PhD in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education

The Ph.D. in education with a concentration in early childhood education program, through its integral partnership with the Old Dominion University Child Study and Development Centers, focuses on the multidisciplinary study of the cognitive, language, and healthy social/emotional development of young children from birth to age 9. The program prepares students to become faculty in colleges and universities and senior administrators in institutions and agencies. Personalized mentorship and professional training are provided for those who desire careers in academic research, child advocacy, program design and evaluation, and higher education, including teacher preparation, policy and administrative leadership. Graduates are in high demand to assume leadership in a variety of professional settings and to provide service to schools, agencies, government, childcare providers and families involved in the education, welfare and the healthy development of children. Professors and master teachers demonstrate research-based teaching practices and provide supervised clinical training in positive discipline through class management and learning techniques demonstrated in an exemplary laboratory setting for educational research and practice. Students deliver needed professional and educational services to members of the Hampton Roads community. Through internships and community partnerships, students in this program develop professional abilities in the field of early childhood education through publication, research and service that include program support and development, teacher supervision and mentoring, advocacy activities, grant writing and professional presentations. Involvement in faculty-sponsored research and professional development activities are an essential part of graduate training in this concentration.

Contact Dr. Katharine Kersey, kkersey@odu.edu, 757-683-5340