Internship & Electives (15 credit hours)
Internship and Electives combined must total 15 credit hours. Students may choose to take either 6 or 9 credit hours of Internship. The Internship course can be completed uup to three times.
For students who take 6 hours of Internship, 9 hours of Electives are required. For students who take 9 hours of Internship, 6 hours of Electives are required.
Elective courses are to be developed and may include independent study courses, specialized research courses, or courses related to specific content in the field of education.
Doctoral Candidacy
A pre-prospectus qualifying comprehensive exam will be completed after the first 12 credit hours of course work to determine the students’ readiness to continue in the program. The written exam will constitute an analysis of a student’s understanding of course content outcomes and a student’s general technical writing ability. Upon successful completion of this exam, students will begin a literature review and design a dissertation proposal. Students unsuccessful at this stage will receive additional instruction in any areas determined to be deficient.
Students will select a dissertation chair and committee upon successful completion of the pre-prospectus qualifying exam. The committee will consist of a minimum of three members, two of which must be graduate faculty within the School of Teacher Education and Leadership. One member may be a K-12 education practitioner with a doctoral degree or a graduate faculty member of another department or institution with appropriate expertise.
A prospectus exam and dissertation proposal will be completed after 36 credit hours of course work to determine the students’ readiness to engage in the final research processes. Evaluation of the exam will include an analysis of content knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to a student’s proposed dissertation topic. The exam process will require an adequate oral presentation to the student’s committee presented along with the student’s electronic portfolio. Students will begin to conduct research upon successful completion of the proposal. Students unsuccessful at this stage will work with the committee to identify specific knowledge, skill, or dispositions needing improvement to move forward. Students may retake the exam until it is satisfactorily completed.
Upon successful completion of all courses and comprehensive exams, a dissertation defense will be conducted where the student will defend their work to the dissertation committee. Students unsuccessful at this stage will work with the committee to revise the dissertation until it is acceptable.
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