ECE Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

Total minimum hours: 51 hours (not including dissertation)

General C&I Requirements (Minimum 21 hours)

Foundation Requirements (9 hours required)

  • EDC 380F  Sociocultural Foundations
  • EDC 381F  Introduction to Teaching and Teacher Education
  • EDC 383F  Curriculum Theory

Research Methodology Requirements (12 hours minimum)

To be taken in sequence:

  1. EDC 381R  Intro to Systems of Human Inquiry
  2. The following two courses (6 hours), in any order:
    • EDC 385R  Introduction To Quantitative Research
      Note: EDC 382R  Fundamentals of Statistics is a prerequisite to EDC 385R  Intro To Quantitative Research.
      Other course choices for this requirement include: EDP 371, EDP 380E or an adviser approved statistics course brought in from other institution.
    • EDC 386R  Introduction To Qualitative Research
  3. One course (3 hours) from the following:
    • EDC 387R  Advanced Quantitative Research
    • EDC 388R  Advanced Qualitative Research

Directed Research (Minimum 12 hours)

  • EDC 385G  Research in Early Childhood Education
  • EDC 396T  Directed Research (6 hours
  • Select one course (3 hours) from the following after consulting with program advisor:
    • EDC 385G  Inquiry in Play
    • EDC 385G  Parents and Education
    • EDC 385G  Thinking as Social Construction in Childhood

Note: EDC 396T can be taken more than once for credit.

Specialization Requirements (Minimum 18 hours)

Students with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education will take additional related courses (minimum 18 hours), selected with the assistance and approval of the area program adviser. To help meet their personal career goals, students are encouraged to select courses from other clusters in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Among the courses that might be selected to fulfill this requirement are the following:

  • EDC 385G  Critical Perspectives on Childhood Education IV
  • EDC 385G  Early Childhood Education Programs
  • EDC 385G  Early Childhood Teacher Education
  • EDC 385G  Inquiry in Play
  • EDC 385G  Parents and Education
  • EDC 385G  Research in Early Childhood Education
  • EDC 385G  Social Context of Childhood Education
  • EDC 385G  Theories of Childhood Education
  • EDC 385G  Thinking as Social Construction in Childhood

Courses Outside the Department (Minimum 6 hours)

Select courses in consultation with adviser. Courses must be graduate level and other than EDC.

Coursework from sections General Requirements, Directed Research, and Special Requirements may fulfill this requirement, thus, hours in this section may already be counted as credit towards total hours.

Dissertation (Minimum 6 hours & two consecutive semesters of dissertation)

Students are required to continuously register for dissertation once they have advanced to candidacy. Curriculum and Instruction students are required to register for 6 hours of dissertation credit* during each fall and spring semester during which they are working on their dissertation research.

* EDC 699R and 699W

The first semester in candidacy is 699R; for all semesters after the first one in candidacy you must register for 699W.

Please note: International students and students receiving fellowship, assistantship, or other financial aid, may be required to take 9 hours of dissertation credit each semester.

Degree Plan

Download the ECE Doctor of Philosophy degree plan (pdf)

Last updated on February 15, 2013