Given its unprecedented growth over the past five decades, the early childhood field has focused most of its efforts on program expansion and on the provision of high-quality services for young children. Although there is increasing attention to enhancing equity, most work in the field concentrates on practice improvement. Typically, this is pedagogical in nature, either for children or by the workforce. CU Denver’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with a concentration in Early Childhood Policy tilts this focus. The program suggests that without specialized attention to policy, it is difficult for the field to achieve quality, equity, and scale. The concentration holds institutional and system reform as its units of change.

Students in this concentration will 

• Prepare for leadership positions in government, private sector, and public sector organizations. These positions require individuals who can create systemic, institutional, and equity infused ECE policy change.
  
  
• Prepare for positions in higher education and policy-focused research think-tanks. Students will advance the scholarship in the field.
  
  
• Learn policy theories and existing ECE policy research. This is done with the goal to shape, direct, implement and evaluate early childhood services, infrastructure, and policy for the future.
  
  
• Contribute to new research efforts. Focus on creating more equitable outcomes and new understandings of complex ECE policy issues.

• Benefit from close mentorship by national faculty leaders in ECE policy.
• Culminate the program with a dissertation that contributes to the knowledge base in the field of early childhood policy.
  
  
• Enter a dynamic field with burgeoning research about the critical years in children's brain development, learning, and health.

Program of Study 

The core course rotation begins every fall. Students complete a plan of study that includes at least 48 semester credits of coursework. Additionally, there are 27-semester credits of dissertation. PhD coursework is intensive and substantive. The curriculum requires significant writing, analysis, and critique of theory and professional literature. All students in the Early Childhood Policy concentration take 12 credits in foundational courses. This is coupled with 3 credits in professional seminars, 18 credits in research methods courses. On top of this, students will take 15 credits in concentration area courses (including two electives). Students will also complete a research apprenticeship and higher education teaching practicum or equivalent experience.

The curriculum includes a combination of on-campus, hybrid, remote, and online courses each semester. 

Every student must be available to attend on-campus courses each semester.