Student handbook

Table of contents

III. Studies for the doctoral degree (Ph.D.)

A. Admissions procedures, requirements, and deadlines

Admission forms for quantitative methods in education (QME) may be downloaded at www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/Foundations/admissions.html or may be obtained by contacting the Department of Educational Psychology, 250 Education Sciences Building, 56 East River Road, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455 (phone: 612-624-0042). Additional admissions information is available at www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students or by contacting The Graduate School, University of Minnesota, 309 Johnston Hall, 101 Pleasant Street, SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455-0421 (phone: 612-625-3014).

Application deadlines are fall term: December 1 (for fellowship and departmental financial aid consideration) or March 15; spring term: October 15; summer term: March 15. Students who wish to be considered for fellowships and departmental financial aid must have all application materials turned in by December 1 for fall admission.

Students may be admitted directly to the doctoral program without having a master’s degree in QME. Admission materials are examined by faculty in QME, and the recommendation to admit or not admit is made at a meeting of the faculty. Applicants will be notified of the admission decision by the Graduate School.

B. Student financial support

A variety of financial support is available to qualified graduate students, including graduate teaching assistantships (TAs), research assistantships (RAs), scholarships, and fellowships. TA awards are merit-based; excellence in scholarship and service are the major criteria for selecting students with the requisite background and experience. RA awards are primarily based on available faculty grants and are also merit-based, but require that students possess the skills needed to assist faculty in their research. A 25 percent TA or RA award assumes a student will work 10 hours per week and includes a stipend and a 50 percent tuition benefit; a 50 percent TA or RA award assumes a student will work 20 hours per week and includes a stipend and a 100 percent tuition benefit. TA and RA awards are typically made term by term. In most cases, a TA in research methodology will assist faculty with their courses, while an RA will work with one or more faculty on a research project. Students must apply each year for graduate assistantships.

New students beginning their graduate programs during fall semester (December 1st deadline) are automatically considered for fellowships which require nomination from the department. These fellowships include Graduate School fellowships and departmental awards which are based on scholastic achievement. Notification of awards will be mailed in March. Spring, summer, and fall (March deadline) applicants will not qualify for fellowships and may be disadvantaged in the way of TA/RA opportunities. Information about other financial awards available within the College of Education and Human Development and the University can be found at www.cehd.umn.edu/students/financial.html.

C. Student advisement

When a student is accepted for admission, a faculty member is assigned to be the student’s academic adviser. The adviser acts as a liaison between the student and the faculty and is responsible for the following:

1. Supervising development of the student’s degree program.
2. Approving all coursework at the time the student registers, including adds and drops.
3. Annually reviewing the student’s academic progress and notifying the student of the results of that evaluation.
4. Assisting the student in identifying an appropriate pre-dissertation, preliminary oral, and dissertation topics.
5. Certifying that graduation requirements have been met.

The student’s adviser also supervises the student’s dissertation research. The faculty member supervising the dissertation is responsible for the following:

1. Assisting the student in identifying an appropriate research topic.
2. Supervising the development of the student’s dissertation.
3. Ensuring that the dissertation is prepared according to University guidelines and is ready to be reviewed by other faculty.
4. Assigning a grade for internship (EPSY 5272, 5273, 8296 or 8993).

D. How to progress through the program

Students should read the University of Minnesota Graduate School Catalog for details about doctoral degree requirements, which is available online at www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/, and the Educational Psychology Graduate Program Handbook.

1. Length of program

The Ph.D. in educational foundation (psychological foundations) with a QME focus requires successfully completing a minimum of 98 credits, a pre-dissertation research paper, doctoral written specialty prelim, preliminary oral examination, and a dissertation. Students with a master’s degree in QME can count 35 master’s credits toward a doctorate in QME. Students who emphasized statistical education in their master’s work can count 41 credits toward the doctorate. Students already possessing a master’s in QME may be able to complete the degree in 3-3½ years of full-time study. Students entering the doctoral program without a master’s degree would normally complete the program in 5-5½ years of full-time study.

2. GPA

The Graduate School does not define a minimum GPA for courses included on an official doctoral degree program form, although the department will review GPAs to monitor students’ academic achievement and degree progress. Courses with grades of A, B, C (including C-), and S may be included in the official degree program, but grades of S are not calculated in the GPA. Students pursuing a doctoral degree must register for doctoral thesis credits (EPSY 8888); these registrations are not graded and therefore cannot be used to meet course credit requirements. At least two-thirds of the total number of course credits included in any degree program and all EPSY core requirements must be taken A-F.

3. Time Limit for Degree Completion

The Graduate School requires all doctoral work be completed within a period of five years after completion of the preliminary oral exam. The five-year period begins with the term following completion of the prelim oral.

4. Registration

Students must register before the beginning of a term to avoid late fees. To maintain their active status, graduate students must register every fall and spring semester. Those who do not register in the Graduate School each semester are considered to have withdrawn and their Graduate School records are deactivated. Inactive students may not register for courses, take examinations, submit degree program or thesis proposal forms, file for graduation, or otherwise participate in the University community as Graduate School students. Those who wish to resume graduate work must request readmission to the Graduate School and, if readmitted, must register in the Graduate School for the term of readmission to regain their active status. Students who are readmitted will be responsible for the course and exam requirements in effect as of the readmission term.

5. Degree program

Students who have completed four semesters of study in the doctoral program must file an official Degree Program Form with the director of graduate studies (DGS) in educational psychology. The Educational Psychology Department requires doctoral students to submit their degree program forms to the DGS prior to taking the Written Prelim Exam. This should be by the end of the second year of graduate study, and at least one semester prior to the term during which the Prelim Oral Exam will be taken. The Degree Program Form is available from the Graduate School, 316 Johnston Hall or online at www.grad.umn.edu/Current_Students/degree_completion/doctoral/. Students should list all coursework, completed and proposed, that will be offered in fulfillment of degree requirements, including transfer work (see Transfer of credits and course waivers below). Revisions to a degree program can be made with the adviser’s approval by submitting a petition to the director of graduate studies.  Refer to core area requirement checklist available under “Forms” at www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/Foundations/current.html which is to be submitted with the degree program form.

6. Transfer of credits and course waivers

There is no limit on the number of graduate credits obtained at another institution that can be transferred, but any doctoral credits a student wishes to transfer must be approved by the QME faculty and the Graduate School. See the Graduate School Catalog (http://www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/gen/phd.html) for details about transfer work or coursework taken at the University of Minnesota prior to admission.

Students who wish to have courses waived because of previous coursework, experience, or other proof of competence must complete the Department of Educational Psychology Internal Petition Form. However, the credits for a waived course can not be counted toward the minimum of 98 a student must earn at the University of Minnesota for a doctorate with a QME cluster. This form is available at www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/forms.

7. Educational psychology core requirement

Students must take at least 27 credits to satisfy the Educational Psychology core requirement. Students must successfully complete EPSY 8905 (History and Systems of Psychology: Landmark Issues in Educational Psychology, 3 credits), as well as at least 3 credits in learning and cognition, 6 credits in methods of research (EPSY 8215 and 8216), 3 credits in social psychology or personality, and at least 12 credits outside of the Department of Educational Psychology. For example, a student interested in evaluation might take specialized evaluation courses in the Department of Educational Policy and Administration (EdPA), whereas a student interested in statistics might take additional courses in the School of Statistics (Stat). Students emphasizing statistical education would normally fulfill this requirement by sitting for courses in math education offered through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

8. QME core requirement

Doctoral students in QME admitted for the fall 2001 term or later must take 44 credits in QME to satisfy the core requirement. Information about required QME courses is available in Appendix A and Areas of concentration. Descriptions of QME courses are also available online.

9. Pre-dissertation research requirement

Students must successfully complete a pre-dissertation research project under the supervision of their adviser, which entails a research review, research proposal, study implementation, and writing up of the results. A student with a master’s degree in QME automatically satisfies the pre-dissertation research paper requirement. Students who need to satisfy this requirement should begin work on their research review in their second term of doctoral study, develop a research proposal in their third term, and plan to conduct the study and write up the results during their fourth term of doctoral study. The paper may be a synthesis of existing work, pilot study, and/or may be based on existing data. The resulting pre-dissertation research paper would normally have a structure similar to the outline for the master’s paper in Appendix C and should not exceed 25 pages. The paper is read by the student’s adviser and one other faculty member in QME, who make a pass/fail recommendation to the full research methodology faculty. The pre-dissertation project can be done in conjunction with EPSY 5216 and EPSY 8216. Additional information about the pre-dissertation research requirement is available in the Educational Psychology Graduate Program Handbook.

10. Doctoral written specialty prelim

General Information
(www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/Foundations/prelim.html)

Dates (www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/Foundations/prelimdeadlines.html)

a. Purpose
The purpose of the doctoral written specialty prelim is to assess the student’s mastery of measurement, evaluation, and statistics and the student’s acquisition of both breadth and depth of understanding of the general field of quantitative methods in education. The examination has two parts. In Part I, students sit for constructed-response questions covering measurement, evaluation, and statistics. In Part II, the student prepares a potentially publishable paper.

b. Description
On October 4, 2000 the QME faculty adopted the following process for the doctoral written specialty prelim for QME students: Students admitted to QME for the fall 2001 term or later and who maintain a grade point average of at least 3.50 in QME courses will be exempt from Part I of the Doctoral Written Preliminary Examination. Students who fail to maintain a grade point average of at least 3.50 in the required courses in QME must complete Parts I and II of the Doctoral Written Preliminary Examination. Students admitted to QME before the fall 2001 term must complete Part I of the Doctoral Written Preliminary Examination (Part II is not required for these students).

All QME students entering the program from fall 2001 onward must complete Part II of the Doctoral Written Preliminary Examination, with the only exception being a student who has already written and possibly published an appropriate research paper in the field of QME. In this case, the student should petition their adviser to request that the already-written research paper be substituted for the Part II requirement. Note that the research paper for Part II is a separate requirement from the pre-dissertation research project.

c. Eligibility for the written specialty prelim
In order to sit for the QME doctoral written specialty exam the student must have a Degree Program on file and submit a formal request using the EPSY General Prelim Registration Form. The request must be submitted one semester before the written specialty prelim. Registration for the prelim is done through the student’s adviser and the director of graduate studies. In addition to psychological foundations of education requirements, QME students wishing to take the written specialty prelim must have satisfactorily completed the following required doctoral courses: Qualitative Methods (EPSY 5247), Basic Principles of Educational Measurement (EPSY 5221), Principles and Methods of Evaluation (EPSY 5243), Statistical Methods I: Probability and Inference (EPSY 8261), Statistical Methods II: Regression and the General Linear Model (EPSY 8262), Advanced Multiple Regression Analysis (EPSY 8264), and Advanced Measurement: Theories/Applications (EPSY 8221). Students must pass Part I (if required) before beginning work on Part II.

d. Scheduling the written specialty prelim
The Part I exam is offered the sixth Saturday of the fall term and the seventh Saturday of the spring term. The exact place and time is available online at least one term prior to the exam date (www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/Foundations/prelimdeadlines.html). Any materials needed for the exam (e.g., computer, calculator) will be arranged by the student’s adviser. For Part II, the student will have one semester to complete the research paper. The starting and due dates of the Part II paper are arranged by the student’s adviser.

e. Exam scoring
The evaluation of exam responses will be based on the following principles: (a) Does the response constitute a logical argument exhibiting an awareness of the depth and breadth of issues related to the question? (b) Does the response address a research base in responding to the question. (c) Does the response demonstrate professionalism?

The Part I exam will be scored by at least two QME faculty. Raters will score questions on a scale of 1-5 with 5 the highest possible score; scores 2.5 and above are passing. The scores for each rater will then be averaged for an overall final score. If the average total score is below 2.5, the student fails. If there are major discrepancies between the original raters, additional raters may be asked to score the exam. Students can sit for the Part I exam twice. Students will normally be informed of their mark on the Part I exam within one month of completing the exam.

The Part II research paper will be read by at least two QME faculty, one of whom will be the student’s adviser. The readers will make a pass/fail recommendation to the QME faculty. Students will normally be informed of their mark on the Part II paper within one month of completing the exam. Students who fail Part II have one additional opportunity to pass this portion of the doctoral prelims. Repeating Part II may entail substantial revision of the original paper or may require the writing of a new paper under the supervision of their adviser.

Student work in Parts I and II of the Doctoral Written Preliminary Examination will be weighted equally in the deliberations of the QME faculty. Students have the option of discussing all parts of their graded Part I and/or Part II work with their adviser. Each Part I question will be read by at least two QME faculty, one of whom will be the student’s adviser.

f. Sample questions
Exam content and sample questions for the sit-down examination can be found at www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/Foundations/
QME/prelimquestions.html.

11. Doctoral internship
After passing the doctoral written specialty exam, doctoral students spend one semester (3 credits) in an internship. In the internship, students demonstrate their ability to apply their training in measurement, evaluation, and statistics/statistical education. Normally this involves being placed on a research project on campus, although the internship setting is flexible. For example, a student could satisfy this requirement by working on a research study with an individual faculty member. Typically, students working in a research setting are expected to participate in several aspects of the methodology of a study, including instrument development, sampling, data analysis including statistical computing, evaluation work, writing or co-writing technical reports, and participating in project meetings and activities. Students emphasizing statistical education would normally satisfy the internship requirement by teaching a statistics class for a semester under the supervision of a QME faculty member. In all cases, the internship setting must be consistent with a student’s coursework. Students are expected to spend at least 10 hours per week in the internship.

Once the internship is complete, the student’s adviser will solicit a letter evaluating the student’s performance from the person supervising the internship. This letter will form the basis of assigning a Pass/Fail grade for the internship (EPSY 5272, 5273, 8296, or 8993). Students should regularly apprise their adviser of their activities during their internship along with any concerns they have.

12. Preliminary oral examination
After successfully completing the doctoral written specialty exam, the predissertation research project, and EPSY 8215 and 8216, students must pass a preliminary oral exam that involves writing a paper that integrates the literature in a proposed research area. In many cases, the preliminary oral paper will be the basis of the Review of the Literature chapter in the dissertation. The length and content of the paper are negotiated by the student with their adviser. With the adviser’s approval, the paper is presented to the student’s Examining Committee for review. The Examining Committee consists of at least three QME faculty and one faculty member on the graduate faculty with an appointment outside the Department of Educational Psychology. Committee members are identified when the Degree Program is filed, and typically the faculty serving on a student’s Examining Committee for their preliminary oral also serve on their doctoral committee. Passing the preliminary oral exam allows the student to begin work on their dissertation and register for thesis credits. Students who fail the oral preliminary exam have one additional opportunity. Attempting to pass the preliminary oral exam a second time may entail substantial revision of the original preliminary oral paper or may require the writing of a new paper.

The prelim oral exam must be scheduled with the Graduate School at least one week prior to the exam. Additional information on the preliminary oral examination can be found at www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/gen/phd.html and in the Educational Psychology Graduate Program Handbook at www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/handbook/. The prelim oral exam may be scheduled during the semester students are registered for the doctoral internship.

13. Doctoral dissertation

Each student writes a dissertation that presents the results of the student’s dissertation research. An appropriate dissertation research project involves significant, original, and independent research work that is grounded in a body of literature. It presents hypotheses tested by data and analyses and provides a contribution or advancement in the field of quantitative methods in education. It is the responsibility of the student’s doctoral committee to evaluate the dissertation in these terms and to recommend awarding the doctorate only if the dissertation is judged to demonstrate these qualities. Additional information on the dissertation is available in the Educational Psychology Graduate Program Handbook and online at www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/gen/phd.html.

The dissertation has three phases (a) prospectus phase, (b) research phase, and (c) defense phase.

(a) In the prospectus phase students work under the supervision of their adviser to prepare a prospectus that describes the proposed research. This document is presented to the student’s Thesis Planning Panel, which include the student’s adviser and two other faculty who normally are members of the student’s doctoral committee. After approval by the Thesis Planning Panel, the student submits the Thesis/Project Proposal form to the director of graduate studies for approval. (b) The student carries out the proposed research under the adviser’s supervision and prepares the written dissertation. The dissertation is then submitted to the Thesis Planning Panel. If they agree that the dissertation is ready to defend, the student submits the Thesis Reviewer’s Report Form (www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/degree_completion/doctoral/) to the director of graduate studies. (c) In the defense phase, the student defends the written dissertation to their doctoral committee in a final oral. Additional information on the final oral is available at in the Educational Psychology Graduate Program Handbook and online at www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/gen/phd.html.

14. Summer term access

QME faculty are often not available during the summer term, and students should plan to complete their summer and fall term registrations before the end of the spring term.

15. Graduation requirements

Students should obtain a Graduation Packet prior to the term they wish to graduate (www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/gs21.pdf). This packet has three forms that must be completed: (a) Application For Degree (b) Commencement Attendance Approval, and (c) Reviewers Report. The Application for Degree must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar (200 Fraser) by the first working day of the intended month of graduation. The Commencement Attendance Approval form must be submitted by March 1 for participation in the spring commencement ceremony and by October 1 for the fall ceremony. The Reviewers Report form must be returned to the Graduate School at least one week prior to the scheduled date of the final oral examination.

The signed Final Oral Examination Report form must be returned to the Graduate School no later than one working day following completion of the Final Oral Defense. All other materials (copy of the dissertation abstract, a signed copy of the dissertation, the Microfilm Agreement Form and the Survey of Earned Doctorate) must be submitted to the Graduate School by the last working day of the intended month of graduation.

Table of contents

Revised November 2004