Education (PhD)

Program Overview

The PhD in Education is a research-oriented degree designed for individuals seeking positions in academia, industry, and other educational settings that require a strong research foundation. The program offers flexibility for students to tailor their studies and engage with faculty in specialized research clusters. Graduates are prepared for careers in professoriate, research-oriented roles in schools, businesses, and other educational settings.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The PhD in Education is a research-oriented degree designed for individuals seeking positions in academia, school districts, businesses, industry, educational agencies, and other educational settings that require a strong research foundation. The program aims to be interdisciplinary, offering flexibility for students to engage in research clusters and learning communities with faculty. Programs of study can be tailored for those aspiring to faculty positions in research universities or research-oriented education roles in business and industry.

Outline:

Required Courses:

• Core: 24 Credit Hours
• IDS 7501 - Issues and Research in Education (3 Credit Hours)
• IDS 7500 - Seminar in Educational Research (1-3 Credit Hours, repeated for a total of 6 credit hours)
• EDF 7475 - Qualitative Research in Education (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7403 - Quantitative Foundations of Educational Research (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7463 - Analysis of Survey, Record, and Other Qualitative Data (3 Credit Hours)
• IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design (3 Credit Hours) or one of the approved research electives from group A:
• EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education (3 Credit Hours)
• Or one of the approved research electives from group B:
• EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education (3 Credit Hours)
• IDS 7938 - Research Cluster Seminar (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education (3 Credit Hours)
• EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education (3 Credit Hours)
• Specialization and elective hours vary by track.

• Internship: 3 Credit Hours (common to most tracks, but not all)
• Dissertation: 15 Credit Hours

Assessment:

• Candidacy Examinations:
• Research in the Specialization—8-hour written examination.
• Specialization—3-hour oral examination.
• Dissertation:
• Students must present a prospectus for the dissertation to the doctoral adviser.
• Prepare a proposal and present it to the dissertation committee.
• Defend the final research submission with the dissertation committee.

Careers:

The PhD in Education prepares graduates for positions in:

• Professoriate: Faculty roles in research universities.
• School Districts: Research-oriented education positions.
• Businesses and Industry: Research-oriented education roles.
• Educational Agencies: Positions requiring a strong research base.
• Other Educational Settings: Roles that demand a robust research foundation.

Other:

• Candidacy Requirements:
• Overall 3.0 GPA on all graduate work included in the planned program.
• Passing all required examinations.
• Completion of all coursework, except for dissertation hours.
• Successful completion of the candidacy examination.
• Successful defense of the written dissertation proposal.
• Formation of the dissertation advisory committee, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars.
• Submission of an approved program of study.
• Independent Learning: The dissertation fulfills the independent learning requirement.