Our concentration includes a network of strong relationships with local public schools and community partners, such as pre-service teacher field placement partnerships; professional development partnerships with school districts across the state; collaboration on research with students and teachers in local public schools; and community partners. Connections to public schools and community organizations help to foster interdisciplinary field-based research projects, which provide opportunities for our doctoral candidates to work with faculty in mentored research initiatives. Faculty and doctoral students in the LELA concentration also collaborate on projects with partners across the college and university, including the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.

The LELA concentration faculty conducts research in a variety of areas, including: teaching English Language Arts (ELA) in the digital age; reading comprehension, assessment, and intervention; digital literacies; preparation of literacy and ELA educators; writing and technology; visual and content analyses of children’s and young adult literature; content-area knowledge and literacy development; vocabulary and academic language instruction; coaching professional development; evidence-based practices in literacy instruction; community-based research; underserved students including immigrant and refugee youth;  multilingual students, students with disabilities; global perspectives of culture and literacy; and trauma-informed family literacy.

• Completed application to the NC State Graduate School
• Master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education with a minimum 3.0 GPA
• Unofficial transcripts from undergraduate and any graduate programs
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Personal statement. You are applying to a Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences, with a concentration in Literacy and English Language Arts. A centerpiece of this program is that you will identify and develop a research focus and engage in the production of new knowledge in the form of publications and professional presentations. The purpose of this statement is to match your research interests with faculty expertise. Few students enter with fully-formed research agendas, and many discover their research interests through conversations with faculty. We strongly encourage you to visit faculty websites and reach out to faculty you may be interested in working with. In a well-organized 2-3 page personal statement, please address the following questions: 1) What areas of literacy and English Language Arts are of particular interest to you? 2) What professional and educational experiences have prepared you to pursue a doctorate in literacy and English Language Arts? 3) What do you currently envision as your research focus in literacy and English Language Arts? 4) In what ways might your research focus align with faculty expertise/scholarship in the Literacy and English Language Arts Ph.D. concentration?
• Academic writing sample (e.g., master’s thesis, class paper, manuscript, research report, or white paper)
• Three letters of recommendation (at least one should be from a professor or someone who can comment on research experience or academic preparation for a PhD; the others may be professional references)
• At least 3 years of K-12 teaching experience in literacy, reading, English Language Arts, or related areas (preferred)
• No GRE is required for 2025 admissions

The TELS Ph.D. requires 72 credit hours, including a minimum of 60 hours beyond a master’s degree. View the course of study on the university’s catalog.

Review the Estimated Cost of Attendance for information on tuition and fees set by the university. Students are funded through a variety of opportunities, some of which cover tuition and fees. StipendS and length of appointment vary based on funding source. 

• Graduate Research Assistantships: Research assistantships are awarded to students working with a faculty member on an externally-funded research grant. Individual faculty select students for these awards.
• Teaching Assistantships: Teaching assistantships are awarded to students with applicable experience to teach undergraduate courses or supervise teacher interns. Students are selected based on department needs.
• College Fellowships: Offices in the College of Education regularly offer assistantships for research and teaching positions. These are announced each spring.
• University Fellowships: The Graduate School offers several fellowships for new students, including the University Graduate Fellowship and the Provost’s Fellowship. The Director of Graduate Programs nominates applicants for these awards.
• External Fellowships: Applicants are encouraged to apply for fellowships from the National Science Foundation and other national programs.

Eligible students may receive coverage of their tuition and health insurance through the Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP). Opportunities are available on a limited basis, and vary in: stipend amount; length of appointment; research/teaching area that is your focus; technical, research, and teaching skill required; and where you are in your program timeline to completion. Therefore, funding is not guaranteed.
All applicants are automatically considered for funding opportunities that require department nomination. To express interest in being considered for other departmental funding, please complete the TELS Funding Interest Form.

Dennis Davis

Title: Professor
Ph.D.: Vanderbilt University
Dennis Davis, Ph.D., focuses on upper-elementary literacy instruction with an emphasis on reading comprehension, assessment and intervention support for students when they have difficulties in reading.

Jill Grifenhagen

Title: Associate Professor
Ph.D.: Vanderbilt University
Jill Grifenhagen, Ph.D., focuses on academic language and literacy learning in early childhood classrooms (PreK-3rd grade) and teacher development and supports increasing teacher efficacy in these areas.

Jill Jones

Title: Assistant Teaching Professor
Ph.D.: NC State University
Jill Jones, Ph.D., focuses on effective literacy instruction in elementary classrooms, developing preservice teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge, and teacher scaffolding to support elementary students who exhibit difficulty in reading.

Devin Kearns

Title: Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Early Literary
Ph.D.: Vanderbilt University
Devin Kearns Ph.D.,  studies how students in elementary grades learn to read and designs instructional programs to better meet the needs of these students. .

Jackie Relyea

Title: Associate Professor
Ph.D.: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jackie Relyea, Ph.D., focuses on literacy development of K-6 multilingual students and literacy intervention that emphasizes academic vocabulary and content knowledge development, and reading engagement.

Angela Wiseman

Title: Associate Professor
Ph.D.: University of Pennsylvania
Angela Wiseman, Ph.D., focuses on children’s literature and family literacy, with a specific focus on the use of picturebooks and trauma-informed literacy.

Carl Young

Title: Associate Professor
Ph.D.: University of Virginia
Carl Young, Ph.D., focuses on new literacies and related theories and practices that are motivated by emerging digital technologies including social media as a tool for enhancing ELA content knowledge and digital video as narrative text and project-based inquiry.