PhD in Elementary Education

The Doctor of Philosophy in elementary education prepares students for college and university teaching and research positions in elementary education, and for research, curriculum, supervisory, or administrative positions in public school systems and government education agencies.

• Admission
• Requirements
• Comprehensive Examination

Admission

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College. Application materials should include a statement of purpose explaining the applicant’s reasons for pursuing graduate study and describing his or her future goals; transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work; Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test scores; a sample of academic writing; and three letters of recommendation.

Requirements

The Ph.D. in elementary education requires a minimum of 90 s.h. of graduate credit, including 10-15 s.h. of dissertation credit. Each student prepares an individual plan of study in consultation with an advisor. The final plan must be approved by the advisor and the department chair.

To remain in the program, students must maintain the grade-point average required by the Graduate College.

• Ph.D. Core

All of the following are required (18 s.h.).

Foundations component:
07E:304 Schooling in the United States 3 s.h.
07S:333 Seminar on Teacher Education 3 s.h.

Research component:
07P:202 Understanding Educational Research 3 s.h.
Three other research courses chosen in consultation with advisor 9 s.h.

• Elementary Education Graduate Core

All of these (9 s.h.):
07B:120 Teaching in a Culturally Diverse Society (or equivalent approved by advisor) 3 s.h.
07E:267 Inquiry-Based Curriculum Development in Early Childhood and Elementary Education 3 s.h.
07E:300 Design and Organization of the Curriculum 3 s.h.

• Instructional Cluster

Students take two courses (6 s.h.) that deal with instructional issues in the elementary classroom. The courses are drawn from one or more of the following areas: art education, music education, social studies education, science education, math education, special education, another acknowledged area of specialization. Students must choose courses outside their specialization area.

• Specialization

Students take four courses (12 s.h.) in their specialization area, chosen in consultation with their advisor.

• Electives

Students choose 6 s.h. of elective course work.

Comprehensive Examination

• Students must pass each of the core courses with at least a grade of B.
• Students will select a comprehensive exam committee of five faculty in consultation with their advisor. Four of the five faculty members on the committee must approve the results for the student to pass.
• The exam will be comprised of several parts. An academic paper is required in the student’s area of specialization, which needs to be started a semester prior to the comprehensive exam date and handed-in on the day on the morning of the scheduled comprehensive exam. A descriptive course syllabus in an area of interest to the student is also required and will be handed-in on the day on the morning of the scheduled comprehensive exam. A take-home exam, covering selective materials associated with the core courses, will be given on the first day of the comprehensive exam period and will be handed-in on the last day of the exam period. The questions for the take-home exam will be designed by the advisor, or any other member of the committee at the advisor’s discretion in conjunction with the core course instructor All parts of the examination require the approval of at least four of the five faculty on the student’s committee.

* Because faculty are not widely available in the summer months, students are discouraged from scheduling their comprehensive exams during the summer.

Components and Procedures

The Elementary Education Ph.D. comprehensive exam includes the following three components.

1. An academic paper.

You will write a paper that demonstrates your ability to analyze and synthesize knowledge in the area of your specialization. We consider your work to be an independent scholarly endeavor; however, you will need to ask a faculty member to serve as official sponsor for the paper. The final draft should be ready to submit for scholarly publication, which means the paper will need to be more polished than a slightly revised course paper. The academic paper might be an issues-oriented literature review, a reflective essay concerning a substantive issue in your area of specialization, or an article-length empirical piece. You will submit copies of the paper for each committee member at 8:30 a.m. on the first scheduled day of Ph.D. comprehensive examinations in the College. Please submit your copies to Peggy Shannon.

2. Take-Home Exam

In this section of the comps, we expect that you will demonstrate your comprehensive knowledge in two of the following three areas that make up the core Ph.D. requirements for students in Curriculum and Instruction. In consultation with your advisor, select two of the following broad areas and determine a particular focus within each area that reflects a synthesis of your program and the core courses.

1. Schooling in the United States
2. Teacher Education
3. Understanding Educational Research

The take-home exam will consist of a question in each of the two areas. Each question will be written and evaluated either by the course instructor who taught the corresponding Ph.D. core course or by another faculty member in conjunction with the course instructor. Each question will center on the particular focus you have determined with your advisor as it relates topically to the core.

Beginning the process: Choose your areas no later than the semester before you plan to take comprehensive exams. After choosing two areas, you will arrive at a more specific focus within each area in consultation with your advisor. You will develop preliminary bibliographies appropriate for your studies in each area, and then consult with your advisor and/or the course instructor to make necessary revisions and finalize the bibliographies. Next, you will immerse yourself in reading, setting up appointments with your advisor as needed.

On the day of the exam: On the first day that Ph.D. comprehensive exams begin in the College, you will pick up your two questions (one in each area). You will have the two days designated for taking comprehensive exams to write 5-8 pages (double spaced, 12-point font, excluding references in APA style) in response to each question and will be able to refer to any written material during the two writing days. Completed responses should be sent as an email attachment no later than midnight of the second day so both you and your committee members have a record of the time of submission. Students whose first language is other than English will receive one additional writing day.

3. Course Syllabus Develop a course syllabus for a future elementary education course (graduate or undergraduate) you would like to teach. The syllabus is to be accompanied by a commentary (10-15 pp, double-spaced, 12-point font, excluding references in APA/MLA style). The commentary reflects on the framework of the syllabus and the theoretical underpinnings of the course. Here, we envision that you will make connections between theory and practice. You may draw on courses you have taught or taken; however the course syllabus must have its own unique stamp. The reflective commentary must draw on theoretical and empirical literature. You will need to select a member of the faculty to serve as official sponsor for this part of the exam. Copies of the course syllabus/commentary for your committee members should be submitted at 8:30 a.m. to Peggy Shannon on the first day of Ph.D. comprehensive exams in the College.

Memo of Intent

Students submit a memo of intent the semester before taking comprehensive exams. This brief memo includes a description of the student’s comprehensive exam areas and verifies that the student has no outstanding grades of “Incomplete.” Students submit this memo to their advisors who must approve the plan before distributing the memo to all members of the student’s committee.

Deadlines for submitting the comprehensive exam memo of intent:

• Fall exams: Mid-June
• Spring exams: Mid-November
• Summer exams: Mid-April

DISSERTATION

Dissertation work ranges from 10 to 15 s.h.