Starting in 2015, the Department of Learning Design and Technology began its own PhD program. This program built on an earlier specialization in educational technology within the UHM College of Education’s PhD in Education that had been offered since 2007. The LTEC PhD applies the cohort-based structure that has been a hallmark of the department’s graduate programs for many years.

The PhD in Learning Design and Technology is designed to prepare influential professionals in the field of educational technology and learning design. Graduates of the program are expected to assume leadership roles in a multitude of areas, including those who work in public and private K-12 schools and districts, state departments of education, and higher education institutions, as well as government, health, not-for-profit, and corporate settings, and informal settings such as museums.. While some may become faculty members, the field offers opportunities for leadership in many contexts. Future careers are possible in teaching, training, instructional design, curriculum development, media production, online course development, technology utilization, software (i.e., game, app) creation, management, or research and evaluation. 

The program centers on a community of practice model in which faculty and students work closely on design projects and research. Students are expected to participate in professional activities, including professional organizations, conferences and publishing. 

The PhD in Learning Design and Technology (LTEC) is one of four distinct doctoral programs available in the UHM College of Education (COE). Also available are the PhD in Educational Psychology and a PhD in Education as well as the EdD in Professional Practice.  The PhD in Education has six areas of emphasis (Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration [Higher Education and K-12], Educational Foundations, Educational Policy Studies, Kinesiology, and Exceptionalities). All entering students are in the LTEC PhD and subject to the guidelines in this handbook.