Science Education, PhD

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in science education emphasizes the development of scholarly attainment in the theory, research, and practice of science education. Graduates of this program are prepared to be faculty members in research-focused colleges or universities, researchers in non-academic institutions, or leaders in schools, universities, research facilities or other settings in which science education takes place. From the beginning of the program, students have opportunities to work with faculty in research activities, eventually developing their own lines of interest, which they pursue through the dissertation phase and beyond. Currently, potential areas of work include studying student and teacher learning, particularly in urban settings. In this work we aim to identify science instructional practices that provide high-quality learning opportunities to all students; study how teachers can be supported to develop high-quality and equitable forms of practice; and understand how students’ and teachers’ learning is influenced by the larger institutional settings in which they study and work.

PhD Core Curriculum

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  Methods Courses Credits / Units: 15

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  Preparing students to tackle problems of practice and policy, and create innovative research agendas, requires intentionality in the mentods coursework that supports students’ development of independent projects, meaningful contributions to advisors’ research, and critical analysis of past research. To help ensure that students develop the necessary analytic competencies, students across the areas of concentration (ARCOs) for the PhD in the School of Education are required to complete a minimum of 5 methods courses: Quantitative 1 (EDUC 2100) and 2 (EDUC 3100); Qualitative 1 (EDUC 3104); and 2 seminars in advanced quantitative or qualitative methods, determined by the student and their advisor.

   

• EDUC 3100 - INTRODUCTION TO QUAN METHODS: DESCRIPTIVE AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
• EDUC 3103 - QUANTITATIVE METHODS 2
• EDUC 3104 - INTRODUCTION TO QUALITATIVE METHODS

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  First Year Seminar Credits / Units: 3

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  To further support students’ research competencies, PhD students also participate in a school wide first year seminar (EDUC 3102) and EDUC 3105). This seminar meets every other week (1 credit in fall and 2 credits in spring, taken over and above the typical 9 credit course load) and focuses on familiarizing students with practical and ethical issues in research (e.g., necessary clearances for working in schools, resolving questions of authorship and authorship order, human subjects guidelines), and supporting students work on their pre-dissertation proposal (e.g., developing innovative research questions, conducting a literaature review).

   

• EDUC 3102 - FIRST YEAR SEMINAR 1
• EDUC 3105 - FIRST YEAR SEMINAR 2

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  Additionally, PhD students enroll in writing seminar courses taken over and above the typical 9-credit course load beginning in the second year of study. These credits are above and beyond the 90 credits required for graduation.