Degree Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 100 semester hours of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree, or 68 semester hours beyond the master's degree, including the dissertation. For students admitted to Fall 2010, please see your faculty advisor for degree requirements.
College Doctoral Core and Research Methodology Core (24 credit hours) Heading link
- ED 504 Urban Contexts and Educational Research
- ED 505 Introduction to Educational Research: Paradigms and Processes
- ED 506 Introduction to Educational Research: Designs and Analyses
- ED 502 Essentials of Qualitative Inquiry in Education
- ED 503 Essentials of Quantitative Inquiry in Education
- Plus one additional 4-semester hour course in qualitative or quantitative research methodology that is selected in consultation with the faculty advisor
Educational Policy Studies Core (8 hours) Heading link
- EDPS 510 Introduction to Doctoral Education in Policy Studies
- EDPS 511 Introduction to Academic Writing in Policy Studies
- EDPS 592 Professional Career Training in Education Policy Studies
EDPS 510 and 511 should be taken within the first year of the program.
Social Foundations of Education Required Courses (16 hours) Heading link
- EDPS 505 Social Theory in Educational Foundations
Plus three additional courses (12 semester hours) from the following:
- EDPS 500 City Schools: Education in the Urban Environment
- EDPS 502 Advanced Foundational Studies in Philosophy of Education
- EDPS 503 History and Historiography in Education
- EDPS 555 Political Economy of Urban Education
- EDPS 563 Politics of Gender, Sexuality, and Education
- EDPS 565 Globalization and Education
- EDPS 566 Cultural Studies in Education
- EDPS 567 Economics of Education
- EDPS 570 Historical & Philosophical Analysis of Education Policy
- EDPS 572 Sociology of Education
- EDPS 582 Cultural Pluralism and Education Policy
- EDPS 583 Women in Education
- EDPS 588 Critical Race Theory: Race and Racism in Education
- EDPS 594 Special Topics in Educational Policy
Social Foundations of Education Elective Courses (8 hours) Heading link
Elective credit hours should be selected in consultation with the faculty advisor
Dissertation (12 hours) Heading link
- EDPS 599 Thesis Research
Additional Requirements Heading link
Annual Reviews
To monitor student progress effectively, and to provide a vehicle through which students and their advisors will reflect on student progress in a structured way, each student will prepare and submit a formal Annual Review. Each student’s Annual Review will follow a program-wide template and each student’s progress will be reported to and discussed by the area faculty on an annual basis. One element on which students will be assessed will be their engagement in the scholarly community beyond coursework for the program. Students are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities for professional growth such as colloquia, conferences and preparing papers for publication. The Annual Review provides a structured occasion to examine each student’s participation in such professional activities.
Comprehensive Qualifying Examination
Near to or upon completion of required coursework, all students will be administered a comprehensive written exam as part of the requirement for qualification for the dissertation stage of the program. This examination will help students organize and focus their coursework toward dissertation proposal development and research. The comprehensive exam is individually designed for each student by the student’s program advisor and an additional 2 faculty members who compose a comprehensive exam committee. The committee members will together compose and approve questions for the student to answer. The questions will address the student’s general knowledge of the field of concentration, specialized knowledge within that field, and the student’s use of the methods of inquiry appropriate to research in that field. A student has two opportunities to pass all portions of the comprehensive exam to move to the next phase of the program.
Oral Preliminary Examination
After successful completion of the written comprehensive examination and coursework, a 5-member faculty committee shall be constituted to advise the student on the development of a dissertation proposal. At least 2 members of this committee must be full members of the Graduate College. One member must be from outside the student’s chosen area of specialization. This committee is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College on the recommendation of the department director of Graduate Studies. When the dissertation proposal is completed, an oral preliminary examination is administered by this faculty committee. The examination focuses on the substantive area of the student’s dissertation proposal as well as the proposal itself. The committee may require a written component to this exam.
Dissertation and Oral Defense
A dissertation of original research is required to complete the program. It must be defended before a faculty committee appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College on the recommendation of the department director of Graduate Studies. The committee shall have at least 5 members, of whom at least 2 must be full members of the Graduate College. One member must be from outside the student’s chosen area of specialization. This committee may be the same as the committee constituted for the preliminary examination.