Lifelong Education Administration and Policy

Adult Education

Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D.)

Program of Study for students admitted in or after Summer, 2009

Purpose

The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for leadership and research careers related to the education of adults. All phases of the program, from advisement to dissertation, encourage and support the acquisition of advanced knowledge and skills for conducting research and analyzing and reporting findings. The program provides classroom as well as experiential opportunities for students to develop research skills.

Admission Requirements

The faculty considers the following five factors in deciding whether to admit an applicant to the program:

Demonstration of interest in a career in adult education through an interview with the Department admissions committee.
Evidence of potential to contribute to the advancement of the field of adult education through research and professional leadership.
Undergraduate Grade Point Average.
Graduate Grade Point Average.
Graduate Record Examination Score.

Application Materials

On-line application form at Graduate School
Transcripts from all colleges and universities where coursework has been sustained
Official test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
Three letters of recommendation and recommendation forms
Letter of intent/personal statement
Current resume or CV
Writing sample
For international applicants, TOEFL and/or IELTS test scores sent by the testing agency are required.

Course work

There are five major areas of course work: adult education core, electives, research in adult education, research methods, and post-candidacy course work.

Adult Education Core (15 semester hours)

EADU 8020	Adult Education in Social Context	3 semester hours
EADU 9020	Adult Learning Theory and Research	3 semester hours
EADU 9030	Program Planning Theory and Research in Adult Education	3 semester hours
EADU 8010 or EADU 8190	History and Philosophy of Adult Education or Human Resource Development	3 semester hours
EADU 8620 or EADU 8200	Adult Education Administration or Theory and Practice of Educational Change	3 semester hours

Electives (18 semester hours)

Courses should be selected through discussion with the student's major professor. A full listing of adult education courses is available online. This includes 9 semester hours of EADU courses and 9 semester hours of other courses.
Research Methods (12 semester hours)

12 semester hours; At least one statistics course and one course not in statistics.
Research in Adult Education (12 semester hours)

Research courses provide the student with the necessary background and skills to begin dissertation research. Twelve hours of course work are required to complete this requirement.

EADU 9601	Foundations of Adult Education Research	3 semester hours	May be taken at any time, and is recommended early in degree program.
EADU 9630	Critique of Literature in Adult Education	3 semester hours	May not be taken until student has (a) a major professor, (b) a dissertation topic and (c) has completed most core courses and some research courses. Must be taken before EADU 9640 and comprehensive exams.
EADU 9640	Prospectus Development in Adult Education	3 semester hours	May not be taken until student has (a) completed EADU 9630 and (b) successfully defended their comprehensive exam. Dense of exam must be complete no later than three weeks into the start of EADU 9640.
EADU 9602	Research Practices in Adult Education	3 semester hours	Must be taken after successful defense of comprehensive exams. Dense of exam must be complete no later than three weeks into the start of EADU 9602.

Post Candidacy Courses (10 semester hours)

After formal admission to candidacy, a student must register for a minimum of 10 hours of credit while completing the dissertation to be eligible to graduate. At least 3 hours of this credit must be EADU 9300. Because of the Adult Education Program Area continuous enrollment requirement (see next page), most students exceed the minimum.

Summary of Course Work
Area	Semester hours
Adult Education Core	15
Electives	18
Research Methods	12
Research in Adult Education	12
Total	57
Post Candidacy Course	10
Grand Total	67

In addition to the course requirements described in the previous pages, Ph.D. students must also fulfill the following requirements.

Residency Requirement:

Students must accumulate 30 semester hours in consecutive semesters. (Students MAY use Summer semester to fulfill residency)

Comprehensive Examination:

Before beginning the dissertation process, students must demonstrate their preparedness by means of a month-long, take-home, written examination. The written examination is followed by an oral examination. The comprehensive examination process is described in detail in, "Guide to Comprehensive Examinations for Ed.D. and Ph.D. Students in the Department of Adult Education."

Submission of Manuscript for Publication:

In order to be admitted to candidacy, students must submit a manuscript for review in a refereed research journal related to adult education. See PhD Article for more information.

Dissertation Prospectus:

In order to be admitted to candidacy, students must have their research plan approved by the advisory committee. This plan, the dissertation prospectus, typically consists of the first three chapters of the dissertation.

Dissertation:

The Ph.D. program culminates in the preparation and defense of a dissertation. The dissertation is prepared under the supervision of the major professor and three other faculty committee members who compose the advisory committee.

Dissertation Submission:

The Graduate School requires dissertations to be submitted in an electronic format. In addition, the Department requires students to provide a bound copy of the dissertation to the Department library, to the major professor, and to any other committee member that requests one.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement:

The Program in Adult Education believes that students need to be continuously enrolled after entering candidacy and hence vigorously encourages students to be continuously enrolled. The official policy of the Graduate School on Continuous Enrollment as defined in the Graduate School Bulletin can be found at http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/academics/registration.html

The Continuous Enrollment Policy states:

All enrolled students pursuing graduate degrees at the University of Georgia must maintain continuous enrollment from matriculation until completion of all degree requirements. Continuous enrollment is defined as registering for a minimum of three (3) credits in at least two semesters per year (Fall, Spring, Summer) until the degree is attained or status as a degree-seeking graduate student is terminated. Doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy and thesis-writing master’s students who have satisfactorily completed all required courses (exclusive of 7000 and 7300) will be allowed to register ata rate equivalent to the prevailing in-state tuition rate. This policy specifies a minimum for maintaining status as a degree-seeking graduate student only. It does not supersede the minimum enrollment requirements of other programs, offices, or agencies. Doctoral students must maintain enrollment during fall and spring semesters (breaking only for summer semesters) until the residency requirement (30 hours for PHD, 20 hours for EDD or DMA) has been met.
Students must register for at least three credit hours every semester until their dissertation is approved.

Time Limitations:

Students must be admitted to candidacy within six years of the start of their course work. After admission to candidacy, students have five years to complete their dissertation.

Page last Updated November 19, 2009