Policies and Procedures

Master's Credits

Students typically apply their 30 hour master's program as elective credits towards the Ph.D. Also, courses from a master's degree may be used to fulfill departmental foundation requirements. Up to 45 hours of graduate work previous to Ph.D. admission may be applied, if appropriate.

Program Overview

I. Curriculum Studies Requirements.
(courses must be taken at Purdue)
a. Curriculum Studies Core - 12 credits

Required 9 credits:
    EDCI 580 Foundations of Curriculum, 3 cr.
    ECDI 585 Multicultural Education, 3 cr.
    EDCI 682 Contemporary Curriculum Theory, 3 cr.

3 credits from among the following:
    EDCI 590 Individual Research Problems, 3 cr. (curriculum focus)
    EDCI 684 Seminar in Curriculum Studies (may be repeated for credit)
    EDCI 591f Perspectives on School Curriculum, 3 cr. (currently a special topics course)

b. Curriculum Studies Elective Focus Area: 15 credits
Students will choose a focus area within curriculum. A focus area is highly individualized and specific to each student's intellectual interests and career aspirations. The focus area will be arranged in consultation with the student's advisor.

II. Curriculum and Instruction Departmental Foundations
(courses may come from master's program)

In addition to their area of specialization, all Ph.D. degree students in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction should be able to demonstrate proficiency in three of the following areas of study. Students must have taken at least one class in each of the following three foundational areas:

   ? Philosophy, History, and Socio-cultural Foundation
   ? Research, Assessment and Evaluation Foundation
   ? Educational/Developmental Psychology Foundation

III. Educational Research Courses
(courses may come from master's program)

All Ph.D. degree students in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction must demonstrate research competency by completing the following research methodology course requirements* before embarking on their thesis project.
    - EDPS 533 Introduction to Research in Education
    - EDCI 615 Qualitative Research I
    - Introductory Statistics
    - Advanced Elective (qualitative or quantitative methods)
    - Research Seminar

IV. Dissertation
Typically 15 credit hours.

Advisory Committee Policy/Procedure

Within the first year after admission to a doctoral program, the student in consultation with the coordinator of the program area shall nominate an advisor and doctoral advisory committee, subject to the willingness of each member of the committee to serve and approval by the Department Chair. The chair, or one co-chair, of a student advisory committee must be selected from Curriculum Studies. When committees are co-chaired, both chairs must sign all documents. It is also strongly recommended that at least one other advisory member be selected from the C& I faculty. Thus, all advisory committees must have a minimum of three members. This committee will guide the student in establishing his/her program of study and will supervise and certify all qualifying examination procedures until the student is admitted to candidacy.

Preliminary Examination Policy/Procedure

The preliminary procedure enables students to demonstrate competence in the broad field of curriculum studies as well as in the area of their specialization within the field. It consists of both written and oral components. Three committee members are required by Graduate School policy. At the discretion of students and their advisors, a committee may consist of four members. Note that three signatures are required for approval of preliminary examinations; a fourth member will be able to provide input but will not be able to sign off on the examination.

The preliminary examination includes two components:

1. Written exam: Questions address broad issues of the field including, but not limited to: historical turning points, research emphases, major theories, contributions of particular scholars, and current issues and trends. Each faculty member serving on a preliminary committee is responsible for the design, administration, and grading of one question. Questions are distributed at two times during each academic year; students elect to write their preliminary examination during one of the following two time periods: 1) Questions distributed the last week of classes fall semester are returned by Friday, 5:00 PM of the second week of the following spring semester or 2) Questions distributed the last week of classes spring semester are returned by Friday, 5:00 PM of the second week of the following fall semester.

2. Oral exam: The candidate meets with her/his committee to review and discuss the written exam. The candidate demonstrates the ability to effectively represent important ideas from the field in face-to-face dialogue.

Doctoral Research Committee Policy/Procedure

After admission to candidacy, the student should first secure the agreement of the faculty member who will serve as chair of the doctoral research committee and then choose the other members of the committee according to their areas of expertise. The committee is responsible for guiding the candidate through the proposal, dissertation, final examination, and recommendation for degree. The committee has at least four members, one of whom serves as director (chair) of the dissertation.

Proposal Defense Policy/Procedure

The proposal defense takes place only after the successful completion of the preliminary examinations. Students must complete and defend a dissertation proposal. Dissertation proposal defenses typically include a written and oral component. For other policies and procedures regarding the preliminary examination, doctoral research committee, proposal defense, and dissertation defense, refer to the Graduate Studies Handbook, Department of Curriculum and Instruction.