Doctor of Philosophy in Learning, Design, and Technology

The Ph.D. is a residential program offered on the University Park campus. Most Ph.D. graduates go on to take up jobs in the professoriate or director-level positions in academia, research labs, and corporate environments. The Ph.D. is an advanced research degree that entails 2-3 years of graduate coursework and culminates with the creation, implementation, and defense of a dissertation. As a doctoral student in LDT, you will engage in exploring, analyzing, and applying theories and frameworks related to learning, technology, and design to develop an area of research interest. You are expected to develop a broad understanding of foundations, theories and methods across the different areas that constitute the research landscape of learning, design, and technology. You will also learn to design, collect, and analyze data using qualitative, quantitative and/or mixed methods to understand, test and contribute to theory and knowledge in the field.
The LDT program focuses on theoretically and ethically informed design, study, and advancement of learning environments that are technology-enhanced and culturally situated to support:

Social, racial, and climate justice
Equitable and inclusive pedagogies in pre-K-12 and higher education classrooms
Interest-driven learning environments in informal and everyday life
Design of systems, policies, platforms, and programs that provide high-quality learning for all
Advancing, designing and studying emerging learning technologies and learning environments in (and across) classrooms, workplaces, informal settings, and everyday cultural contexts
The Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) Program embraces the mission and vision outlined in the College of Education's Strategic Plan. This mission and vision statement is our commitment to implementing the College of Education's strategic plan within the interdisciplinary field of Learning, Design, and Technology.

Complete the electronic Graduate School Application, including a nonrefundable application fee. Details on the amount of the application fee and forms of payment can be found in the How to Apply section of Penn State's Graduate School Web site. When completing the Graduate School Application, enter Learning, Design, and Technology in the box requesting the Graduate Major Sought.
As part of the graduation school application, you will be asked to upload the following documents:
Current resume or curriculum vitae
Statement of purpose: Explain why you want to enter the Ph.D., M.S., or M.Ed. program. Describe your career goals and explain how your prospective degree in LDT will help you to achieve your goals. Describe how your professional and academic backgrounds qualify you for acceptance to the program. Explain how your professional interests correspond with the curricular strands and faculty expertise--please be specific in identifying faculty projects or expertise that are of interest to you and how they relate to your professional background and your professional career goals. This statement should not be more than 750 words.
Required writing sample: This should be an approximately 300-word review of an article or report published in a recent professional journal of your choice, and which deals with a contemporary educational issue related to your academic interests. Please be sure to include the article that is being reviewed. The writing sample is required for both master's and doctoral applicants.
Optional writing sample: You may also include one other writing sample, in addition to the article review, such as a published paper, scholarly paper, or other relevant writing sample that you have authored. The optional writing sample should be in English.
Letters of recommendation: These should be solicited from two people who are best qualified to assess your ability to succeed in graduate school. You will be asked to submit the name of the two referents along with their email addresses. The referents will be sent an email directing them to the appropriate site to upload their reference letter. You will be notified via email when a reference letter is submitted, but you will not be able to view the letter.
International applicants must also present official scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with scores being a 550 or better on the paper test, a score of 213 on the computer-based test, a total score of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section of the internet-based test, or a minimum composite score of a 6.5 on the IELTS.