Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Major, PhD

Campus Code

• Knoxville Campus
  
• Distance Education Campus
  

Admissions Standards/Procedures

To the Office of Graduate Admissions submit an online application, application fee, and official transcripts. The online application procedure will also direct the applicant to submit an updated resume, three letters of reference (or three Graduate Rating Forms) from persons capable of assessing the applicant’s suitability for graduate work, and a statement of professional goals, research interests, and reasons for applying to ALEC. In the statement letter and application, the area of interest and desired major professor must be indicated. Applicants will be expected to meet all university admission requirements, demonstrate how their professional and/or personal goals and research interests align with the program, have excellent recommendations, and an ALEC faculty member willing to be their faculty advisor and graduate committee chair.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and an academic writing sample (i.e., journal article, literature review) are recommended but not required for admission to the program. Scores from the general GRE test and an academic writing sample are given different weights by various faculty advisors, so applicants are encouraged to directly contact their desired faculty advisor to determine the importance of this indicator to the success of their application.

Academic Standards

• Students must assume responsibility for knowledge and compliance with Graduate School and department requirements in their degree program, as described in the current Graduate Catalog and ALEC’s Graduate Student Handbook.
• If research progress for the dissertation is deemed insufficient, the major advisor in consultation with the graduate committee may recommend probation with specific goals set for a specified time or termination.
• The student’s program of study must be approved by their advisory committee and must comply with the requirements of the Graduate Council.
• See the Degree Program Requirements/Doctoral Degree section in the Academic Policies and Requirements for Graduate Students section for additional information.

Concurrent Master’s Degree Program

In exceptional cases where an individual is admitted to the PhD program having a BS, the individual will be encouraged to complete a MS degree in the continuum of PhD program efforts. Currently enrolled UT doctoral students who plan to complete the master’s degree while maintaining enrollment in the doctoral program must submit a Request for Concurrent Master’s Degree form to the Graduate School two weeks prior to the deadline for submission of the graduation application for the master’s degree. To earn the concurrent master’s degree all requirements must be met at the University of Tennessee.

Credit Hours Required

• A minimum of 48 graduate credit hours beyond the Master’s degree, or
• A minimum of 72 graduate credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree

Required Courses

• Of the required graduate credit hours, 48 must be in courses numbered greater than 500 (including 24 credit hours of course ALEC 600; e.g., ALEC 510-593, ALEC 612-693)
• 6 credit hours of courses at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, numbered greater than 600 (e.g., ALEC 612-693)
• A minimum of 18 credit hours in graduate level research methods and statistics approved by the student’s advisory committee with at least 12 credit hours in graduate level research methods and statistics beyond the Master’s degree. (e.g., STAT 537, STAT 538, CCI 611, CCI 631, CCI 635, ESM 559, ELPS 615, ELPS 616)
• A minimum of 30 credit hours in specialization/subject matter content approved by the student’s advisory committee with at least 12 specialization credit hours earned beyond the Masters’s degree
• 24 credit hours of ALEC 600
• See in the Graduate Catalog the Degree Program Requirements/Doctoral Degree section in the Academic Policies and Requirements for Graduate Students section for additional information

Non-Course Requirements

• The student and the major professor will select a minimum of three additional faculty, holding the rank of assistant professor or above, to serve on the student’s doctoral committee. The major professor and two committee members must be approved to direct doctoral research by the Graduate Council. At least one member of the committee must be from outside the department. The doctoral committee must be formalized by the end of the second semester of graduate study.
• Research Ethics training is required, which may be achieved through (CITI RCR) training, as evidenced by presenting a valid CITI RCR certificate to the ALEC Director of Graduate Studies or their designee.
• Satisfactory preparation of a written dissertation proposal and an oral defense to the student’s committee are required. These must be completed before enrollment in ALEC 600. The candidate will be tested on his/her knowledge of the proposed dissertation.
• Each doctoral student must pass a comprehensive examination as required by the Graduate Council. Both written and oral sections of the comprehensive examination must be passed. Successful completion indicates that, in the judgment of the faculty, the doctoral student can think analytically and creatively, has a comprehensive knowledge of the field and the specialty, knows how to use academic resources, and is deemed capable of completing the dissertation.
• Satisfactory preparation of a written dissertation and passing an oral defense of the dissertation to the student’s doctoral committee are required.