Educational Studies: Science Education Ph.D.

The Ph.D. in Educational Studies: Science Education prepares students who are qualified to engage in high-quality original scholarship, and to teach at higher education. Recipients are prepared to assume faculty positions in science education or the sciences at various higher educational institutions.  They will also be ready to hold leadership positions at district and state-level education agencies.

Admission

For admission into the program, applicants must have a master's degree in a science, education, or a related field. Admission criteria include: a strong academic record, a vita, a cover letter explaining the reason and goals of pursuing a Ph.D. in science education, a writing sample (15-20 pages, exclusive of notes and works cited) that demonstrates appropriate academic writing skills needed for success in a graduate program, three letters of recommendation, and an interview.

This program requires students to hold extensive knowledge from two academic units: knowledge about science content, and knowledge about science education. Students who do not have 9 credits of master level science courses will be required to complete those hours (or the equivalent) as part of their degree. After considering all application materials, the admission committee will meet and decide whether a student is admitted unconditionally, admitted provisionally, or not admitted.

Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. in Science Education requires 56 credit hours. The following are degree requirements:

Courses

Science Education

Students will take EDSC 70011: Colloquium in Profession of Science Education for one hour in the first and second year (2 hours total), six science education courses (18 hours), and two other courses (6 hours) for the equivalent of 26 hours:

Research

Research – Students take the equivalent of 15 hours of research coursework as approved by the advisor in the College of Education. All students take EDUC 70960: Apprenticeship in Research and four other research courses:

Science Content

Students, not having 9 hours of masters level science, take the equivalent of 9 hours of coursework that qualify for science content as approved by the advisor in the College of Education.

Qualifying Exam

The qualifying examination is taken when students have completed at least 32 total hours of coursework (of which 12 are science education courses) and prior to the dissertation.  The purpose of the qualifying examination is to assess the student’s readiness to begin dissertation research. Upon the successful completion of the qualifying examination, students are admitted to candidacy.

Dissertation Research

Students propose and conduct original research, write a dissertation and defend the dissertation in a final oral examination. Students enroll in EDUC 90980 until such time as the dissertation committee has approved the proposal, and EDUC 90990 thereafter until a successful defense. Students may not begin dissertation data collection without the approval of their full advisory committee and, as appropriate, the TCU Institutional Review Board. Six hours of dissertation are required.

Sequence of Experiences

1. Completion of a minimum hours of coursework as approved by advisor

2. Completion of the qualifying examination (and remaining coursework)

3. Successful proposal of dissertation research

4. Completion of original research and successful defense of the resulting dissertation.

Optional

Research community – Students will be encouraged to join a research community led by faculty as a way to engage in authentic research, professional presentation, and publication.

Teaching apprenticeship – For students with limited teaching experience, the apprenticeship provides an opportunity to focus on teaching.

EDUC 70943: Apprenticeship in Teaching will be available for students whose career path includes university teaching.