Information
Components of the Elementary Education Ph.D. Program
Coursework
| 76 Credits | |
|---|---|
| Elementary Education Specialization | 18 hours |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 3 hours |
| Research Methods | 11-12 credits |
| Cognate | 12 credits |
| Dissertation | 24 credits |
| Foundations (Psychological and Social) | 8 hours |
Annual Review
Each doctoral student prepares a narrative statement of his/her activities in teaching, research, and service and for providing documentation of his/her professional activities and accomplishments.
Residency Year
Each Ph.D. student is required to spend at least two consecutive semesters (about 30 weeks) in full-time residency on the Tampa campus. However, two years of residency is encouraged for those who are pursing a teacher education position in higher education.
Qualifying Exam
Option 1: The Summative Test: a 12 hours test administered over a 3-day period in 4 hour segments. The test integrates the work in the student’s specialization area, the cognate area, and measurement or foundations area.
Option 2: Formal papers: three formal papers prepared directly related to the student’s research questions. Each must be submitted to refereed journals approved by the student’s committee.
In addition to the written exam, Ph.D. students in Elementary Education must also complete an oral defense of their qualifying exams.
Upon successful completion of the qualifying exam, doctoral students enter candidacy.
Dissertation
Option 1: A single-volume dissertation that is defended before the committee and other members of the academic community and fulfills the research requirement for the PhD
Option 2: An exhaustive review of literature and a database that is directly related to his or her research question(s). This database is subject to scrutiny, evaluation, verification and audit by the student’s doctoral committee. Option 2 further requires that the student authors three substantial research manuscripts for submission to refereed journals approved by the program faculty. Two must be accepted for publication and the other under editorial review in order for degree requirements to be fulfilled.