Academic Programs - Qualitative Research
Program Guidelines and Application Procedures
Charter Sponsors:
College of Education
School of Social Work
College of Family and Consumer Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
Program Guidelines
Since the 1970s, mainstream research has undergone a shift from a field dominated by measurement, deduction, and prediction to one that accommodates a perspective that emphasizes description, induction, and understanding from the perspective of those being studied–a qualitative approach. With many disciplines embracing this movement as a means to widen the conceptual lenses for their work, the enthusiasm for qualitative research has never been higher and the field of qualitative research has moved from a position of marginality to one of influence. Traditionally qualitative approaches were taught in the disciplines of anthropology and sociology. Since the 1980s, the disciplines of education, journalism, speech communications, child and family development, counseling, and social work began to embrace these more interpretivist approaches to research. Consequently courses were developed and are being taught in numerous departments across the University of Georgia.
The University of Georgia has established itself as an international leader in the field of qualitative research. From 1988 to 2007 the University hosted the Qualitative Interest Group (QUIG) Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies Conference (formerly known as the QUIG Qualitative Research in Education Conference), a widely respected annual conference that attracted both established and emerging scholars from the U.S. and abroad. In 2001, the Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies Graduate Certificate Program was developed to provide a systematic, coordinated structure to institutionalize the study of qualitative research at the University of Georgia. The program is supported by a multidisciplinary faculty of scholars dedicated to improve professional practice and scholarship through active collaboration and critical self-reflection in the use of a broad range of qualitative methods. The community is guided by a set of values that honors diversity through the active inclusion of members who are broadly representative of the disciplines that comprise the modern university and the cultures to be found in today’s democratic society. Because of its interdisciplinary nature, the program allows students to tailor the focus of their certificate programs to individual interests.
In this document you will find a detailed description of The Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies (IQS) Graduate Certificate Program offered at the University of Georgia (UGA). If you would like additional information, please contact Melissa Freeman, Program Chair, Qualitative Research Program, in the College of Education (freeman9@uga.edu).
Program Objectives
The Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies Graduate Certificate Program is an educational program to advance interdisciplinary inquiry through the pluralistic use of multiple methods. It seeks to generate knowledge for improving professional practice and advancing human understanding.
- The program is intended to provide students with a thorough knowledge of a variety of approaches to qualitative research methods used across disciplines.
- The certificate will provide students with an understanding of the philosophical frameworks that undergird qualitative research designs.
- The certificate will assist students in identifying qualitative research perspectives within their own as well as in other disciplines and in critiquing prevailing theories, methods, and substantive research for their quality and ethical standards.
- Students will be encouraged to appreciate diversity across a variety of qualitative approaches to inquiry.
- The certificate program will engage students in developing expertise in at least one approach to qualitative research design.
- The certificate program will prepare students to understand ways qualitative research can be used with quantitative research for mixed method approaches to inquiry.
- The certificate program will prepare students to engage in scholarship about the field of qualitative inquiry.
- The certificate program will prepare students to teach introductory courses in qualitative research and courses in their qualitative approach(es) of expertise.
Admission
Only students who have been admitted to a department at the graduate level at UGA are eligible to apply. To facilitate completion of the certificate program requirements, students should apply for admission as early in their program as possible. Students are invited to complete an application form (see below) and submit this to the program coordinator. The application outlines a plan for the completion of the certificate.
Graduate students in good standing will be admitted to the Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies Certificate Program on the recommendation of the student’s major professor and a review of application materials by a committee of the Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies Certificate Program faculty.
Successful applicants must
- have a minimum GPA of 3.0; and
- submit a personal essay about their interests, prior preparation and experience related to the objectives of the program, and their long-range career/professional plans following their successful completion of the IQS Certificate Program;
- complete all IQS Certificate Program requirements for the certificate (exclusive of the dissertation or thesis);
- complete a dissertation or thesis using a qualitative design or a mixed methods design within five years of their admission to the Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies Graduate Certificate Program.
The certificate candidate’s dissertation or thesis committee must include at least one member of the IQS program faculty. Students who are not making satisfactory progress will be subject to removal from the program following faculty review. Such procedures are consistent with existing standards of practice for similar certificate programs within the university and are consistent with university policies on the timely review and retention of students in graduate programs.
Certificate Course Requirements
The certificate requires 15 semester hours of credit, including participation in at least one research seminar, and the successful defense of a dissertation or thesis that uses qualitative research methods or a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. All students must complete 9 hours of core courses, from the three clusters of required courses outlined under certification – IQS coursework. The 3-hour Integrative Qualitative Research Seminar is designed to assist students in integrating learning from the various qualitative research methods courses. This seminar is the forum for students to discuss and critique research proposals and research dilemmas.
Students will take at least an additional 3 hours of course work. These remaining hours may be chosen from the list of elective courses listed under certification – IQS coursework. Because qualitative methods vary across academic disciplines, the way in which the credit hours are packaged may vary. The qualitative faculty will assist students in developing a program that both meets the needs and interests of the individual student as well as the requirements of the IQS Program. The intent is that the 15 hours and additional experiences in qualitative research will lead to the mastery of the certificate objectives.
Application for Admission
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Submit three paper copies of the application to:
Cindy Williams
Room 416
River’s Crossing
850 College Station Road
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia 30602
Mrs. Williams may be contacted by phone at 706-542-3343 or by email at cwilliam@uga.edu
