Adult Education
Learning is a lifelong project—it doesn't end with graduation from high school or college or, in fact, from any formal educational program. Learning in adulthood has no boundaries:
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we learn at work, both informally and in more structured ways;
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we learn in our families, especially when we assume new roles, like partner or spouse, parent, or caregiver of our own parents;
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we learn in our personal lives, through particular experiences and through the developmental process that shapes adult life; and
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we learn from the world around us, through the media, through popular culture, through our faith communities, through hobbies and other activities, and through our friends.
As adults we are learning all the time and in all our life situations. It is this learning that is the focus of adult education. We seek to understand how adults learn, how to facilitate that learning effectively, and how that learning can benefit both the individual learner and society at large. The field of adult education is interdisciplinary and inclusive—it draws on other fields such as psychology, sociology, communications, history, and cultural studies, to name some of the major ones. It is also rooted in and committed to educational practice that is critically reflective and student-centered. That practice occurs in a wide variety of contexts: colleges and universities, professional organizations, health care institutions, the corporate world, community organizations, the military services, all levels of government, religious organizations, continuing education programs, and nonprofit organizations.
In short, adult education is everywhere, and the purpose of adult educators is to facilitate the learning of adults in various contexts. The Mission Statement of the Adult Education program captures well the intent and purpose of our program, which is to develop adult education practitioners who are critically reflective, student-centered, and committed to social justice.
To make our program accessible, most of the courses are scheduled for fall and spring semesters on a five-weekend format with web-based instruction in between; two courses will be offered each semester, one on Fridays and the other on Saturdays, each in a 6-hour block. In addition, some courses are available online.
See what some current and former students have said about our program.
The Adult Education specialization offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). For more information about Adult Education opportunities, please browse the links below.
- Doctor of Philosophy Degree
- Certificate in College Teaching — There is an opportunity to obtain a certificate in College Teaching. The certificate is designed to augment the instructional preparation for the future faculty, and the required coursework for the certificate fits easily into any graduate degree.
All students in the adult education specialization must fulfill a residency requirement set forth by Texas A&M University which is specific for the degree program of interest. For more information, please refer to the Residence Requirement information. Only doctoral students are required to fill out a residency form and submit it to the department.
Application submission deadline is December 1 for the Fall semester. All doctoral candidates will be required to come to campus for an admission interview with faculty in February. All admission decisions will be made by mid-March.
