Graduate Programs
Ph.D. program

The purpose of the Ph.D. program is to prepare students for upper-level professional positions in the fields of educational measurement, evaluation, and statistical methods. Such positions are generally found in colleges and universities, state and federal agencies, large public and private school systems, test publishing firms, and research and evaluation centers.

Degree Requirements

Students must successfully complete 90 semester hours of approved study beyond the bachelor's degree. (This includes relevant master's level courses.)

1. Course Requirements

During the first year of graduate study, the student and the advisor jointly plan the student's program of studies. The program will include those courses deemed appropriate to the student's interests and vocational objectives.

Advanced Work
In addition to the common core courses listed for the master's degree, the typical program will involve advanced work in the following areas:

• Educational measurement
• Methods of data analysis,
• Research methodology,
• Educational psychology, and
• A Ph.D. thesis

Students who concentrate in statistics with the intention of teaching on the college level will be advised to take courses in the mathematical theory of statistics. Those who concentrate in educational measurement and evaluation will be advised to take appropriate courses in curriculum, counseling, or higher education. All students will be expected to develop familiarity with computer programming techniques and equipment

Master's Thesis Substitute
In addition, candidates who enter the program without having completed an MA thesis must complete a substitute project before taking the comprehensive examinations.

2. Electives

Course work outside the major areas will be determined according to the student's interests and goals. Work outside the Division and in other departments of the University is encouraged.

3. Comprehensive

ExaminationComprehensive examinations must be successfully completed before the opening of the term in which the candidate expects to receive his or her degree. The Division through which the examination is to be taken must deem the candidate qualified to take the examination.

There are two ways of fulfilling this requirement:
Regular Procedure

• Each student must successfully pass a nine-hour comprehensive examination that is divided into three-hour blocks as follows:
  

Examination
Educational Measurement	3
Applied Statistics	3
Educational Psychology or substitute	3
TOTAL	9

A substitute area-if any-will typically be one in which the candidate has at least nine semester hours of course work or equivalent practical experience.

• The written examinations are followed by a meeting of the candidate with the examining committee. At this meeting, committee members may seek further evidence of the candidate's command of the field; they may ask questions on matters related to the written examinations; or they may examine the candidate's readiness to complete the remainder of the program.
• A single decision is rendered on all aspects of the comprehensive exams.

Alternative Procedure

• The student will complete two of the three comprehensive examinations.
• In lieu of one of the three-hour written examinations noted in the regular procedure, the student may be assigned a project approved by his or her committee in advance.
• The project will be one involving the comprehensive use of analytical, evaluative skills, or research creativity. It will demand command of skills equivalent in sophistication to those demonstrated on a written examination.
• The project will be completed before the meeting with the committee and must result in a product or document available to committee members for their evaluation.

4. Dissertation (12-16 s.h.)

The topic must be in the field of educational measurement, evaluation, or statistical methods and is chosen by the student in consultation with the dissertation director. The student's committee will have an opportunity to review the topic and offer suggestions on its implementation at a dissertation prospectus meeting before the student is fully committed to the research.

5. Other

At the end of the student's first year in the program (approximately 18 semester hours of course work), the student's advisor will consult with other faculty members to consider the student's course grades, critical and analytical skills, development during the previous academic year, and promise of continued growth. Students who show insufficient potential or deficiencies that cannot be remedied may be dropped from the program.

Typical Ph.D Programs

This section will illustrate two typical Ph.D. programs: one is statistics oriented and the other is evaluation oriented. First, the course work common to both is shown. Then the three areas under the statistics orientation and the three areas under the evaluation orientation are shown.

Common Course Work

Applied Statistics (a)
7P:243 Intermediate Statistical Methods 3 s.h.
7P:244 Correlation and Regression 4 s.h.
7P:246 Design of Experiments 4 s.h.
7P:247 Nonparametric Statistical Methods 3 s.h.
7P:249 Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Models 3 s.h.
7P:252 Introduction to Multivariate Statistical Methods 3 s.h.
7P:375 Topics in Educational Measurement and Statistics 1-3 s.h.

Educational Measurement (a)
7P:255 Construction and Use of Evaluation Instruments 3 s.h.
7P:257 Educational Measurement and Evaluation 3 s.h.
7P:258 Theory and Technique in Educational Measurement 3 s.h.
7P:259 Scaling Methods 3 s.h.
7P:262 Item Response Theory 3 s.h.
7P:355 Seminar: Educational Measurement and Evaluation 1-3 s.h.
7P:358 Equating and Scaling of Educational Tests 3 s.h.
7P:455 Generalizability Theory 3 s.h.
7C:254 Appraisal in Counseling 3 s.h.

Collateral Areas (b)
7E Elementary Education course
7S Secondary Education course
7F Social Foundations of Education course
7H Higher Education course

Thesis
7P:493 Ph.D. Thesis 12 s.h.

Educational Measurement and Statistics Emphasis

Evaluation/Research Methodology (a)
7P:165 Introduction to Program Evaluation 3 s.h.
7P:265 Program Evaluation 3 s.h.
7P:220 Educational Research Methodology 3 s.h.

Mathematical Statistics (c)
22S:152 Regression and Design 3 s.h.
22S:153 Mathematical Statistics I 3 s.h.
22S:154 Mathematical Statistics II 3 s.h.

Educational Psychology (a)
7P:200 Educational Psychology 3 s.h.

Educational Measurement and Evaluation Emphasis

Evaluation/Research Methodology (a)
7P:165 Introduction to Program Evaluation 3 s.h.
7P:265 Program Evaluation 3 s.h.
7P:350 Seminar in Evaluation 2-3 s.h.
7P:450 Practicum in Program Evaluation 1-3 s.h.
7P:220 Educational Research Methodology 3 s.h.

Mathematical Statistics (c)
22S:130 Introduction to Mathematical Statistics I 3 s.h.
22S:131 Introduction to Mathematical Statistics II 3 s.h.

Educational Psychology(a)
7P:106 Child Development 3 s.h.
7P:181 Introduction to Theories of Learning 3 s.h.
7P:200 Educational Psychology 3 s.h.

Notes:

1. All courses or their equivalents
2. The number of semester hours depends on the student's interests
3. Desirable electives