The Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction focuses on curricular issues as a field of inquiry and develops strengths in the areas of understanding and addressing the complex and multiple questions that influence curriculum theory, design, development, delivery, assessment, and evaluation. The primary goal of this program is to prepare curriculum leaders, researchers, and professors with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to analyze, construct, and evaluate curricula in ways that create optimal learning conditions for all learners. This comprehensive preparation will enable graduates to examine unconscious assumptions and identify complex challenges associated with working in schools and other institutions in a multicultural democracy. Consequently, particular attention is devoted to the philosophical, theoretical, historical, cultural, ethical, and political constructs and assumptions that affect curricula, including courses and programs.<br><br>The Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education specialization is designed for people who want an in-depth understanding of the issues and that are faced by curriculum and teacher education specialists, regardless of whether they are leaders in a classroom, at central office, an agency, a professional organization, the community college or the university. The program provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of the philosophical, cultural, ethical, political, and historical contexts that influence curriculum design, development, delivery, and evaluation.