• B.S.Ed.
  • Admissions
  • Program of Study
  • B.S.Ed. FAQs
• M.A.T.
  • Admissions
  • Program of Study
• M.Ed.
  • Admissions
  • Program of Study
• Ed.S.
  • Admissions
  • Program of Study
• Ph.D.
  • Admission
  • Program of Study
• S3ITE
  • Student Teaching Program Information
  • Courses
  • Portfolios
  • Professional Development
  • BRIDGE

Ph.D. Degree

The Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education 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  Jennifer Hauver James, Graduate Coordinator to discuss your specific interests and the strengths of each program.

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.

Jim Garrett, Social Studies Education

Jennifer Hauver James, Graduate Coordinator

The Ph.D. Program

The PhD degree in Social Studies Education is for educators who seek to extend their content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and understanding of the social studies field, whether they choose to continue in K–12 schools or pursue careers in higher education, publishing, or policy. The primary emphasis of doctoral studies in the program is a continuing emphasis on the development of theory and research on the teaching and learning of the social studies. The Social Studies Education Program’s PhD degree is designed to develop research competence in social studies education, promote depth and breadth of knowledge in social studies education and related fields, and nurture intellectual leadership in social studies education.

Admission Standards

All individuals wishing to pursue graduate study at the University of Georgia must submit a Graduate School application for admission. The Graduate School application for admission form contains information and forms that are required for admission to Graduate School. The application form will ask for the e–mail addresses of three individuals who will provide recommendations.

The following information represents the current standards for admission into doctoral study in the Social Studies Education Program of the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education. Students applying for admission the PhD program must submit, in addition to the required Graduate School documents, a completed Social Studies Education Program Supplemental Application (see below) and a writing sample. Applicants should have at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA, at least a 3.50 graduate GPA, and a pre-August 2011 Graduate Record Examination (GRE) total score of at least 1100 on the combined verbal and quantitative sections of the exam or post-August 2011 GRE scores of at least 150 verbal and 141 quantitative; the GRE must have been taken within five years of applying.

Where other evidence warrants, the department may recommend acceptance of students who have lower GRE scores and/or lower GPAs. However, such recommendations may be denied by the Graduate School.

Applicants are urged to apply as early as possible. The Social Studies Program suggests the following application target dates to assure full consideration for the desired semester of matriculation and funding opportunities: Fall and Summer Semesters, March 1; Spring Semester, October 1. International applicants are encouraged to apply ten months prior to the desired semester of matriculation.

The Social Studies Education Program does not admit non-degree graduate students.

Information on Graduate School Admissions

Social Studies Education Supplemental Application

Minimum Enrollment and Full Time Requirements

Social Studies Education Ph.D. students are subject to the minimum and continuous enrollment policy set by the University of Georgia Graduate School (see http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/academics/registration.html).

This program requires students to  think deeply about the field of social studies education, the ways  doctoral work contributes to the broader field of education, and the professional aims doctoral study makes possible.  Doctoral education also provides the opportunity for intensive, focused study while immersed in the culture of higher education.  For these reasons, the Social Studies Education Ph.D. program  requires that you spend at least two semesters of your program of study enrolled as a full time student. These two semesters need not be consecutive and do not include summer sessions.  If you are considering doing the majority of your doctoral work as a part-time student, you should discuss with your major advisor about planning these two semesters as part the process of developing your official program of study.

Assistantships

The Social Studies Education Program offers a limited number of assistantships to qualified doctoral students. Program assistantships are competitive and award decisions are based on demonstrated scholarship, research and teaching potential, and experience. Program graduate assistantships are typically awarded for the nine month academic year. See the Graduate School web site for information on assistantship stipends and benefits. The target date for receipt of assistantship applications is January 15th for fall semester assistantships. The application form for departmental and program assistantships is available HERE.

Graduate assistantships provided by the Social Studies Education Program may be held for up to three years, depending on satisfactory academic progress and satisfactory task performance.

Advising

Advising for doctoral students is performed by the Social Studies Education Program’s Graduate Faculty in coordination with the Graduate Coordinator. All incoming students are initially assigned an interim faculty advisor who will assist the student in developing a preliminary program of study, discuss potential dissertation topics, and help the student select faculty members who will constitute the advisory committee, preferably before the completion of the sixth course after matriculation, and no later than the fourth semester of study, whichever comes first. There is no expectation than the interim advisor will necessarily serve on the advisory committee. The advisory committee will recommend the preliminary program of study and the membership of the student’s advisory committee to the Graduate Coordinator.

Advisory Committee

Doctoral students form an advisory committee consisting of a minimum of three members of the Graduate Faculty, including the student’s major professor, also known as the dissertation advisor, who serves as the chair of the committee. The major professor must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty. At least one member of the Advisory Committee must be a member of the Social Studies Education Program faculty. The committee determines the student’s final program of study, conducts the written and oral comprehensive exams over the program of study, and assists in developing and assessing the dissertation.

All doctoral students are required to submit a written prospectus of their dissertation and obtain approval from their committee prior to undertaking dissertation research. Students must have their dissertation research cleared by the Institutional Review Board if human subjects are used. The Graduate School publishes a guide to dissertation preparation and processing. The Department encourages students to use the APA (5th ed.) style manual for dissertation preparation.

Program of Study

A final program of study, developed by the student and major professor and approved by a majority of the members of the advisory committee, must be submitted for the approval of the graduate coordinator and dean of the Graduate School by the time the notification of the oral comprehensive examination is given. The program of study must carry a minimum of 30 hours of course work, three hours of which must be dissertation (ESOC 9300) hours. Sixteen or more of those hours must in courses numbered 8000 or higher, or the final program of study must be accompanied by a letter of justification as to the necessity of 6000– and 7000–level courses. A minimum of 80 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate, excluding dissertation credit hours, is required.

In developing a program of study, the student’s major professor and advisory committee consider the student’s career goals and interests, previous academic and teaching experiences, likely dissertation topic, and the goals of doctoral study in the program–developing abilities for research in social studies education, gaining depth and breadth of knowledge in social studies education and related fields, and preparing for intellectual leadership in social studies education. Courses typically are taken in social studies education, curriculum and instruction, educational foundations and policy studies, and relevant social sciences and history content areas. A minimum of two quantitative research and two qualitative research courses are required. Social Studies Education doctoral students, along with all PhD students in the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education are required to enroll in the following course as close to the beginning of their program of study as possible:

ESSE 8990: Research Seminar. 3 hours.

Social Studies Education doctoral students are required to complete the Social Studies Education Core requirement consisting of the following three doctoral seminar courses:

ESOC 8010: History of Social Studies Education. 3 hours.

ESOC 8990: Research Seminar in Social Science Education. 3 hours.

ESOC 9630: Critique of Educational Literature in Social Science Education. 3 hours.

Substitutions within the Social Studies Education Core are permissible with advisory committee approval.

Time Limit

All coursework requirements for the degree and the comprehensive examination must be completed within six years, beginning with the first course listed on the student’s program of study. After successful completion of the comprehensive examinations, the student achieves candidacy. Once admitted to degree candidacy, the student has an additional five years to complete the dissertation. Extension of time will be considered only for conditions beyond the control of the student and will be approved or denied on a case–by–case basis by the Dean of the Graduate School.

As a general guideline, students can expect to spend two years of full–time study, or its equivalent in part–time study, to complete doctoral coursework before taking the comprehensive examination. Dissertation research, writing, and defense typically takes two or more additional years.

Overview: Steps to Completing the Doctoral Degree

The following list summarizes the sequence of steps towards completion of the Ph.D. in Social Studies Education. For more information on doctoral programs in the Department, see the “Doctoral Student Guide”.

• Admission to the doctoral program by the Social Studies Education Program, Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education, and Graduate School.
• Completion of the Graduate School residence requirement.
• Form advisory committee, including major professor.
• Complete course requirements of the doctoral degree, as determined by the major professor and committee.
• Take written comprehensive examination.
• Successfully pass a scheduled oral examination in defense of the comprehensive examination.
• Prepare a dissertation proposal for review and approval by advisory committee.
• Complete research and prepare dissertation and dissertation abstract for review and approval by the advisory committee.
• Successfully pass a scheduled oral examination in defense of the dissertation.

Forms Required for Degree Completion

To help ensure smooth progress through your graduate degree program, a variety of forms need to be filed.