Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Record 2011-2012 
    
Graduate Record 2011-2012 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)


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The primary purpose of this degree is to develop educational scholars whose goals are to conduct original research and interpret and communicate the results of such research as authors, university faculty, and governmental or research agency officials.  Specific requirements for Ph.D. programs are posted on the Curry web site.

Admission Requirements are described on the Curry website.

Enrollment Requirements Students must enroll continuously at the University during the fall and spring semesters while working toward the Ph.D. degree. If students are not taking courses or working with a committee, they may maintain enrollment by paying a University non-resident fee. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment requires students to reapply for admission. Students must enroll for dissertation hours during any semester in which they are working with their committee.

Time Limit All requirements must be completed within four years after passing comprehensive examinations and within seven years of admission to the Ph.D. program. In special cases, upon approval of the mentor, department chair, and the Director for Doctoral Studies, out-of-date work may be revalidated by examination.
 

Program Features

Academic Goals: Faculty have designed Ph.D. programs in the Curry School to prepare students for positions as professors and scholars with demonstrated ability to conduct research in their field of study. Programs may establish additional requirements and goals consistent with their field.

Faculty Mentors: All entering Ph.D. students are assigned a faculty advisor who serves as a mentor. Although not required, we encourage applicants to make contact with potential mentors on the Curry Faculty to ensure an optimal match between students and mentors. 
 
Coursework The PhD program requires 72 or more credits, depending on area requirements. Students must complete at least 54 credits of coursework. This includes content courses and research methodology courses, and up to 3 credits of research apprenticeship per semester, but does not include internship and dissertation credits. At least 36 course and apprenticeship credits must be completed after admission to the program. Students should consult program-area descriptions for additional detail.

Students entering the doctoral program with a master’s degree can apply up to 24 hours of credit to their doctoral studies, provided that committee members and the Director for Doctoral Studies agree that the courses are comparable to specific courses required in the doctoral program.

Students will ordinarily complete the program in 4 years of full-time study, or 3 years of full-time study beyond an applicable masters degree.

Research Apprenticeship  Ph.D. students participate in a research apprenticeship with their faculty advisors. This apprenticeship occupies approximately 10 to 20 hours of each student’s week.. During this apprenticeship, the student assists with the advisor’s research and scholarship, which may include data collection, data analysis, library research, presentations, writing for publication, and other related activities.

Research Methodology Emphasis  All Ph.D. students take the Research Foundations course. Students take Stats I and Qual I, except under two circumstances: (1) the student has completed comparable coursework elsewhere, or (2) the program area makes the case that their discipline does not require one of these courses.

In addition to  introductory courses described above, PhD students take courses in research design, methods, measurement, and/or statistics that prepare the student to carry out research comparable to that described in first-rate publications in the student’s field of study. Students take advanced-level courses, some of which may be taught in other departments in the University (e.g., Sociology, Economics, History, Psychology, Public Health, etc.).
 
Pre-dissertation Research Manuscript Under the guidance of faculty, students complete a pre-dissertation research project that results in a manuscript submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or an alternative scholarly publication consistent with the program area’s discipline. The student must submit the manuscript prior to undertaking dissertation work. There is no requirement that the paper be accepted for publication, but we encourage students to revise manuscripts if resubmission is likely to result in publication. Advisors/mentors work with students to shape these papers toward eventual publication; co-authored papers are acceptable.

Assessment  A student’s committee determines key student competencies across each year of the doctoral program. Faculty may use accreditation or licensing requirements as the foundation for these competencies. Students document their evolving competencies annually and receive written and oral feedback on their annual progress.
 
Qualifying Examination Students complete a written comprehensive examination that covers the knowledge base and methodology of their discipline and demonstrates their readiness to undertake doctoral dissertation research. At least two faculty members independently evaluate the examination.

Dissertation  All Ph.D. students complete a dissertation proposal and a dissertation following either the traditional model or the three-paper option described in the Curry Dissertation Manual which can be found on the Curry website.

 

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