Education, Ph.D.

Curriculum

Doctoral students must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours during a three-year full-time program prior to the dissertation year. The program is a model in which students complete a core set of courses as a cohort and a unique set of electives and research experiences. The core curriculum includes the following courses:

• EDU 7306 - Historical and Social Foundations of Education
• EDU 7311 - Quantitative Statistics for Education Research (with lab)
• EDU 7312 - Intermediate Quantitative Statistics in Education (with lab)
• EDU 7314 - Advanced Multivariate Statistics
• EDU 7313 - Advanced Assessment Methods
• EDU 7302 - Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
• EDU 7305 - Introduction to Qualitative Research in Education
• EDU 7119 - Synthesis and Integration of Knowledge and Skills in Education Policy and Leadership
• EDU 7318 - Program Evaluation
• EDU 7321 - Quantitative Research Methods II

Admission

Applications submitted by January 1 receive priority review; applications received after January 15 are reviewed on a rolling basis until admission decisions are complete. The Ph.D. program is designed to augment an existing master’s degree or equivalent preparation.

Applications should include the following:

1. Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
2. GRE graduate school entry exam scores taken within the last five years, with institution code 7464 (and TOEFL English language proficiency test scores if the student’s native language is not English).
3. A statement of professional purpose.
4. An academic writing sample.
5. Three letters of recommendation.
6. CV or resume.
    

Degree Requirements

Students must enroll in a minimum of nine credit hours of coursework per term and be full-time residents in the Dallas area for the first three academic years of the program. In addition to completing coursework, students apprentice on research projects for 20 hours each week during the academic calendar year, for which they typically receive fellowship pay, benefits and waived tuition. Degree requirements include the following milestones:

• A total of 60 credit hours of coursework (up to six credit hours can be transferred).
• Qualifying exams (literature synthesis, research design, & statistics).
• Major area paper.
• Conference presentation.
• Manuscript submission.
• Dissertation with an oral defense.
• Teaching competency.

At the discretion of the adviser and doctoral committee, the Education Specialist degree is offered as an alternative to the Ph.D. to students who are unable to complete the doctorate. In order to qualify for the Ed.S., a student must: (a) complete 60 term hours, (b) write an acceptable thesis or major area paper, and (c) submit an acceptable professional portfolio.