For students admitted Fall 2013 and onward
Welcome to the College of Education at UIC! We are pleased that you have chosen to study with us. Your work toward a doctoral degree can be exciting, personally fulfilling, and professionally rewarding. It is a time for you to expand your horizons, challenge your assumptions, and develop intellectually. It is a time to work hard, learn the field in which you will develop and claim expertise, and conduct original inquiry that will contribute to the knowledge and practice of your chosen area of interest. Your work toward a doctoral degree is also a time for you to make new friends and colleagues and to work with program faculty, many of whom are national leaders in their fields of study.
The purpose of this handbook is to help you successfully navigate your way through your program. Following this introduction, Section II provides an overview of doctoral studies in the College of Education. Section III presents detailed requirements of each doctoral program offered by the College and various concentrations and specializations within them. Section IV provides information about dissertation research. Section V introduces the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the processes students must follow to have their research approved for the ethical treatment of human subjects. Section VI provides information about the UIC Library and the College of Education’s Educational Technology Laboratory. Section VII contains information about financial aid. Finally, Section VIII provides some tips for prospering as a doctoral student in the College of Education at UIC.
In addition to this handbook, it is a good idea to become familiar with the academic requirements and regulations of the UIC Graduate College. These may be found in the Graduate Catalog. The catalog provides information about such topics as transfer of credit, registration requirements, leaves of absence, academic ethics and regulations, and grievance procedures.
Finally, your most important source of information and support is your faculty program advisor. When you were admitted to your program, you were assigned to a faculty member who shares some of your research interests. Your advisor will help you develop your program of study, select courses, and plan your program of research. Your advisor will also help you answer questions and solve problems you may encounter in your work.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with documented disabilities may request reasonable accommodations to enable them to participate fully in their programs. Such accommodations may include, but are not limited to:
- Exam modifications
- Alternative print formats
- Sign language interpreting
- Real-time captioning
- Class relocations
- Assistance with academic modifications
- Access problem solving
- Advocacy and referrals
If you have questions, require accommodations, or need help with access, contact the Disability Resource Center at 1190 Student Services Building (SSB), 312-413-2183 (voice), 877-890-0164 (video phone), or 866-497-1528 ( i 711 relay). Information is also available on their website. If you have questions or suggestions about the information in this handbook, please direct them to the coordinator of your doctoral program or to the College of Education Office of Student Services (3145 ETMSW). Names, telephone numbers, office locations, and e-mail addresses of College administrators, doctoral program coordinators, College department chairs, and staff of the College’s Office of Student Services are contained in the appendices of this handbook. You may also wish to consult the College of Education’s website on a regular basis. This handbook is available online through the College’s website.