to their problem of practice, which is a major outcome of this degree.
  • A letter from an employer supporting the potential candidate’s goals and ability to conduct their applied research within the school or community setting is required.
  • Applicants who hold an MEd or other non-thesis master’s degree must submit evidence of their ability to identify a research question or problem, to design and conduct a research study or project, and to report the findings or results, all in a rigorous manner. This constitutes a Qualifying Research Paper (QRP) or Major Research Paper (MRP). Applicants who do not have a QRP or MRP must provide a writing sample that highlights their ability to write clearly and analytically about issues in education and/or child study. Examples include a single authored master’s-level course paper, a policy document, or a professional publication.
  • An interview may be required prior to admission.

Program Requirements

  • Coursework. Students must complete a minimum of 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
    • APD3301H Issues in Child Study and Education: Research, Policy, and Problems of Practice (RM) (0.5 FCE).
    • APD3302H Advanced Study of Critical Issues in Special Education, Mental Health, and Child Security (0.5 FCE).
    • APD3303H Advanced Study of Tools and Research Methods for Investigating Problems of Practice: Data-Driven Research for Decision-Making (0.5 FCE).
    • APD3304H Research Proposal Development (RM) (0.5 FCE).
    • Two half courses (1.0 FCE) from one of the three emphases: 1) Early Learning and Early Years; 2) Mental Health and Wellbeing; or 3) Special Education. See details on each emphasis below.
    • Research Methods course (select from the list of available research methods courses) (0.5 FCE).
    • APD3305H Systems and Organizational Change (0.5 FCE).
  • Students will have successfully reached candidacy once their thesis committee is formed and formal approval of the thesis proposal has been given by the committee.
  • The thesis (Dissertation in Practice) is the culminating component of the Doctor of Education degree in Child Study and Education that shall include an identification and investigation of a problem of practice, the application of theory and research to problems of practice and/or policy and a design for implementation of ideas arising. Specifically, the thesis (Dissertation in Practice) consists of original research in the form of a written proposal or plan for innovative and impactful educational policy, guideline, advocacy, development project, or activism within an education-related field, aimed at improving practice at local, regional, national, or international levels.
  • Students are full-time and must maintain continuous, full-time registration and pay full-time fees until all degree requirements, including the thesis (Dissertation in Practice), are completed.
  • Students cannot transfer between the EdD and PhD programs.

Program Length

4 years full-time

Time Limit

6 years