• B.S.Ed.
  • Admissions
  • Program of Study
  • B.S.Ed. FAQs
• M.A.T.
  • Admissions
  • Program of Study
  • FAQs
• M.Ed.
  • Admissions
  • Program of Study
• Ed.S.
  • Admissions
  • Program of Study
  • Endorsements
• Ph.D.
  • Admissions: Non-ETAP Students Only
  • Program of Study: Non-ETAP Students Only
  • New Ph.D. Program
• Scholarships
• Endorsements

PH.D. DEGREE for Non-ETAP Students Only

The Department of Educational Theory and Practice currently has four Ph.D. programs that overlap with one another in significant ways. All Ph.D. students are required to take three core doctoral level courses in the Department and all Ph.D. students have the opportunity to work with all professors from across programs. If you are not sure about which program would best meet your needs and goals – or if you are interested in more than one program – please contact Dr. Jennifer Hauver James, Graduate Coordinator, (706) 542-3541 or jhjames@uga.edu to discuss your specific interests and the strengths of each program.

The Early Childhood Education programs at the University of Georgia are recognized for their rigorous, research-based practices and their perennially high national rankings. Courses for the PhD program have been designed and are taught by an outstanding faculty who are both strong teachers and nationally noted scholars committed to diversity and equity; critically conscious teacher education; interdisciplinary scholarship; and preparing the next generation of scholars concerned with the education of young children, childhood, families, and teacher preparation. Prospective students can learn more about the faculty, their scholarship, and innovative initiatives in the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education in the Department’s News and Notes (http://www.coe.uga.edu/esse/news-events/) or by searching individual faculty information
(http://www.coe.uga.edu/esse/about/faculty-staff-directory/).

This guide supplements regulations of the Graduate School contained in the current bulletin of The University of Georgia Graduate School. Every effort is made to help students stay informed of requirements and deadlines. However, it is the student’s responsibility to meet deadlines and to seek advice regarding degree requirements.

Jennifer Hauver James, Graduate Coordinator

The Ph.D. Program

The doctoral degree program in Early Childhood Education is designed for educators who seek to extend their knowledge, pedagogical practices, and understanding of the complex and dynamic experiences of children, childhood, families, and teachers within and outside of educational institutions. The primary emphasis of doctoral studies in the program is a development of theory and research on teaching and learning in early childhood contexts. The early childhood education doctoral program is designed to develop research competence in early childhood education, promote depth and breadth of knowledge in early childhood education and related fields, and nurture intellectual leadership.

Application Process and Criteria

Minimum Criteria

To be considered for admission to the program, applicants should have (a) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and a minimum 3.0 undergraduate grade point average; (b) a master’s degree from an accredited institution and a minimum graduate grade point average of 3.50; (c) a total verbal plus quantitative GRE score of 1000, with a minimum score of 450 on each of the verbal and quantitative subtests (for GRE tests taken before August 2011) or a minimum verbal score of 150 and a minimum quantitative GRE score of 141; and (d) 3 years of teaching experience with young children.

Applying to the Program

Applications for the Ph.D. program should be submitted online to the Graduate School at http://www.applyweb.com/apply/ugagrad/. It is advisable to read information about applying to the UGA Graduate School at: http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/.

All applicants will need to submit the following directly to the graduate school:

1. Two official copies of transcripts from all institutions attended;
2. Results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within 5 years of the expected semester of matriculation at UGA;
3. Names of three references who will write letters of recommendation.

All applicants will need to submit the following directly to Linda Dunbar:

1. A personal statement telling the doctoral admissions committee why doctoral education is being pursued, the questions and/or commitments pushing the applicant to further her or his education, why the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education is the right place to pursue such questions, and the personal and professional goals for obtaining a Ph.D. degree in early childhood education;
2. A writing sample that demonstrates the applicant’s ability for scholarly writing and engagement with intellectual ideas;
3. A resume or curriculum vitae

International applicants are also required to submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS); the scores from TOEFL or IELTS may not be more than 2 years old.

Application Deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. All application materials must be received by the graduate school according to the following schedule:

Application Due Dates

February 1st – to begin in Summer or Fall Semester (January 15th to be considered for competitive scholarships)

October 1st – to begin in Spring Semester

**International students should apply 10 months before they expect attend.

Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree in Early Childhood Education

General information concerning the Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education may be obtained from the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education (http://www.coe.uga.edu/esse/academic-programs/early-childhood-and-elementary-education/ph-d/). Application forms and the graduate bulletin are available at the graduate school Web site: http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/ and the online application can be found at: http://www.applyweb.com/apply/ugagrad/.

What can accepted students expect?

Once a student has been accepted or denied by the program and department faculty, the Graduate School sends applicants letters of acceptance or denial. An accepted applicant is expected to inform the department of his or her intent to enroll. The department will then assign each new candidate a faculty advisor. The student must communicate with the advisor every semester to plan coursework and to be cleared for registration, and ideally, the student and advisor will work very closely to tailor the coursework and other experiences to meet the needs and goals of the doctoral student.

Before being allowed to register for the first semester of coursework, the candidate must establish a MyID account and must submit the Mandatory Certificate of Immunization that is included with the acceptance letter from the graduate school.

It is expected that students who apply to the doctoral program have reviewed the information at the department’s Web site about faculty interests and expertise. During the first year of study, the student is expected to become more familiar with the faculty in order to determine which faculty members would be best able to support the student’s own interests in research. Typically near the end of the first year of study, a student will ask a member of the faculty to serve as the student’s major professor for the remainder of the doctoral program. After a faculty member agrees to serve as major professor, she or he will guide the student in the creation of the doctoral advisory committee, which comprises the major professor and at least two additional faculty members, all of whom must be members of graduate faculty of the University of Georgia (see http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/forms&publications/currentstudent_forms.html for the advisory committee form). Other members of the committee do not have to be on the graduate faculty. The major professor may be from outside the program, department, or college; one committee member must be from the elementary education program. Changes in committee membership may occur during a student’s program; the original committee and any changes in the committee structure must be approved by the Graduate School.

The Ph.D. program in Early Childhood Education consists of a minimum of 15 standard courses beyond previous graduate coursework, along with a doctoral seminar, dissertation, and other research hours. Courses beyond the minimum of 15 would include prerequisite courses (e.g., ERSH 6300 is a prerequisite for ERSH 8310) or additional courses recommended by or required by the doctoral advisory committee. Students must take a minimum of 6 courses on research methodology, a minimum of 3 courses in Foundations, and a minimum of 6 courses in a focus area.

Students work closely with their advisor to select courses that fit students’ goals and needs. The doctoral advisory committee approves of the final program of study. A major goal of the program is to prepare graduates to be scholars. To attain this goal, students will be actively involved in conducting research in collaboration with faculty members.

Faculty in the Early Childhood Education program are concerned with issues of diversity, equity, and social justice. Emphases in these areas will be woven throughout many of the courses offered within the program and across the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education. However, at least 1 course in the program of study must meet a mandated diversity requirement. Course content should focus on issues related to diversity that may include, but are not limited to, “race, ethnicity, age, gender, educational and socioeconomic status, language, religion, national origin, disability status, and sexual orientation” (College of Education Diversity Requirement, 1998). This course may be an established course or an independent study.

A student must be admitted to doctoral candidacy within 6 years of beginning the program; the candidate then has an additional 5 years to complete the dissertation and the oral defense and final examination. Before being admitted to candidacy, a student must pass written and oral comprehensive examinations on the program of study. Not all of the coursework on the program of study will be completed before the comprehensive examinations are taken (dissertation hours will not yet have been completed and perhaps a few substantive courses may be left). The program of study should be submitted by the graduate coordinator to the graduate school by at least the semester before the comprehensive examinations. Forms for the admission to candidacy, dissertation, oral defense, final examination, and program of study can be found at: http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/forms&publications/currentstudent_forms.html

As stated in the graduate bulletin, doctoral students are expected to submit a dissertation prospectus to the advisory committee, and the committee is expected to formally consider and vote on the prospectus in a meeting with the student. Both a copy of the prospectus and a form indicating the results of the vote (see the graduate coordinator for a copy of the form) should be submitted to the graduate coordinator. The meeting on the prospectus typically occurs after the comprehensive examinations are completed; a prospectus may, however, be approved before the comprehensive examinations are completed. In no case may the meeting on the prospectus take the place of the oral comprehensive examination.

The candidate must electronically submit the application for graduation http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/forms&publications/currentstudent_forms.html by the beginning of the final semester and must be registered for at least 3 credit hours (typically dissertation hours) in the graduation semester.

The department does not complete certification paperwork for candidates. Those students who, after admission to candidacy, intend to apply for advanced certification at the T6 level or, upon completion of the degree program, intend to apply for advanced certification at the T7 level from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission should file their paperwork through their school districts or the College of Education Student Services Office.

EXPECTED COURSEWORK

Research Methodology (minimum of 6 courses)

Quantitative Research Methodology (2 courses required)

ERSH 8310 Applied Analysis of Variance Methods in Education

ERSH 8320 Applied Correlation and Regression Methods in Education

or two courses for which ERSH 8310 and 8320 are prerequisites

Qualitative Research Methodology (2 courses required)

ERSH 8400 Qualitative Research Traditions

ERSH 8410 Designing Qualitative Research

or two courses for which ERSH 8400 and 8410 are prerequisites

Additional Coursework on Research Methodology (2 courses required)

Foundations (minimum of 3 courses)

Foundations courses may be selected from offerings either inside or outside of the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education. Examples of foundations courses include but are not limited to courses on anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, women’s studies, African American studies, and sociology.

Focus Area (minimum of 6 courses)

Students will develop a focus area comprising a connected set of courses. At least 3 of the minimum 6 courses should come from the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education. Examples of focus areas include curriculum, diversity, social contexts of learning, learning and development, teacher education, and teaching.

Dissertation and Other Research Hours

The Graduate School requires that a minimum of 3 credits of EDEC 9300 Doctoral Dissertation be included on the program of study. Other courses that are typically part of a student’s program include EDEC 9000 Doctoral Research, EDEC 9600 Educational Research in Elementary Education, and EDEL 9630 Critique of Educational Literature in Elementary Education.

Seminar Requirements:

The nine hours of seminar credit are divided as follows: three hours in an orientation

seminar, three hours in a Research Internship, and three hours in a writing seminar.

Orientation Seminar-3 credit hours

ESSE 8990

All doctoral students will enroll in a 3-credit hour orientation seminar during the first fall of their coursework. This seminar will immerse new students in theory and philosophy and provide them with an overall orientation to the Department faculty and the doctoral program, providing a solid foundation for pursuing research interests.

The Orientation Seminar will be offered in the Fall semester of every academic year.

Writing Seminar – 3 credit hours

ESSE 9200

All doctoral students will enroll in a 3-credit hour writing seminar during their coursework. Students and advisors will work closely together to decide when the taking of the seminar would best benefit the student.

At least one writing seminar will be offered each year: Fall, Spring, or Summer.

Research Internship – 3 credit hours

All doctoral students will enroll in a 3-credit hour Research Internship with a member of the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education faculty. Details will be discussed with students’ advisors and disseminated on the graduate student listerv.