Program Mission
The Graduate program in Developmental Education prepares future scholars, researchers, leaders, administrators, instructors, and practitioners in the field of developmental education. Both rigorous and supportive, our program aims to advance theory, research, and practice in multiple areas of developmental education -- including developmental literacy, learning support, and developmental mathematics -- by actively engaging students in teaching, scholarship and professional service. As a multidisciplinary program, the faculty, staff, and students work collaboratively across various academic disciplines, diverse communities and geographic boundaries.
The Doctoral program provides its student-scholars the tools with which they can critically examine the current state of developmental education, define its essential role in postsecondary education, engage in research-based reconceptualizations of the field, and create new theory and innovative practices. The program’s vision transcends narrow, static views of teaching and learning as well as deficit-oriented views of students that have traditionally dominated the field. The program values social, cultural, and critical perspectives on learning and learners. Through providing its doctoral students with rigorous research, scholarly, and professional experiences in an apprenticeship model, the program aims to effect change in multiple areas of developmental education.
