Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.D. (130301)

Program Description

Designed for persons who are interested in and show promise of becoming scholars and leaders in the domains of curriculum, teaching, teacher education, and/or educational policy at the K-12 or college level, or in local, state, regional, or national agencies.

This 60 credit-hour degree features a rigorous program of academic coursework and research experiences which prepares future scholars and practitioners to understand and address educational problems and needs from a holistic perspective.

Program Admission

Student admission for Full status to the doctoral program is based upon the following criteria:

1. Master’s degree from a regionally accredited university. 
2. The applicant must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) from a regionally accredited university.
3. The applicant must have a minimum cumulative graduate grade point average of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) from a regionally accredited university.
4. The applicant must have completed the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with a minimum score of 292 (Verbal and Quantitative); or the Miller’s Analogy Test (MAT) with a minimum score of 397; or an approved writing sample scored by program faculty, meeting the scholarly writing criteria, as determined by the graduate program faculty.

Eligibility to remain in the Doctor of Education degree program
Students enrolled in the doctoral program must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 during each term of enrollment. Failure of the student to maintain an overall graduate grade point average of 3.0 or receipt of any grade lower than C in graduate coursework, may result in termination from the program. The student must successfully complete all coursework with a minimum grade point average of 3.25 and all experiential and examination requirements.

Program Requirements

Doctoral students in Curriculum and Instruction must complete a total of 60 semester hours to earn the degree. The requirements include:

• CURR 7000 - Doctoral Proseminar
• CURR 7001 - Educational Research and Inquiry
• CURR 7002 - Quantitative Methods in Educational Research I
• CURR 7003 - Instructional Design and Technology
• CURR 7004 - Quantitative Methods in Educational Research II
• CURR 7005 - Qualitative Methods of Educational Research
• CURR 7006 - Education for Diversity in a Global Society
• CURR 7007 - Research in Teaching and Learning
• CURR 7008 - Communication and Collaboration in Problem Solving
• CURR 7009 - Curriculum Theory and Design
• CURR 7010 - Law, Policy, and Ethics
• CURR 7011 - Program Evaluation Theory and Practice
• CURR 7012 - Assessment for Program and Instructional Decision Making
• CURR 7013 - Professional Development
• CURR 7014 - Decision Making for School Improvement

•  

• CURR 7015 - Dissertation Fifteen (15) hours required

• OR

• CURR 7016 - Curriculum and Instruction Capstone Fifteen (15) hours required

Additional Program Information

Comprehensive Examination:
The second doctoral examination, the Comprehensive Examination, is administered upon completion of all program coursework. This examination consists of a two-week written component and a two-hour oral examination. Failure to satisfactorily complete this examination will result in a revision of the program of study and an additional examination. Failure to pass this examination after two attempts will result in termination of the student from the program. After satisfactory completion of the Comprehensive Examination, the student is admitted to candidacy.

Dissertation:
In addition to the research requirements associated with each course, all doctoral students are required to complete a dissertation. The dissertation should be directed toward the degree specialization and must include (1) field-based research, (2) three-research articles, or (3) capstone alternative: examining a problem of practice.  Students are encouraged to pursue the identification of a dissertation topic and the review of the literature prior to the Comprehensive Examination. The research proposal must be approved by the student’s Doctoral Committee after the Comprehensive Examination has been successfully completed. Other research requirements, for example, the use of human subjects, must be approved by the Institutional Review Board at the ULM Office of Sponsored Programs and Research, if required in area of research/study.

The student will be expected to enroll for a minimum of three semester hours of dissertation/capstone  credit for each semester in which the student is working with faculty on the dissertation/capstone. The student must be enrolled in a minimum of three (3) semester hours CURR 7015Dissertation  or CURR 7016Curriculum and Instruction Capstone  credit during the semester in which the degree is conferred. No less than fifteen (15) semester hours of credit shall be earned for successful completion of the dissertation/capstone.

Following completion of the dissertation/capstone, the student will be expected to defend this scholarly work during a Dissertation/Capstone Defense.

Doctoral Committee:
The student’s Doctoral Committee shall consist of the Major Professor and a minimum of three additional faculty. The Major Professor is the committee chair and must be selected from among School of Education faculty. Additional committee members from other departments may be added to address specific student program or research needs, but they must be approved as either graduate or associate-status faculty by the ULM Graduate Council prior to commencing the dissertation/capstone.

Transfer of Credit for the Doctor of Education Degree:
A maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate credit appropriate to the student’s degree program may be transferred from other institutions offering regionally accredited graduate programs if earned in residence at that institution. No credits for which a grade of less than B has been earned may be transferred. Dissertation/Capstone credit may not be transferred into the doctoral program.

Time Limit for the Doctor of Education Degree:
All coursework, internships and the dissertation must be completed within a seven year time period from date of candidacy in the program. Any appeal for extension must be approved by ULM’s Graduate Council.

Requests for Time Extensions:
To utilize graduate credit taken prior to the nine-year time limit, the student may request a time extension. These requests should be submitted before or during the semester in which the time limit expires. For further information please contact the Major Professor or the ULM Graduate School.

Policies and Procedures:
Policies and procedures for the Doctoral Program are detailed in the Online Doctor of Education Program Handbook.

Graduate Courses

Note: To receive graduate credit for a 4000-level course designated “For Undergraduate and Graduates,” a student must be in graduate admission status at the time credit is earned in the course. Credit earned in undergraduate admission status cannot be changed to graduate credit.