Academic Programs - Science Education
- Apply to the UGA Graduate School
- Doctoral Applicant Questionnaire for Science Education
- Application for Graduate Assistantship in Science Education
Overview of Doctoral Programs
Doctoral programs in Science Education are highly individualized, since our doctoral students have a great variety of academic and professional backgrounds and career goals. Students in our doctoral courses are a unique and stimulating mixture of local science teachers (often studying part-time), full-time students from across the U.S. (usually with extensive secondary science teaching experience), and international students from several different countries and a variety of backgrounds (often with extensive scientific research experience). In consultation with a Major Professor and three or four other faculty who form a doctoral committee, each student selects courses and plans a program of other experiences suitable for her or his needs. Previous academic preparation, teaching and research experience, and any specific recommendations made by the entire faculty at the time of admission are considered in the design of each student’s program requirements.
A broadly based core of proficiencies is gained through the Science Education program’s graduate courses as well as courses in other departments and programs (e.g., Educational Research, Qualitative Research Methods, Educational Psychology, Social Foundations of Education, Instructional Technology, and the various Sciences). Many proficiencies in the candidate’s area of concentration are gained through formal internships (in both research and university teaching), special courses, independent research projects, and, often, paid assistantship duties. These are guided by the candidate’s Major Professor or other faculty and are often carried out in conjunction with existing research, development and instructional activites of program faculty.
Doctoral students in Science Education regularly present their work at state, regional, national and international conferences focusing on science teaching, science teacher education, and research in science education.
The program culminates in a doctoral dissertation study that is of unique interest to the individual student in their own intellectual and professional context and may employ any of a wide variety of research methods.
Career Choices of Graduates
Graduates of Science Education doctoral programs are regularly employed in teacher education and educational research positions by major universities, governments, and foundations worldwide. Others establish long-term careers as college science teachers or enhance their professional standing and leadership skills in K-12 school settings.
Graduates of our doctoral programs are highly prominent and are regularly elected to leadership positions in every national and international professional organization of major importance to science education, such as the National Science Teachers Association, National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Association for Science Teacher Education, and American Educational Research Association.
Degree Options
Science Education doctoral degrees include the Ed.D. and the Ph.D. The Ed.D. is considered a practitioner’s degree, with most graduates employed in school or district leadership or state-level policy or supervisory positions, teaching science at non-research-oriented colleges, or continuing to teach science at the secondary level. The Ph.D is considered a research-oriented degree, with graduates most often taking positions in higher education, teaching education courses and sometimes introductory science courses, and usually maintaining an ongoing program of research in science education. There is a reasonable amount of “crossover” in terms of post-degree employment, however, with some Ph.D.s continuing a precollege teaching career and some Ed.D.s becoming college professors. Within the field of science education in U.S., the qualifications provided by the two degrees are comparable, while internationally or in science fields the distinction is usually of more practical importance.
Course requirements and guidelines for the two degrees differ only in slight detail. A major difference, however, is that the UGA Graduate School’s “Residency Requirement” is considerably more stringent for the Ph.D., and therefore students who wish to complete an entire doctoral degree on a part-time basis, while maintaining a full-time teaching job, are usually limited to the Ed.D. Graduate School admissions standards for the Ed.D. are also slightly lower in regard to minimum GRE test scores.
