EdD in Curriculum and Learning
Blended delivery thesis-based degree program designed for practicing professionals
Applications open September 1 - December 1
Given the thrust and effects of powerful social movements, the time is at hand to seriously interrogate curriculum—all that we do and do not do as educators—and to envision new ways of life for the classroom, and better ways of living together in a better world. Traditionally, the central question of curriculum and curriculum studies has been an epistemological one: What knowledge is of most worth? The realization that there are many legitimate ways of knowing troubles this question and requires consideration of other questions: What does it mean to know? What is the relationship between knowing, being, and becoming, and the contexts within which these take place? Who gets to decide what knowledges are of most worth? Is it simply knowledge that we are cultivating with curriculum, or is there something more to becoming educated and living well? What and who is education for? Such questions open curriculum studies up to broader concerns, those of living together in ways that will help life flourish.
This program is intended for individuals across a range of contexts, including but not limited to arts, media and cultural work; early childhood, K-12 and higher education across subject disciplines; community-based and informal education; educational leadership; health, medicine and social work; the civil service; and the not-for-profit sector.
Program Delivery
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Blended - Online and Face-to-Face
EdD Summer Residency: Six-week summer program (blended delivery), including two weeks on-campus at UCalgary, followed by four weeks online. Please note program delivery is subject to change based on provincial health guidelines.
Fall/Winter Semesters: Online
A registration package will be sent to new students after they have been admitted. Registration for the summer term will be available in late winter. Fall and Winter registration opens in the spring. Your Graduate Program Administrator will send more information about registration to you.
Fee details are available through the University Calendar. An explanation of fees is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies' website.
As a Graduate Student you are expected to devote the time, effort, and energy necessary to engage in scholarship. As a graduate student, you will determine the specific milestones and requirements of your program of study in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate Studies Calendar and with your graduate supervisor.
An integral part of the doctoral experience is working closely with a supervisor on the development and completion of a research project. A graduate supervisor mentors graduate students through regular meetings and research training aimed at research, scholarship, teaching and professional development. Graduate supervisors support students in the timely completion of their programs. As a Graduate Student, you are expected to meet with your graduate supervisor on a regular basis. While each student-supervisor relationship is unique, graduate supervisors can assist graduate students in a number of ways: advising on course selection, applying for awards and scholarships, obtaining research funds, applying for teaching assistant and sessional teaching opportunities, developing track records in refereed publications and conference presentations, getting involved in leadership and service, and encouraging and supporting apprenticeship in a research community of practice (collaborative review of papers, grants, academic writing, and data analysis).
In the EdD program a supervisor is normally appointed at the time of admission.
Please visit the candidacy and dissertation section of our website for information.
I had looked at several Canadian and International university doctoral programs and Werklund stood out to me because it was one of the few that offered opportunities for a doctoral degree outside of school leadership and administration. I also liked that it offered hybrid participation, where I could meet in person with members of my cohort and the instructors.
Chandra Lebenhagen, EdD
Curriculum and Learning
Chandra graduated with her EdD in Curriculum and Learning in 2021. Learn more about Chandra's journey
Program Schedule
A list of required courses for the EdD Leadership in Post-Secondary Contexts program can be found below. Completion of additional and relevant coursework outside of the required courses may be discussed with your supervisor.
Program Notes
Please consult the Graduate Calendar for course descriptions and the Academic Schedule for important dates and deadlines.
Course outlines are normally posted in D2L 1-2 weeks prior to the start of the term.
Years 1 and 2 have blended courses in the summer which include an on-campus component.
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Year 1
Summer (blended)
EDER 783.02 L02 (1483) Critical Praxis as Social Justice
and
EDER 783.01 L01 (1482) Conceptualizing Curriculum Inquiry (Introduction to Curriculum Inquiry)Fall (online)
EDER 711 L01 (73074) Advanced Research Methodologies
Winter (online)
EDER 712 L01 (13077) Advanced Research Methodologies II
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Year 2
Summer (blended)
EDER 783.03 L01 (50344) The Cultural Politics of Curriculum
and
EDER 783.04 L02 (50345) Narratives in PlaceFall (online)
EDER 707 L01 (71401) Collaboratory of Practice I
Winter (online)
EDER 708 L01 (11299) Collaboratory of Practice II
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Years 3-6
The work completed in years 3-6 is variable and depends on your pace. Students have up to six years to complete their EdD program.
Candidacy
Candidacy must be completed within 28 months from the program start date.
Dissertation
Your dissertation is the focus of your degree program.
Students enrol in Dissertation Seminar once you have successfully completed your candidacy exam and have begun to work on your dissertation. Dissertation Seminar is offered every fall and winter term.
Fall Terms (online)
EDER 709 L01 (71212) Dissertation Seminar I
Winter Terms (online)
EDER 710 L01 (11214) Dissertation Seminar II
Prospective students: how to apply
Visit our Future EdD students page for admission requirements and application details. A list of EdD specializations that we are accepting applications into is outlined on this page.