DOCTORATE in EDUCATION (Ed.D)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Irvine University’s Department of Education, Doctorate in Education  degree program (Ed.D) is a 72 unit program consisting of 8 core classes, Classroom Experience Exercise, &Dissertation. 1unit requires 15 hours of  university work or the equivalent in accelerated terms.

Applicants must satisfy the requirements stipulated in the “Application Procedures” section of the school catalog as well as meet the following:

Degree: Applicants must possess at least a Master’s Degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or the international equivalent and have demonstrated superior academic performance in the completion of their Master’s Degree.

Leadership: Applicants must have demonstrated superior academic performance in the completion of their Master’s Degree and possess outstanding leadership qualities.

Recommendation: Each applicant must provide three written recommendation from persons who can attest to the applicant’s academic and professional abilities and proven accomplishments in education.

Tests: Doctoral applicants may submit scores on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). (These tests are optional).

Transcripts: Official transcripts must be submitted from all accredited institutions of higher education attended by the candidate.

Goal statement: Applicants must submit a two-three page academic and professional goal statement.

Writing Test: Applicants will be required to read and submit a critical analysis of a journal article provided by the Education Faculty Admissions Committee. International Students are also required to have a 575 score (233 computer-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)and a Test of Written English (TWE) score of 5 or over.

Interview: Applicants will be interviewed by a GSOE Education Doctoral Admissions Committee. Upon receipt and review of all documentation, the candidate will be considered for the final admissions. Final Admission decisions  will be made by the program director and the GSOE/Education Doctoral Admissions Committee.

DOCTORATE in EDUCATION (Ed.D)

TRANSFER OF CREDIT:

Transfer of Credit may be awarded on the following basis.

1. A maximum of 18 semester units beyond the master’s degree may be transferred from a regionally accredited institution. All such coursework must have been earned in addition to the master’s degree required coursework.

2. The request to accept credit to be transferred must be approved by the system-wide program director.

3. Credit that has been used to complete a second master’s degree may be considered for transfer.

4. Credits must have been earned within seven years prior to the request for transfer. Waivers of this requirement may be considered by program faculty on a case by case basis. All waivers must be approved by the Dean.

5. Extension courses or continuing education courses are not, in standard cases, acceptable for graduate transfer. However, courses completed at high levels through an accredited university or local district program may be considered by the program director and approved by the Dean of Graduate School of Education for partial credit transfer.

6. Coursework being considered for transfer must be equivalent to Alliant coursework for which it is being applied. Students are required to submit transcripts, catalog course descriptions and other documentation.

7. All coursework must be completed successfully at Credit of B levels or higher.

10 Elective units:
Elective units may be taken during the academic year or summers. They may be drawn from the proposal of Department of Education, Department of Linguistics, or Department of English Studies.

Classroom Experience Exercise (10 units):

The students must be able to organize and instruct a class under the Department of Education in a subject that the student feels comfortable instructing. Students are required to cover all aspects including, but not limited to, class participation, contribution of office hours, and administration of original exam questions. The student will receive guidance from an advisory faculty member.

Dissertation (20 units):
The dissertation is an original research project completed by the student. Although advisory faculty guides the student, the student shall demonstrate research competency. The study must ask an important and interesting research question relevant to current concerns in the scholarly literature, use sound and appropriate research method and analytical tools, and develop new knowledge that contributes to the existing base of knowledge. Results of the study should be of sufficient merit to deserve publication.

Students entering the Education doctoral program are expected to have had master’s level courses in TESOL methodology and theory and linguistics. Students lacking in the background will be required to take prerequisite M.A.Courses.

• EDU 600 The Learning Organization (4 units)
  This overview course examines how schools,universities, and other formal organizations built around learning have evolved, particularly in the United States. Learners and learning processes, teachers and teaching processes, and leaders and leading processes will be discussed in the context
  of education as a discipline. Professional development schools, basic schools, and the “new American university” will be addressed as forms of educational renewal. Students will integrate theory into practice at an advanced level. An individualized doctoral program plan and related portfolio of accomplishments will be developed in this course and will subsequently serve as the basic “road map” of each participant’s study through the rest of his or her doctoral program.

• EDU 605 Educational Foundations (4 units)
  Foundations examine the social foundations of United States education from comparative and historical perspectives with attention to future trends. In particular, the course provides ample opportunities for participants to articulate and understand the presuppositions of “foundations” of their individual philosophy, knowledge base and valuation of education, schooling, the relationship between teacher and learner, and skills and knowledge.

• EDU 610 The Classroom (4 units) This course focuses on the changing context of school and university classroom in relation to technology, distance education, access to information, the evolving role of teachers, and the changing needs of learners. Application of new knowledge will focus on the philosophical and physical (facilities) and will result in a critical review of current practice, redesign of the classroom, and recommendation for practitioners. The review, redesign, and recommendation can include any of the following curriculum development, teaching theories and practices, evaluation theories, group dynamics in classroom, communication skills, content areas, diversity, culture, aptitudes, and attitudes. The educational settings may range from pre-kindergarten through college/university.

• EDU 615 Educational Organizations (4 units)
  This course examines organizations that educate: their structures and processes, cultures, management of change processes, unions, productivity and effectiveness issues, their place in society, and organizational development techniques and theories.
  Participants will explore the implications of social, cultural, and racial demographic changes on historically Euro-centric thinking about organizations. This exploration will offer opportunities to rethink the social constructions. Organizational theories from business and government will be studied for potential contributions to and limitations for educational settings. The process will be a forum for cross-organizational comparison and theory development and application.

• EDU 620 Leadership (4 units) This course focuses on understanding and analyzing the aspects of leadership: theories, with special attention to constructivist leadership; change and transition; and communication and decision-making processes.
  Participants will apply their understanding and analysis to personal, professional, and organizational educational settings. The main processes for the leadership core strand include reflection on, articulation and analysis of leadership-related theories, perspectives, and experiences through dialogue, writing, inquiry, and presentations.

• EDU 625 Advanced Policy and Education (4 units)
  In addition to and overview of policy formulation in public arenas, particular emphasis is placed on an policy development and the implications for K-16 education in the United States, and on a local, state, national, and transnational perspectives on educational policy, and public scholarship related to policy. Experts will engage participants in the design, development, and evaluation of policy related to current education policy issues (i.e., he Graduation Rule, charter schools, assessment, socio-cultural education contexts in the World-rural, suburban, urban). Two underlying principles of the course are policy activism and helping members of the Ed.D. learning community to recognized their influence on educational policy as citizens. Through policy work they will contribute to public knowledge.

• EDU 630 Frameworks for Inquiry (4 units) The major aim of this course is to develop and extend critical habits of mind via inquiry. It is a survey of the two educational research paradigms, qualitative and quantitative. Both paradigms require habits of mind that include: making sense of competing perspectives and points of view; being open to varying perspectives and points of view; making and testing hypothesis; respecting facts over prejudices; judging whether conclusions are supported by evidence; weighing evidence; and analyzing perspectives before drawing conclusions.
  Habits of mind also include being aware of the research designs and tools from both paradigms which allow participants to engage in inquiry.

• EDU 635 Advanced Inquiry (4 units) This course extends the knowledge and activities of Frameworks for Inquiry. In particular, the course requires a more sophisticated understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods, with attention to the intersection of the two paradigms.
  The course will emphasize collaboration and mentorship in the active use and practice of research and scholarship. Participants will critique current research practices, analyze research findings related to current educational issues, and
  analyze and evaluate the implications of those findings. Participants will also formulate their dissertation prospectus/proposal.