Ph.D. In Education

Overview of Program

The Doctor of Philosophy degree represents the highest level of achievement in formal education. As such, this degree signifies the attainment of an advanced level of scholarship and the possession of scholarly dispositions and habits. Individuals awarded the Ph.D. in Education by the School of Education at the University of Delaware are prepared to make significant contributions to the field of education, and they do this, first and foremost, by conducting research that answers important questions about the nature of education.

The Ph.D. program includes core coursework in two Proseminars that introduce first year students to the breadth of educational topics and inquiry, and three courses that introduce students to quantitative, qualitative, and epistemological approaches to educational research. Intensive coursework from a specialized area of knowledge provides the student with a depth of understanding that is situated in a series of research projects and studies. Through the Colloquium course and lecture series, distinguished visiting scholars provide students with the opportunity to discuss current topics and research.

Students may earn an M.A. in Education degree by successfully completing the doctoral core coursework, twelve credit hours of specialization coursework, three credits of Colloquium and passing the Proseminar Assessment.

Admission Requirements

Applications for admission must be received by February 1 to be considered for acceptance for the following fall semester. The specialization area to be pursued must be indicated at the time of admission as the faculty within each specialization area collectively make a recommendation regarding admission. Full-time study is strongly recommended.

1. Official report of GRE scores.
2. Official report of TOEFL scores is required for international students or students whose native language is not English. A TOEFL score of 600 or higher (paper-based test) or 250 (computer-based test) must be achieved.
3. An official copy of the applicant’s undergraduate transcript must be submitted.
4. An official copy of the applicant’s graduate transcripts must be submitted if applicable.
5. Three letters of recommendation.
6. A statement from the applicant describing professional objectives and plans for accomplishing them.

Although there is not a minimum GRE requirement, it is expected that applicants will attain a 1050 or above on the combined verbal and quantitative sections of the exam. In addition, it is expected that applicants will have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (and, if applicable, a graduate GPA of 3.5). Applicants are urged to submit additional material that attests to their ability to carry out and benefit from graduate work. Those materials may include term papers, laboratory reports, publications, theses, or other examples of academic work.

Program Requirements

1. Course Work: Doctoral Core coursework includes two Proseminars (EDUC 805, EDUC 806) that students take in the first two semesters of their program, and three methodology courses (EDUC 856, EDUC 850, EDUC 852) taken in the first three semesters of their program. This 17 credit hour sequence comprises the Doctoral Core.

Students must also complete a minimum of 21 credit hours of specialization area coursework from one of the following areas: Cognition, Development and Instruction (CDI); Curriculum Inquiry; Literacy, Language and Schooling; Mathematics Education; Research Methodology and Evaluation (RME); School Psychology; Science Education; Social Studies Education; Special Education.

The research colloquia expose students to some of the foremost thinkers and researchers in the field of education. Guest scholars are invited to share their research findings with doctoral students and faculty in a setting that encourages collegiality and familiarizes students with a number of scholarly presentation styles and content areas. A one-credit course (EDUC 840) is offered each semester in conjunction with the colloquium series and students must complete a minimum of 6 credits of colloquium.

Nine hours of dissertation credit (EDUC 969) are required of all Ph.D. students, and additional coursework may be specified by a student’s advisory committee as part of the student’s Individual Program Plan. A minimum of 53 credit hours is required to complete the Ph.D. program.

2. Scholarly Apprenticeship Requirements consist of the following activities and requirements: participation in an annual SOE Research Forum; supervised university teaching experience; submission of a publication to a peer-reviewed journal; submission of a dissertation support grant; and presentation at a national conference in the student’s area of expertise.
   
3. Residency Requirement: University policy requires one year in residence (one continuous academic year—9 credit hours per semester) must be completed.
   
4. Examinations: All students must pass an assessment based on the work completed in the Proseminars at the end of the first year. Students must successfully pass the Proseminar Assessment before they are allowed to enroll in second year courses. Additionally, a Specialization Area Examination may be required in some specialization areas. This examination takes place after the student has passed all the required coursework for that specialization, but prior to the defense of the dissertation proposal.
   
5. Dissertation proposal: A written proposal that is defended before one’s advisory committee.
   
6. Dissertation and defense: An original work of scholarship, meeting School, University and professional requirements, plus an oral defense of the work.

Description of Specializations within the Ph.D.

Cognition, Development and Instruction (CDI)

Overview of this specialization:

• How do children acquire reading and mathematics skills?
• How does the language children speak and the culture they grow up in affect the ways they view the world and process information?
• How can children's natural search for understanding be utilized in classroom learning?
• What instructional interventions will improve 8th-grade pupils' understanding of gravity?
• How is the culture of race/ethnicity and gender played out in adolescents' lives and in their social worlds?

These and related questions motivate the research of the CDI faculty and their instructional programs. Within this specialization, a student can become expert on such topics as thinking, problem-solving, language development, argumentation, instruction, moral development, mathematical and scientific reasoning, social-emotional development, and the development of adolescent social cognition. Students draw from a wide range of faculty expertise and capitalize on the University's interdisciplinary cognitive science offerings.

This specialization is designed to create researchers and university-level teachers who can contribute to our knowledge about human development, learning, and instruction. Full-time study is required as students must be immersed in research experiences and collegial discussion and debate to become successful. This specialization, like the rest of our PhD specializations, is research based; although courses are required, the goal of a student's Ph.D. study is to become an expert in his or her area of interest. Upon entry, students are expected to become involved in faculty research and eventually to conduct their own research under faculty supervision.

Courses required of all students in this specialization in addition to the Doctoral Core Courses:
EDUC 821 Cognition and Instruction
EDUC 823 Learning and Development

Policy on Specialization Area Exam:   To be determined.

Faculty affiliated with this specialization area:

Dr. George G. Bear
Dr. Al Cavalier
Dr. Christopher M. Clark
Dr. Ralph P. Ferretti
Dr. Roberta Golinkoff
Dr. Gabriella Hermon
Dr. Nancy C. Jordan
Dr. Deborah Knight
Dr. Charles A. MacArthur
Dr. Eugene Matusov
Dr. Frank B. Murray
Dr. James Raths
Dr. Carol Wong

Curriculum Inquiry

Overview of this specialization:
This specialization offers students the theoretical and methodological preparation for curriculum inquiry that is responsive to matters of curriculum policy, design, evaluation, and classroom practice, understood in terms of the multiple intersecting dimensions (e.g., technical, social, and political) of problems and issues in curriculum.

While the School of Education is especially concerned with curriculum in educational institutions, such as P-12 and post-secondary schools, curriculum inquiry is concerned, as well, with the course of formative experience over the lifespan, within and outside of such institutions (including the adult workplace as well as other formal and informal social situations), and with due attention to how formative experience in any of these particular contexts (e.g., formal schooling) is conditioned by the multiplicity of other contexts (family, peer groups, etc.) within which the course of life experience is also taking place.

Courses required of all students in this specialization in addition to the Doctoral Core Courses:
EDUC 860 Curriculum Theory
EDUC 861 Curriculum Development and Evaluation
EDUC 897 Curriculum Inquiry

Policy on Specialization Area Exam: To be determined.

Faculty affiliated with this specialization area:
Dr. Tony Whitson
Dr. Nancy Brickhouse
Dr. James Raths
Dr. Robert Hampel
Dr. Douglas Archbald
Dr. Barbara Curry
Dr. Eugene Matusov
Dr. Danielle Ford
Dr. Shuaib Meacham

Language, Literacy and Schooling

Overview of this specialization:
The graduate program in Literacy Education is an inter-disciplinary program stressing the relationship between child language, reading and writing processes, and school learning. The program is based upon the assumption that literacy is influenced by many overlapping facets of development both in and outside the classroom: cognitive, sociocultural, and linguistic. The purpose of the program is to develop a high degree of expertise in the field.

Courses required of all students in this specialization in addition to the Doctoral Core Courses:
EDUC 802 Seminar: Reading
EDUC 807 Writing Processes in Educational Settings
EDUC 822 Social Foundations of Literacy

Policy on Specialization Area Exam:  To be determined.

Faculty affiliated with this specialization area:
Dr. David Coker
Dr. Rachel Karchmer
Dr. Charles MacArthur
Dr. Carol Vukelich
Dr. Sharon Walpole

Mathematics Education

Overview of this specialization:
Mathematics education is concerned with understanding and improving the learning and teaching of mathematics at all levels. The program focuses on preparing researchers to ask important questions and conduct high quality research to answer them. Program experiences, including coursework, teaching, and research, are integrated to support the development of leaders in mathematics education.

Courses required of all students in this specialization in addition to the Doctoral Core Courses:
EDUC 833 Research and Theory of Mathematics Learning (3 credits)
EDUC 834 Research and Theory of Mathematics Teaching (3 credits)
EDUC 835 Research and Theory of Mathematics Curriculum (3 credits)
EDUC 836 Research and Theory of Mathematics Teacher Education and School Improvement (3 credits)
EDUC 838 Research Issues in Mathematics Education (1 credit, continuing enrollment)
MATH 567 Foundations of Mathematics (3 credits, 2 semesters)

Policy on Specialization Area Exam:
Doctoral students must demonstrate that they have acquired a comprehensive grasp of the field of mathematics education through a specialization area examination before they are admitted to formal candidacy. The specialization area exam is taken prior to the dissertation proposal defense. It fulfills one of the requirements for doctoral candidacy. (The stipulations for admission to doctoral candidacy at the University of Delaware are that the student has (1) had a program of study approved, (2) completed one academic year of full-time graduate study in residence at the University, (3) passed the program’s specialization area examination, (4) shown the ability to do research, and (5) had a research project accepted by the advisory committee with human subjects approval (if appropriate for the research).)

Ordinarily, the exam is taken upon completion of the four mathematics education seminars. This usually occurs at the end of the second year of full-time coursework.

The specialization area exam has two purposes: (1) it is an opportunity for students to reflect on the readings required in the scheduled courses in mathematics education and to express their breadth of knowledge in their chosen area, and (2) it is an opportunity for the faculty in mathematics education to assess the student's grasp of major issues in mathematics education as well as the student's preparation in their area of research interest. Students are allowed two chances to pass the specialization area exam.

The specialization area examination is given, upon request, during the winter session and the summer session. Students who wish to take the exam during the same session should agree on the same seven-day period and should request this time in writing by December 1 (for the winter session) or May 1 (for the summer session). The time for the exam will be approved by the mathematics education faculty. By December1 (for the winter exam) or May 1 (for the summer exam), students should submit to their advisor a one-page description of their area of interest and a reading list in this area; ordinarily, a reading list has 15-25 entries. The fourth question on the exam will be related to this area of research.

The student’s advisor will determine the members of the specialization area exam committee, based on the student’s coursework and area of interest. The committee will consist of three mathematics education faculty members.

The exam is composed of two parts, a written exam and an oral defense of the written exam. The written exam consists of four questions. Three of the questions are general questions in the areas of learning, instruction, curriculum, and policy in mathematics education. The emphasis in these questions is on integrating the material covered in the scheduled mathematics education courses. The fourth question is directly related to the student's area of interest. The response to each question is limited to four double-spaced typewritten pages (excluding references). The written exam is completed within seven days. An oral defense of the written exam is scheduled after the committee members have read the student's responses. Students should not share exam questions with others until after receiving official notification of the committee’s pass/fail decision.

The written exam and oral defense will result in one of three ratings for each of the four examination responses.

1. Pass
   In this event, the response has been accepted. If all four responses are accepted, this is deemed “Passing the Specialization Area Examination,” and the student may proceed with proposal work leading to candidacy.
2. Fail
   Responses that are rated fail cannot be revised. If any response receives this rating, the result is “Failing the Specialization Area Examination.” In this situation, the committee will identify a set of structured activities for the student to address the concerns that were raised by the faculty. After completing the activities, the student may take a second exam consisting of questions that address the area(s) of concern. The same committee will review the written response(s) and, at the committee’s discretion, schedule an oral defense. A second failure means that the student has failed the specialization area examination and cannot advance to candidacy.
3. Revise and resubmit
   For responses that are rated revise and resubmit, students have six weeks to revise the response(s), addressing the concerns that were raised by the faculty. A revision will result in a pass or fail decision by the committee based on the written response(s) (no oral defense).

Students will be informed of the results within one week of the completion of the exam.

Faculty affiliated with this specialization area:
Dr. Dawn Berk
Dr. Brad Glass
Dr. James Hiebert
Dr. Laura Kincaid
Dr. Anne Morris
Dr. Jinfa Cai (Dept of Mathematical Sciences)
Dr. Mary Ann Huntley (Dept of Mathematical Sciences)
Dr. Kathleen Hollowell (Mathematics and Science Education Resource Center)
Dr. Jon Manon (Mathematics and Science Education Resource Center)
Dr. Amanda Hoffmann

Research Methodology and Evaluation (RME)

Overview of this specialization:
The specialization in Research Methodology and Evaluation (RME) offers a comprehensive range of courses designed to prepare students to develop, critically evaluate, and properly use quantitative and qualitative methodologies to advance educational research. The RME faculty believe that fundamental contributions to educational methodology can be accomplished through study of a wide variety of areas in research methods. These areas include advanced topics in theoretical and applied methodology. For example, students are taught to

1. Understand recent developments in psychometric theory, as well as technical issues underlying construction and use of tests for selection, placement, and instruction.
   
   
2. Study advanced statistical modeling, yet have an opportunity to examine how these models are applied to school effectiveness, economic and social stratification, the structure of human abilities, and achievement growth.
   
   
3. Develop competencies in qualitative methodology including understanding the range of theoretical perspectives and capacity to generate appropriate research problems, collect data through various strategies, and analyze data with computerized programs Students interact and publish with our internationally renowned scholars in the study of four fundamental areas:
   
   
1. Statistical methods, including basic statistics, regression, multivariate analysis, structural equation modeling, and multilevel modeling;
2. Psychometric theory, including classical test theory and item response theory; and
3. Qualitative methodology, including case study methodology, ethnography, and narrative analysis.
4. Evaluation methodology, combining elements of qualitative and quantitative methodologies as well as quasi-experimental and experimental designs.

Courses required of all students in this specialization in addition to the Doctoral Core Courses:
EDUC 812 Regression Models in Education
EDUC 851 Practicum: Qualitative Research
EDUC 863 Principles of Educational Evaluation
EDUC 865 Educational Measurement Theory
EDUC 872 Advanced Educational Measurement
EDUC 873 Multilevel Models in Education
EDUC 874 Multivariate Data Analysis in Education
EDUC 876 Structural Models in Education

Policy on Specialization Area Exam:
The Specialization Area Exam in RME is designed to assess a student’s proficiency in integrating various aspects of research methodology to address substantive issues in education. The exam is to be taken at the beginning of the fourth year of study and is organized as a take home exam spanning no more than three days. Students will be given a set of problems requiring the integration of a variety of research methodologies around the topic of their dissertations. The exam will be evaluated by a sub-committee of RME faculty consisting of the student’s advisor and others familiar the student’s dissertation area. Students will be notified of their results within three weeks of submitting their exam. Should a student not demonstrate satisfactory performance on the exam, he/she will have one attempt to retake the exam, scheduled at the end of the semester in which the exam was taken. Failure to demonstrate satisfactory performance on the retake of the exam will result in termination from the program.

Faculty affiliated with this specialization area:
Dr. Joseph Glutting
Dr. Robert Hampel
Dr. David Kaplan
Dr. Ratna Nandakumar
Dr. Audrey Noble
Dr. James Raths

School Psychology

Overview of this specialization:
Grounded in the scientist/practitioner model, the school psychology program provides students with a strong foundation in psychological theory and research. Students are trained to use a collaborative, data-based problem solving approach when applying this foundation to help solve social, emotional, and academic problems faced by children, schools, and families. In addition to gaining theoretical and empirical knowledge, students acquire competencies in multiple skill areas and are expected to contribute to theory and research in areas of school psychology. Particular areas of research interest to the faculty are: children’s social, moral, and emotional development; family-school relations, and; peer- and parent-mediated prevention and intervention programs in the schools.

Courses required of all students in this specialization in addition to the Doctoral Core Courses:
EDUC 618 Special Services in the Schools
EDUC 681 Techniques for Behavior Change
EDUC 871 Individual Intelligence Testing
EDUC 663 Counseling Skills Laboratory
EDUC 680 Educational Diagnosis
EDUC 814 Psychological Assessment of Children
EDUC 831 Advanced Counseling Techniques
EDUC 651 School-Based Family Issues and Intervention
EDUC 679 Instructing Elementary/Middle Schoolers with Mild Disabilities
EDUC 813 Childhood Psychopathology
EDUC 823 Learning and Development
EDUC 830 Consultation and Intervention
EDUC 867 Child Neuropsychology
EDUC 812 Regression Methods in Education
EDUC 874 Multivariate Data Analysis in Education or EDUC 865 (Educational
Measurement Theory)
EDUC 968 Supervised Research or Elective
EDUC 8xx Proseminar in School Psychology or Special Education (or elective if a proseminar is not offered)
EDUC 671 Practicum in School Psychology (4 semesters)
EDUC 968 Supervised Research (3 semesters, or approved elective)
EDUC 8xx Internship in School Psychology (full year)

Policy on Specialization Area Exam: A doctoral-level specialization area exam is not required. However, candidates must pass the Masters-level exam in school psychology.

Faculty Affiliated with this Specialization Area:
Dr. George Bear
Dr. Marika Ginsburg-Block
Dr. Kathleen Minke

Science Education

Overview of this specialization:
Science Education is concerned with the learning and teaching of science: in K-16 classrooms, in informal learning environments, in scientific fields, and in everyday life. Through increasingly independent research and learning experiences, students will be expected to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the research literature in learning and teaching science and to contribute to research in the field. The program is designed to support students as they prepare for academic research and teaching careers. Applicants to the program generally hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a science discipline or equivalent. Teaching experience in science also is recommended.

Courses required of all students in this specialization in addition to the Doctoral Core Courses:
EDUC 843 Proseminar in Science Education (9 credit hours). This variable topics course will cover critical issues in curriculum, research on learning, or research on teaching. Students should enroll in a seminar in each of the three areas.

Methodology course (3 credit hours). In addition to the methodological requirements of the Ph.D. Core Courses, students in Science Education must take one additional methodology course, to be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Focus area (9 credit hours). Candidates must take 9 credit hours as a focus area, to be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor. The following guidelines apply:

1. If the candidate enters the program with less than nine graduate hours in a science discipline, the focus area should be in a science discipline and will consist of courses at the graduate level.
2. If the candidate enters the program with nine graduate hours in a science discipline, the focus area will be chosen by the student with the advisor’s approval. Recommended specializations include: multiculturalism, educational policy, curriculum theory, assessment, philosophy and history of science, literacy education, mathematics education, and technology.

Policy on Specialization Area Exam:
The purpose of the Science Education specialization area exam is to assess the student’s knowledge of the major issues, literature, and research in the broad areas of science education. Passing this exam is required in order to advance to proposing, research, and writing the dissertation. When the student has completed all three offerings of the science education Proseminar (for full time students, generally in the 5th or 6th semester), s/he is eligible to take the exam.

The exam is take-home in nature. The exam is administered by the Science Education Ph.D. Coordinator, though the questions are developed by all Science Education faculty. Students are required to interpret and synthesize major conceptual ideas from within the science education literature. Responses to the questions are due to the Coordinator one week after the exam is given to the student.

When the exam responses are received by the Coordinator, they are distributed to all Science Education faculty for evaluation. Exams are rated as Pass/Revise/Fail. Within one month, results of the exam will be returned to the student. If a student receives a rating of “Pass” s/he is eligible to advance to preparation of the dissertation. If a student receives a rating of “Fail” s/he is terminated from the program. In the case of the “Revise” rating, the student must complete additional tasks to be determined by the Science Education faculty (e.g., written revisions that take into account faculty comments, oral exam, etc.). The Science Education faculty will then re-evaluate student performance on the exam and additional tasks, and assign either a Pass or Fail rating, with consequences as outlined above. Only one revision round is permitted.

Faculty affiliated with this specialization area:
Dr. Nancy Brickhouse
Dr. Zoubeida Dagher
Dr. Danielle Ford

Special Education

Overview of this specialization:
The Ph.D. specialization in Special Education is dedicated to the generation and application of knowledge about the development and education of children and adolescents with learning problems. This specialization views these problems within the contexts of school, family, and community and draws on knowledge from multiple disciplines as a base to understand such problems and to enhance opportunities for children and adolescents to improve their learning and enhance their overall quality of life. This advanced training program is designed to prepare individuals to conduct scholarly research on the development and education of children in schools and support the development and implementation of effective programs in schools.

Courses required of all students in this specialization in addition to the Doctoral Core Courses:
Specialization Courses (2):

• Issues and Research in Exceptionality
• Proseminar in Special Education

Methods Courses (2):

• 2 additional courses in research methods, measurement or statistics; selected with consultation from academic advisor

General Course Requirements (varies):

• Students are expected to acquire broad knowledge of the field of special education. In addition to the specialization exam and supervised research, a student will demonstrate this knowledge through courses taken in the School of Education as part of this Ph.D. program, through courses taken previously as part of a degree program, or through both. In order to fulfill the objective of a broad knowledge base in the field of special education, a student may be required to take selected courses. During the first academic semester, a student's academic advisor will review her/his credentials and make such determinations. Knowledge in the following content areas is required:
• characteristics of exceptional children/youth
• educational assessment
• behavior analysis and classroom management
• at least 3 of the following areas:
  • instructional methods in reading
  • instructional methods in mathematics
  • instructional methods in mild disabilities
  • instructional methods in severe disabilities
• In addition to coursework in the above areas, a student will take courses in a specialized area of interest in the field of special education or related disciplines. These courses will be selected in concert with the student’s academic advisor from regularly scheduled courses, seminars, and independent study. The student's program of study must be approved by her/his Advisory Committee.

Policy on Specialization Area Exam:
This specialization area does not require a specialization area examination.

Faculty affiliated with this specialization area:
Dr. Gary Allison
Dr. Al Cavalier
Dr. Laura Eisenman
Dr. Ralph Ferretti
Dr. Nancy Jordan
Dr. Deborah Knight
Dr. Charles MacArthur

Chris Clark, Director
Gail Rys, Assistant Director
Nancy Brickhouse, Interim Associate Director
Send comments to Dianne Carter at school-ed@udel.edu