Lifelong Education Administration and Policy

Adult Education

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program for Fall 2003 MUST file a program of study using these requirements. Students admitted prior to Fall 2003 MAY choose to file a program of study meeting these requirements OR the requirements of the program under which they were admitted.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D.)

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.

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) Click for table of core courses

Electives (12 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 3 semester hours of other courses.
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; EADU 9630, Critique of Educational Literature in Adult Education (must be taken prior to EADU 9640 and comprehensive exam); EADU 9640 Prospectus Development in Adult Education (Comprehensive exams must be completed before or during course); EADU 9602 Research Practices in Adult Education (must be taken after comprehensive exam).

Research Methods (12 semester hours)

12 semester hours; At least one statistics course and one course not in statistics.
Post Candidacy Courses (10 semester hours)

After admission to candidacy, a student must be registered for at least two semesters. In order to graduate, a student must register for a minimum of 10 hours of credit and at least 3 hours of this credit be EADU 9300. Because of the Department's continuous enrollment requirement (see next page), most students exceed the minimum.

Summary of Course Work
Area	Semester hours
Adult Education Core	15
Electives	12
Research Courses	12
Research Methods	12
Total	51
Post Candidacy Course	10
Grand Total	61

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:
Students must maintain continuous enrollment from the completion of their comprehensive examinations until the defense of their dissertations. 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.