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This track has suspended admissions effective Fall 2026.

The Learning Sciences track is an interdisciplinary track within the Education PhD that will expose students to key components of research on learning with additional training on using big data for research on learning analytics and data science for focus on learning for both humans and machines. The track will provide learning opportunities across disciplines (i.e., cognitive science, computer science, data science, education, psychology, statistics) for graduate students at UCF who seek careers in both academia and industry. The program will contain the core courses from the Education PhD, but requires at least 9 hours of required specialization credits in specific Learning Sciences courses and at least 6 hours of required elective credits, providing students the opportunity to earn a certificate in a related field of human-machine learning, if desired. This will increase career opportunities for interdisciplinary research jobs in academia or industry across the country.

The Learning Sciences track in the Education PhD program requires a minimum of 54 credit hours beyond a master's degree in Learning Sciences or a related field.

Students must complete 24 credit hours of core courses, 9 credit hours of specialization courses, 6 credit hours of electives, and 15 credit hours of dissertation. All students must also complete the candidacy examination.

Total Credit Hours Required: 54 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree

Track Prerequisites

A master's degree in learning sciences or a closely related field.

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

33 Total Credits

• Details

Core

24 Total Credits

• Complete all of the following
  • Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
    • IDS7500 - Seminar in Educational Research (1 - 99)
  • Complete the following:
    • IDS7501 - Issues and Research in Education (3)
    • EDF7475 - Qualitative Research in Education (3)
    • EDF7403 - Quantitative Methods I (3)
    • EDF7463 - Analysis of Survey, Record, and Other Qualitative Data (3)
    • IDS7502 - Case Studies in Research Design (3)
    • EDF7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education (3)
  • IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design may be substituted with one of the approved research electives in Group A listed under Program Details EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education may be substituted with one of the approved research electives in Group B listed under Program Details

Specialization

9 Total Credits

• Complete the following:
  • EME6938ST2 - ST: Research on Advanced Learning Technologies (3)
  • EME6938ST1 - Theoretical Foundations of the Learning Sciences (3)
  • EME6938ST3 - ST: Metacognition (3)

Elective Courses

6 Total Credits

• Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: Students will select at least 2 courses from the following disciplines: - Psychology (PSY) - Statistics (STA) [can include the SAS Data Mining Graduate Certificate (15 credit hours)] - Philosophy and Cognitive Science (PHI) [can include the Cognitive Sciences Graduate Certificate (18 credit hours)] - Computer Science (CS) - Multidisciplinary Neuroscience Alliance (MDNA) interdisciplinary program

Dissertation

15 Total Credits

• Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: EME 7980 - Dissertation Research Doctoral students must present a prospectus for the dissertation to the doctoral adviser, prepare a proposal and present it to the dissertation committee, and defend the final research submission with the dissertation committee.

Candidacy

0 Total Credits

• To enter candidacy for the PhD, students must have an overall 3.0 GPA on all graduate work included in the planned program and pass all required examinations. Examinations will be scheduled by the student and major adviser. Students must be enrolled in the university during the semester an examination is taken. The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours: - Submission and completion of approved program of study, except for dissertation hours. - Successful completion of the candidacy examination. - The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. - Satisfactory progress toward the independent learning requirements as evidenced by the annual accomplishments and activities report.

Candidacy Examinations

0 Total Credits

• All PhD candidates will be required to complete two examinations. Please note that there may be variations in length of exam time and content based on the respective requirements of each track. - Research in the Specialization Â鶹¾«Æ· S”8-hour written examination. - Specialization Â鶹¾«Æ· S”3-hour oral examination.

Grand Total Credits: 54

Application Requirements

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

Group A (Course below may be taken in place of IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design in fulfilling CORE requirement above)

• EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
• SPA 7495 - Doctoral Seminar II: Spoken and Written Language Disorders 3 Credit Hours (Communication Sciences Track students only)
• IDS 7938 - Research Cluster Seminar 3 Credit Hours

Group B (Course below may be taken in place of EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education in fulfilling CORE requirement above)

• IDS 7938 - Research Cluster Seminar 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
• SPA 7495 - Doctoral Seminar II: Spoken and Written Language Disorders 3 Credit Hours (Communication Sciences Track students only)

Independent Learning

During their program of study, PhD students are required to meet the following requirements for independent learning to enter candidacy, including:

• Submitting a manuscript that is deemed appropriate by at least one program faculty member for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Presenting research in at least one international, national or state conference.
• Presenting at university and/or college research symposiums annually.
• Providing service to professional organization, community partner, and/or program.
• Documenting and presenting independent learning accomplishments and activities along with development of an individual research agenda deemed satisfactory by at least two or more program faculty on an annual basis.