The request to establish a PhD in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation

Date: May 11, 2015
To: College of Education
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: April 17, 2015
Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Fall 2016

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.

Summary

Approved by General Administration 5/30/2016

Catalog Copy

The doctoral program at UNC Charlotte prepares professionals who seek advanced research, statistical, and evaluation skills for positions in a wide variety of educational institutions including higher education, K-12 school districts, for-profit companies, nonprofit agencies, community colleges, think tanks, government organizations, and other institutions concerned with solving problems in education.

The program builds on the Master of Education or a comparable program. The 60-credit Ph.D. program includes 9 credits in foundations, 21 credits in research methodology and data analyses, 6 credits in internship, 6 credits of an individually designed specialty, and 9 credits in dissertation design and study. Additional coursework may be required for students who do not have a foundation in research.

The program will accept up to two courses as transfer from a regionally accredited doctoral granting institution, providing the Education Research Doctoral Committee determines that the course or courses to be transferred are equivalent to similar courses required in the UNC Charlotte Ph.D. program or fit the specialty area. The grade in these transfer courses must be an A or B. All of the dissertation work must be completed at UNC Charlotte.

Timelines

Students are admitted for either full-time study or intensive part-time study and begin in the fall or spring semester. Students must complete their degree, including the dissertation, within 8 years. The minimum time for completion for a full-time student is 3 years.

Additional Admission Requirements

Applications for admission will be accepted twice a year to begin doctoral studies in the fall or spring semester.

The following documents/activities must be submitted in support of the application:

  1. Official transcript(s) of all academic work attempted since high school indicating a GPA of 3.5 (on a scale of 4.0) in a graduate degree program*
  2. Official report of score on the GRE or MAT that is no more than 5 years old*
  3. At least three references* of someone who knows the applicant’s current work and/or academic achievements in previous degree work
  4. A two page essay describing prior educational and research experiences and objectives for pursuing doctoral studies*
  5. A current resume or vita
  6. A professional writing sample (e.g., published article, manuscript submitted for publication, term paper submitted in prior coursework, abstract of thesis, teaching manual)
  7. International students must submit official and acceptable English language proficiency test scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). All tests must have been taken within the past two years**

*These items are required of applicants to any of UNC Charlotte’ s doctoral programs.

**See the Graduate School’s website for minimum acceptable scores.

Core Courses (9 credits)

  • EDCI 8180 (Critical Issues and Perspectives in Urban Education)
  • ADMN 8695 (Advanced Seminar in Teaching and Learning)
  • RSCH 8210 (Applied Research Methods)

Research Methods and Advanced Content (21 credits)

  • RSCH 8110 (Descriptive and Inferential Statistics)
  • RSCH 8120 (Advanced Statistics)
  • RSCH 8140 (Multivariate Statistics)
  • RSCH 8111 (Qualitative Research Methods)
  • RSCH 8121 (Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis)
  • RSCH 8196 (Program Evaluation Methods)
  • RSCH 8220 (Advanced Measurement)

Research Specialization (select 9 credits)

  • RSCH 8112 (Survey Research Methods)
  • RSCH 8130 (Presentation and Computer Analysis of Data)
  • RSCH 8113 (Single-Case Research)
  • RSCH 8150 (Structural Equation Modeling Methods)
  • RSCH 8230 (Classical and Modern Test Theory)
  • RSCH 8890 (Hierarchical Linear Modeling)
  • 8000 level research courses from other doctoral program across the university may be considered

Secondary Area of Concentration (6 credit hours)

  • Students will be required to complete a secondary concentration of their choice, with the approval of their doctoral advisor/committee. Areas may include elective courses from: (a) educational leadership; (b) curriculum and instruction; (c) statistics; (d) counseling; (e) early childhood; (f) special education; (g) instructional systems technology; and (h) higher education.

Internship (6 credit hours)

  • RSCH 8410 (Internship in Educational Research)
  • RSCH 8411 (Internship in Teaching Educational Research)

Proposal Design (3 credit hours)

  • RSCH 8699 (Dissertation Proposal Design)

Dissertation (a minimum of 6 credit hours)

  • RSCH 8999 (Doctoral Dissertation Research)

Additional Degree Requirements

In addition to coursework and the dissertation, students must complete a portfolio of achievements related to the three focus areas of research, collaboration, and teaching. This portfolio must receive satisfactory ratings from the Portfolio Review Committee at two critical junctures known as Benchmark One and Benchmark Two. The first benchmark serves as a Qualifying Examination and includes demonstration of writing, collaboration, and research skills. The second benchmark is comparable to the comprehensive exams required by some Ph.D. programs. Students receive opportunities to build this portfolio through the Research and Practice coursework. The following are some examples of possible products in the portfolio: research based paper, journal article review, conference presentation, evaluation project, team study, and research report.

Admission to Candidacy

Once the student has an approved dissertation proposal, an Application for Candidacy should be submitted first to the advisor, then the doctoral director. The application for candidacy must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the semester in which the student graduates. It is recommended that this application be made as soon as the proposal has been approved.

Dissertation Requirements

The purpose of the dissertation is for doctoral students to demonstrate their ability to synthesize the professional literature and generate new knowledge for the profession through using well-established research tools. For the Ph.D. in Education Research, Measurement, and Evaluation Education, the dissertation may be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. Whatever type of design, it must adhere to current standards for quality as reflected in professional writing on the chosen method of research design and reflected in the current literature. Students must be continuously enrolled for dissertation research credits through and including the semester of graduation. Defense of the dissertation is conducted in a final oral examination that is open to the University community.

Application for Degree

Students must submit an Application for Degree during the semester in which they successfully defend their dissertation proposal. Adherence to Graduate School deadlines is expected. Degree requirements are completed when students successfully defend their dissertation and file the final copy of the dissertation in the Graduate School.

RSCH 8699. Dissertation Proposal Design. (3) Identification and definition of a research area and development of a proposal draft for an original research study appropriate for the dissertation requirement.

RSCH 8410. Internship in Educational Research. (3) Prerequisite: RSCH 8140 or equivalent. Issues and concepts in statistical consulting, educational research design, and educational measurement are applied to practical problems in the field. This course supports the professional development of doctoral students as they gain experience applying educational research methods to research projects for school systems and related agencies.

RSCH 8411. Internship in Teaching Educational Research. (3) Prerequisite: ADMN 8695 and RSCH 8210 or equivalent. Issues and concepts in teaching adults and preparing educational researchers are applied in the college teaching experience. This course supports doctoral students as they experience a graduated co-teaching process ultimately resulting in assumption of full college teaching responsibilities for university courses in educational research topics.

RSCH 8999. Dissertation. (1-9) Under the direction of a dissertation advisor and committee, students are expected to design and execute an original research study. This study should address a significant issue or program related to educational research.