Education and Human Development, PhD
Overview of Coursework
Students complete a plan of study that includes at least 48 semester credits of coursework (including all required core courses) and 27 semester credits of dissertation, for a minimum total of 75 credits. The PhD program provides each student with an induction into university research and teaching cultures. PhD coursework is intensive and substantive, requiring significant writing, analysis, and critique of theory and professional literature.
Doctoral students complete a series of courses and professional experiences in a specified concentration area. Concentration areas focus on a defined discipline or content area in preparation for professional roles as researchers and faculty members. Students also complete a research apprenticeship and higher education teaching practicum or equivalent experience. Students in Inclusive Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Policy, and Family Science and Human Development concentrations take an alternate set of Foundation Courses which are listed below.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Classes - 12 credits | ||
| Education & Human Development | ||
| EDFN 7420 | Foundations of Education in Urban and Diverse Communities | 3 |
| LDFS 7712 | Learning and Human Development | 3 |
| EDFN 7400 | Epistemologies: Ways Knowing, Res Paradigms, & Counter-Epistemologies | 3 |
| EDFN 7833 | Culture and Critical Theory | 3 |
| Child, Youth and Family Studies | ||
| ECED 7010 | History, Child Development, and Equity: Early Childhood | 3 |
| ECED 7040 | Advanced Studies in Applied Child Development | 3 |
| ECED 7830 | Special Topics in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| HDFR 7000 | Family Theories | 3 |
| Research Methods - 18 credits | ||
| RSEM 7000 | Doctoral Seminar in Research Methods | 3 |
| RSEM 7110 | Intermediate Statistics | 3 |
| RSEM 7080 | Methods of Qualitative Inquiry | 3 |
| RSEM 7150 | Mixed Methods Research | 3 |
| Electives (two courses of advanced research methods) | 6 | |
Concentration Area - 18 credits
The PhD has concentrations in the following areas. Students will work with their faculty advisor to determine concentration area courses.
Leadership for Educational Organizations: This concentration serves as a key area for those concerned about leadership in schools and a key focus for research by scholars in higher education. A crucial assumption that underlies this concentration area is that school leadership makes the difference in how schools succeed in improving learning outcomes for all students, but we are only beginning to scratch the surface in understanding why leadership is successful and in which contexts, what the interactions are between effective leadership and effective teaching, and those interactions’ collective impact on learning outcomes at all levels in schools.
Inclusive Early Childhood Education: The goal of this concentration area is to introduce students to the issues and practices in early childhood special education and to prepare students to provide leadership to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. The purpose is to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge of evidence-based practices to prepare them to meet state and national leadership needs within IHEs to address issues in Early Childhood Special Education/Early Childhood Education/early childhood special education (ECE/ECSE). Graduates will be prepared to: (1) conduct rigorous research related to culturally responsive, evidence-based practices, (2) translate research into practice, thus expanding the use of evidence-based practice in the field; (3) create, evaluate, and improve blended pre-service teacher education programs in ECE / ECSE, and (4) align ECE curriculum to current state standards for early learning.
Family Science and Human Development: The goal of this concentration is to prepare students to critically examine and understand family science within an ecological life span development lens. This program prepares students to work in academic careers as professors, researchers and scholars in Family Science and Human Development. Students are provided with a rich curriculum that centers on theoretical and scholarly based knowledge in family science, human development, and research inquiry. Another objective of this program is to integrate the importance of family diversity (which includes race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, ability, language) into the curriculum as it relates to social justice in family science and child, adolescent and adult development. Central to the Family Science and Human Development concentration is the conceptual framework of family and human ecological systems and how that impacts research, practice, and policy with diverse families in the United States and at the global level.
Math Education: Students and faculty in this concentration area focus on teacher learning and professional development experiences. Specifically, projects investigate the ways that particular interventions used in professional development for mathematics teachers impact their content knowledge and pedagogical practices in their classrooms. Work in this area is framed by a situated perspective of learning and incorporates mixed methods to answer questions around the ways particular interventions support teacher and student learning. Video data is prominent in both the design of professional development interventions as well as a major data source for analyses. Analytic methods vary based on research questions and grain size.
Science Education: The goal of this area is to prepare students to explore, understand, and think critically about the nature of science and science education from a largely research-oriented perspective. Students may elect to focus on environmental science education as an area of specialization within this concentration area through electives and discipline- specific research agendas.
Research and Evaluation Methods: The goal of this concentration area is to prepare students to design and carry out significant applied research on individual and organizational change in the field of education and human development. Through problem-based pedagogy and hands-on learning, students will be prepared to be collaborative applied researchers who work with community, university, and school partners. Students will learn advanced quantitative, advanced qualitative, and mixed methods research techniques. Course content includes mixed methods, advanced statistics, advanced qualitative data analysis, systems analysis, collaborative team research, and practicum experiences. Graduates of the program are prepared to work as faculty members, school district and organizational researchers, data analysts, and assessment coordinators.
Critical Studies in Education: This concentration area houses faculty who approach their research and teaching in education with a transdisciplinary and critical lens, especially with respect to race, gender, class, disability, sexuality, language, and culture. Faculty members ground their approach in social justice in education and promote the ideas of educational equity, transformative education, and educational activism in nontraditional ways. Particularly, how schooling, society, and policies are dialectical sites of oppression and liberation, and the role of educators is that of intellectual activists to facilitate that liberation. Because an activist approach is necessary, this concentration area offers a monthly faculty and student meeting where students and faculty can collaboratively work on research, publications, conference presentations, and theory building. The faculty of Critical Studies in Education approach education in critical ways to ensure the futurity of a more transformational, liberatory, and humanizing educational system and society.
Dissertation - 27 Credits
Doctoral students complete a series of courses/experiences in a specified concentration area. Concentration areas focus on a defined discipline or content area in preparation for professional roles as researchers and faculty members. Students also complete a research apprenticeship and higher education teaching practicum or equivalent experience.
The following learning outcomes guide the PhD course and program development.
Graduates of the PhD in Education & Human Development program are able to do the following:
- Apply theories of learning and development to understand fundamental questions involving education, communities, and/or families;
- Identify and analyze an issue related to equity;
- Apply a critical lens to interrogate existing research and theoretical perspectives;
- Critically apply theories, methods, and knowledge to address questions in their primary field;
- Demonstrate skills and knowledge at a level required for college and university teaching;
- Plan and conduct research of significance; and
- Demonstrate skills in oral and written communication sufficient to publish and present work in their field or prepare grant proposals.