Qualitative Research Methods in Education Graduate Certificate

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Graduate Certificate Type

Add-On (doctoral candidate)

Stand-Alone (earned doctoral degree required)

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• Individuals must be currently enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Tennessee or have earned a doctoral degree from UT or another university.
• To apply for the certificate, submit the certificate application through the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Academic Standards

Attainment of a minimum 3.50 graduate grade point average in the certificate coursework.

Credit Hours Required

12 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

• ESM 559 - Introduction to Qualitative Research in Education
• ESM 659 - Advanced Qualitative Research in Education

•  

  Select a minimum of one course:

• ESM 668 - Ethnographic Methods
• ESM 669 - Narrative Methods

•  

  Select a minimum of one upper-level qualitative course:

• ANTH 531 - Ethnographic Research Methods
• CCI 643 - Qualitative Communication and Information Research Methods II
• HDFS 650 - Advanced Qualitative Research in Human Sciences
• CSE 526 - Philosophy of Education: Theory Writing
• ELPS 618 - Advanced Qualitative Research in Educational Leadership
• GEOG 516 - Topics in Qualitative Methods
• NURS 607 - Qualitative Nursing Research
• SOCI 640 - Discourse Analysis
• Note: Either ESM 668 or ESM 669, if not taken for the first minimum requirement, may be taken for the second minimum/upper-level qualitative course requirement. At least one of the two must be taken for the first minimum requirement.
• Attainment of a minimum 3.50 graduate grade point average in the certificate coursework.
• Other courses may, where appropriate, be substituted for the courses listed above with the written permission of the certificate coordinator.
• Individuals must submit an appropriate work sample (e.g., completed qualitative research report, completed qualitative research paper) that showcases their skills in qualitative research methods in education. This work sample will be reviewed by the ESM faculty.
• Individuals must be currently enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Tennessee or have earned a doctoral degree from UT or another university.
• Individuals must complete all 12 credit hours of the graduate courses listed above.
• All courses must be completed within five years of applying for a certificate.
• Refer to the Graduate Catalog for course descriptions. 

Non-Course Requirements

Contact the Certificate Coordinator, Dr. Leia Cain (leiacain@utk.edu) for questions.

To receive the certificate, students must:
1) complete the Graduate Certificate Course Verification Form (located on the Graduate School webpage under the Forms Central tab) and
2) through MyUTK, apply to graduate from the certificate program.