Elementary Education

Elementary education was the name of the department that once housed the early childhood and middle school programs and is still the name of a vibrant Ph.D. program in the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education. The elementary education Ph.D. program is designed for students who have interests in the study of teaching and learning in prekindergarten through grade 8 and for students whose interests are primarily in early childhood (prekindergarten to grade 5) or middle school (grades 4 to 8) but whose needs dictate a degree in elementary education (students, for example, who plan to return to a country or a state that does not define early childhood and middle school as the state of Georgia does). As is true of all Ph.D. students in the department, students in the elementary education doctoral program are expected to develop research and teaching skills, engage in intensive study of educational issues, and conduct and disseminate original educational research; the program typically requires more than three years of intensive study and research. The program of study is not simply a list of courses to be completed but a comprehensive set of experiences that the student designs with the support of the major professor and advisory committee, and the dissertation is expected to be a unique contribution to the scholarly literature. A number of doctoral students also work as graduate assistants, which gives them opportunities to develop their skills as teachers of undergraduates and to sharpen their research skills. In addition to becoming college or university faculty, graduates of the program sometimes take leadership positions in school districts, government agencies, or other educational organizations.