|
|
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog
Education Major, PhD, Dept. of Theory & Practice in Teacher Education
|
|
Faculty from the department participate in the delivery of the PhD with a major in education. Concentrations and specializations are available in literacy studies concentration (specialization in children’s and young adult literature, ESL or literacy education); special education, deaf education, and interpreter education concentration; and teacher education concentration (specializations in cultural studies of educational foundations, elementary education, English education, mathematics education, science education, or social science education).
|
Campus Code
Knoxville Campus
Admissions Standards/Procedures
- Students must submit to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, an online graduate application to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
- Students must also submit the Theory and Practice in Teacher Education Departmental Application for Graduate Study.
- Applicants must submit verbal, quantitative, and analytic writing GRE scores that are equal to or higher than the 50th percentile, based on the norms in effect at the time the test was taken.
- An applicant with either a verbal or quantitative subtest score that is less than the 50th percentile will be expected to submit a proportionally higher, off-setting second subtest score.
- Three letters of reference from those who know of the candidate’s record and promise are required.
- An overall GPA of 3.30 in previous graduate study is required for admission to doctoral study and an interview with the faculty may be required.
- Admissions decisions are made on a holistic basis to discern the candidate’s promise for doctoral study and to ascertain the match of the candidate’s educational goals with the resources and goals of the department.
Learning, Design, and Technology Concentration
The Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) concentration in the Education Major is an instructional design and technology program designed for students with a wide-range of interests. Students in this program engage in research, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of learning environments. The name of the concentration, LDT, reflects the changing nature of the field to become more inclusive of informal and formal learning environments. The program supports graduate study of learning environments from an instructional design and technology perspective as well as an educational technology perspective, in various formal and informal settings such as K-12 education, higher education, non-profit agencies, military, and corporate settings. The program supports both part-time and full-time students.
Once admitted, students are required to complete the basic core courses to gain a foundational understanding of both theory and practice related to the design and development of learning environments. In the advanced core and the research apprenticeship courses, students will work closely with faculty to explore potential research projects as a member of an interdisciplinary research team or on their own. Students are required to engage in additional coursework in research methods, electives, and cognates. These additional courses may lead to obtaining a graduate certificate in areas such as Cultural Studies in Education; Online Teaching and Learning; Qualitative Research Methods in Education; and Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics.
Admissions Standards/Procedures
Admission requires a Master’s degree in Instructional Technology or a Master’s degree in another field with the completion of prerequisites prescribed by the admissions committee.
Academic Standards
Students meet regularly with their advisor to determine courses, follow Graduate School and LDT program requirements, and set personal scholarly goals.
Credit Hours Required
75 graduate credit hours
Required Courses
Basic Core (9 credit hours): - LDT 620 - Seminar in Learning, Design, and Technology
- LDT 630 - Design Thinking and Theory
- LDT 640 - Trends and Issues in Learning, Design, and Technology
Advanced Core (6 credit hours from the choices below): - ACED 523 - Adult Learning in Social Context
- ETEC 587 - Learning with Technology in the School and Community
- LDT 651 - Discourse Analysis in Education
- LDT 661 - Cultural Historical Activity Theory and Methods
- LDT 671 - Problem-Based Learning in Learning, Design, and Technology
- Or courses approved by advisor
Research Apprenticeship (6 credit hours): - LDT 602 - Directed Research
- LDT 693 - Independent Study
Research Methods (15 credit hours): - ESM 682 - Educational Research Methods
- ESM 559 - Introduction to Qualitative Research in Education
- ESM 577 - Statistics in Applied Fields I
- Two additional Research Methods courses chosen in consultation with advisor
Electives (9 credit hours): - 9-credit hours of graduate-level courses recommended by advisor that can include courses in Instructional Technology, Educational Technology, Adult Learning, Qualitative Research, Evaluation, and Quantitative Research.
Cognate (6 credit hours): - 6-credit hours of graduate level courses recommended by advisor in areas such as Educational Technology, Cultural Studies, and Information Science.
Dissertation (24 credit hours): - IT 600 - Doctoral Research and Dissertation
Additional Course Requirements
- Basic Core
- Corequisites that do not count towards the doctoral degree include IT 521, IT 570, and IT 573. If students have equivalent experiences or coursework from a Master’s degree they can be exempt from part or all of the corequisite requirement.
- Advanced Core
- Corequisites in the Basic Core are Prerequisites for the Advanced Core.
Non-Course Requirements
- Students meet regularly with their advisor to determine courses, follow Graduate School and LDT program requirements, and set personal scholarly goals. In addition to required coursework.
- Once students are close to program course completion, with the advisor’s approval, the student will take the comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam involves a written and oral examination. Upon passing the exam, the student will become a doctoral candidate.
- After passing the comprehensive exam, doctoral candidates work closely with their advisor to complete a dissertation proposal. A candidate will present the proposal to the dissertation committee, and once approved by all committee members, will begin work on the dissertation research. With the advisor’s approval, the candidate will schedule an oral defense for the dissertation. During the dissertation defense, the candidate will present the work completed for the dissertation, which will be reviewed by the dissertation committee.
Literacy Studies Concentration
Literacy studies concentration offers specializations in children’s and young adult literature, ESL, and literacy education.
Students in the PhD concentrations share a common set of course requirements with graduate credit hours required as shown below. Doctoral committees may require students to take additional credit hours to fulfill degree requirements
Credit Hours Required
Minimum 72 graduate credit hours (minimum 48 graduate coursework credit hours plus minimum 24 credit hours of dissertation)
Non-Course Requirements
- Successful defense of dissertation
Special Education, Deaf Education, and Interpreter Education Concentration
The Special Education, Deaf Education, and Interpreter Education concentration allows candidates to research a number of topics important to the education of or services for persons with disabilities.
Credit Hours Required
Minimum 72 graduate credit hours (minimum 48 graduate coursework credit hours plus minimum 24 credit hours of dissertation)
Non-Course Requirements
- Successful defense of dissertation
Teacher Education Concentration
Teacher Education concentration offers specializations in Cultural Studies in Educational Foundations, Elementary Education, English Education, Mathematics Education, Science Education, and Social Science Education.
Credit Hours Required
Minimum 72 graduate credit hours (minimum 48 graduate coursework credit hours plus minimum 24 credit hours of dissertation)
Non-Course Requirements
- Successful defense of dissertation
|
|
|
