Doctoral Program Outline
The doctoral degree requires 90 semester hours of graduate credit. A total of 60 credit hours (including dissertation credit hours) must be taken at the Bloomington or Indianapolis campuses. To meet the residency requirements, a student must spend two consecutive semesters in a single academic year (exclusive of the summer session) on the Bloomington campus. Nine credit hours of courses (excluding credit hours awarded for the dissertation) must be completed in each of these semesters.
The program of studies for each student is under the direction of the student’s advisory committee. This committee of three faculty members is selected by the student and approved by the department. Each student’s program is composed of individually tailored work and some required course work. It must contain the sections outlined below. A guideline for the course work to be taken is as follows:
Human Development Major (36 hours minimum)
Courses that are part of the major form the heart of the student's doctoral program and are planned by the student with the advisory committee. Besides course work in Human Development, an Early Inquiry Experience in the form of an independent research project (3 credit hours) must be carried out prior to qualifying for writing the Ph.D. dissertation. This requirement can be met through a Masters thesis (P599), Independent Research (Y590, P690), or some other experience agreed to by the student and the faculty advisor. The research report resulting from this project must be read and approved by the student’s advisory committee.
In addition, all doctoral students are required to take the following course:
- P526 Theory and Method in Educational Psychology (3 hours)
and students are expected to acquire basic knowledge in the Core Areas of Learning and Developmental Sciences listed below by taking at least one 3 credit course from each area. Basic knowledge in these spheres is tested in qualifying examinations.
- Human Development
- Learning and Cognition
- Educational Inquiry Methodology
Foundations in Education (9 credit hours minimum)
Doctoral students are required to take courses outside their major and minor areas to obtain alternative theoretical perspectives to their studies. These courses may be taken in areas such as the history, philosophy or sociology of education, curriculum theory and other social sciences. Students are allowed to take no more than 6 hours in the same area.
Inquiry Core (15 credit hours minimum)
The Inquiry component emphasizes methodological skills which provide a basis for conducting original research. The following three courses are required
- Y520 Strategies for Educational Inquiry (3hrs)
- Y502 Intermediate Statistics Applied to Education (3hrs) (must be taken concurrently with Y500)
- Y527 Educational Assessment and Psychological Assessment (3hrs)
In addition, two of the following courses (three credits each) are required:
- H510 Methodology of Educational Inquiry
- Y535 Evaluation Models and Techniques
- H601 Historical Inquiry in Education
- Y603 Statistical Design of Educational Research (must be taken concurrently with Y500)
- Y604 Multivariate Analysis in Educational Research (must be taken concurrently with Y500)
- Y611 Qualitative Inquiry in Education
- Y617 Psychometric Theory
- Y627 Seminar in Educational and Psychological Measurement
- Y635 Methodology of Educational Evaluation
- Y750 Topical Seminar in Educational Inquiry Methodology
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Y612 - Y613 Critical Qualitative Inquiry I and II
- Y630 Narrative Inquiry
- Y631 Discourse Theory and Analysis
- Y671 Knowledge, Reflection & Critique in Methodological Theory
- Y672 Communicative Action Theory
- Y500 Computer Laboratory for Educational Statistics
- Y502 Intermediate Inferential Statistics (must be taken concurrently with Y500)
- Y527 Educational Assessment and Psychological Measurement
- Y637 Categorical Data Analysis
- Y639 Mutilevel Models
- Y645 Covariance Structure Analysis
- Y655 Longitudinal Data Analysis
- Y515/H510 Foundations of Educational Inquiry
- Y521 Methodological Approaches to Educational Inquiry
- Y600 Methodological Implications of Social and Psychological Theories
- Y510 Action Research I
- Y525 Survey Research Methodology
- Y650 Topics in Inquiry Methodology: Variable Title
- Y660 Affinity Research Group
- Y590 Independent Study in Inquiry Methodology
- Y690 Independent Study in Inquiry Methodology
- Y795 Dissertation Proposal Preparation
- Y799 Dissertation Thesis in Inquiry Methodology
Minor (12 credit hours minimum)
Students are required to take a minor outside the Learning and Developmental Sciences program in an area which complements their major field and provides additional depth and breadth to their program. Typical minors include Psychology, Special Education, Inquiry, Sociology, Linguistics, Language Education, Higher Education, Instructional Systems Technology, Counseling and Philosophy of Education. The specification of courses to be taken in the minor is under the direction of the student's minor faculty representative and the program advisory committee.
Electives
Elective courses are chosen to fill out the major and to contribute to the integrity of the student's program. These courses are taken in the student's areas of interest, within or outside the department, in order to fulfill the total program requirement of 90 credit hours.
Qualifying Examination
The qualifying examination is given towards the end of the student's course work. It has two parts--a written examination, followed by an oral one. The written examination, has three sections covering (a) a general exam in Human Development, Inquiry, and Learning and Cognition, (b) the Major exam in Human Development, and (c) the Minor exam. Minor qualifying examination requirements are under the direction of the minor department.
Qualifying Examination Procedures
Dissertation (15 credit hours minimum)
After passing the written and oral qualifying examinations, the student is admitted to candidacy and begins formal work on the dissertation. In consultation with the dissertation director, the student enrolls in P795 Dissertation Proposal Preparation, and selects a research committee.
Proposal approval and dissertation research as pursued by the student under the direction of his/her research committee. Twelve credit hours are awarded for thesis work through enrollment in P799-- Doctoral Thesis hours. A final oral examination of the dissertation completes the doctoral program.