Information
Advising
Throughout the process of coursework, qualifying exam, and dissertation research, students work closely with their major professors and committee members. Students are responsible for adhering to college and university deadlines and following paperwork requirements.
Doctoral students in Early Childhood receive many opportunities to develop as professionals and scholars. The world of academia is quite distinct, and there are several ways for doctoral students to engage as scholars.
Doctoral Committee Membership
Within the first year of the program, students select doctoral committee members who challenge and guide their course selection and research opportunities. The committee includes a major professor from the Early Childhood program, a faculty member who represents the cognate field, and at least two other faculty members. Students select the committee members, and students may modify their committee membership based on changing interests, the need for faculty with different areas of expertise, or faculty availability.
For further details on committee membership and the accompanying forms please read the Graduate Catalog.
Advanced Graduate Program Coordinator
The Advanced Graduate Program Coordinator serves as the initial advisor to doctoral students. The coordinator is a research faculty member who assists students as they enter the program. The coordinator guides students in their initial selection of courses, advises students as they select committee members, and supports students in their teaching and research endeavors.
The coordinator also directs many aspects of the doctoral program. The coordinator reviews applications and interviews applicants, secures funding and assistantships for students, monitors policy changes from the COE and USF, guides the development of courses, and monitors the residency experiences of students.
Throughout the program, doctoral students may seek advice and support from the Advanced Graduate Program Coordinator and any member of the faculty.
Annual Review
Each doctoral student is responsible for preparing a narrative statement of his/her activities in teaching, research, and service and for providing documentation of his/her professional activities and accomplishments. The specific guidelines for this process are distributed to the students each year.
The annual review encompasses the previous academic year. The Advanced Graduate Committee reviews the files of the doctoral students and provides written feedback regarding the student’s progress in the program.
Academic Communities
As scholars in the field of early childhood, department faculty conducts rigorous research that addresses important questions in the field. Our next responsibility is to disseminate this research so that the findings may be shared with other scholars, practitioners, and policy makers.
Doctoral students are expected to begin a focused line of research within the doctoral program. Membership in various professional associations offers doctoral students the opportunity to read across research journals. In addition, doctoral students must also attend national conferences to learn from other scholars, and they must publish original research in scholarly journals. There are several funding sources available to support doctoral student conference travel. Please see our "Cost" page and also visit the USF Graduate Student Council Website.
There are many forums for research publication and presentation. Below, we have listed a selection of several major associations and journals.