General information, policies, and procedures for Ph.D. and M.A. students
- Formal track designation
- Requirements and expectations for successful degree completion
- Committees
- Coursework
The information in this handbook describes how Graduate School requirements are manifested in Curriculum and Instruction — please refer to the Graduate School Web site (www.grad.umn.edu/) for more detailed information on requirements and procedures.
Formal track or program area designation
Within the major degree program of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, students select their major focus among a number of formal tracks. The track appears on the transcript. For example, for a student with a track in Literacy Education, the major on the transcript reads as follows: “Education, Curriculum, and Instruction: Literacy Education.”
The M.A. (both Plan A and Plan B) degree in C&I has nine tracks:
- Art Education
- Elementary Education
- Family, Youth, and Community (FYC)
- Learning Technologies (LT)
- Literacy Education (with specializations in children’s and adolescent literature, critical literacies, and English education, and reading education)
- Mathematics Education
- Science Education
- Second Languages and Cultures Education (SLC) (with specializations in ESL, foreign language education, and dual language and immersion education)
- Social Studies Education
The Ph.D. degree in C&I has ten tracks:
- Art Education
- Culture and Teaching (CaT)
- Elementary Education
- Family, Youth, and Community (FYC)
- Learning Technologies (LT)
- Literacy Education (with specializations in children’s and adolescent literature, critical literacies, and English education, and reading education)
- Mathematics Education
- Science Education
- Second Languages and Cultures Education (SLC) (with specializations in ESL, foreign language education, and dual language and immersion education)
- Social Studies Education
The formal track system involves the following policies:
- Most applicants apply directly and are admitted to a specific track in the Ph.D. or M.A. program. However, the few applicants who are admitted to the M.A. or Ph.D. program without a specific track designation must identify a track within the first year of the program.
- If a student is admitted under one track, and later decides to change, s/he must reapply to the new track through the Graduate School with the Change of Status/Readmission Form [pdf] and pay the requisite application fee. The same applies for a Ph.D. student who wishes to add a second track to their degree program as part of the major.
- Ph.D. students may pursue up to two tracks for the major, but only when the coursework on the student’s program reflects both tracks and when the student has co-advisers, each representing one track. Two tracks obviously require more coursework and time to complete; very few students in C&I select more than one track for the major.
- M.A. students may choose a different track within education, curriculum and instruction as their related field and Ph.D. students may do the same for their supporting program. For example, a student may pursue a track in second languages and cultures education within the major and may pursue a supporting program in culture and teaching.
Requirements and expectations for successful graduate degree completion
Ph.D. and M.A. students
The department supports the academic work and progress of
all our students, both full and part-time. Successful
graduate study results from persistent, continuous progress
toward the degree. These requirements and expectations are
intended to help all students maintain satisfactory
progress.
Requirements
- To maintain a strong academic standing by successfully completing coursework and meeting or exceeding minimum grade requirements.
- To maintain active status in the Graduate School. See Graduate School website
- To submit an annual progress report. All graduate students are required to submit an annual progress report to the CI Graduate Studies office in May. The form must be discussed with and signed by the adviser (electronic signature is fine). Then the DGS reviews, adds comments, and the APR is returned to students (advisers are copied).
- To come to agreement in writing with faculty members on the substance and requirements for all individualized courses (directed study, readings, problems). Students should use the “Proposal for Directed Study/Readings/Problems Courses” form.
- To come to agreement in writing with faculty members on the requirements and deadlines for all “incomplete” grades. Students should use the “Incomplete Grade Agreement” form, (Note - this form must be submitted by the last day of classes for the semester to avoid a grade of F/N being submitted as the semester grade.)
- To complete the necessary requirements and submit all necessary forms for degree completion within the timelines stipulated in the Graduate School Catalog and the C&I Graduate Studies Handbook.
The Graduate School requires that at least two thirds of the total number of course credits included on any degree program be taken A-F. In addition, the department requires that no grade lower than a “C” be approved on a student’s program.
Ph.D.—Although the Graduate School does not define a minimum GPA for courses included on an official doctoral degree program, C&I requires a minimum GPA of 3.00 for all graduate work. This is considered to be the minimum GPA standard; students commonly maintain a GPA of 3.50 or higher.
M.A.—The Graduate School requires a minimum GPA of 2.80 for courses included on any official master’s degree program. C&I expects a minimum GPA of 3.00 for all graduate work. This is considered to be the minimum GPA standard; students commonly maintain a GPA of 3.50 or higher.
Expectations
- To maintain a commitment to high quality graduate education and intellectual honesty. See the Graduate School’s “Mutual Responsibilities in Graduate Education at the University of Minnesota”.
- To work closely with the adviser(s) to make sure that all the track requirements are understood and completed satisfactorily. Checklists for Ph.D. and M.A. degree completion have been developed to assist students in making consistent progress and meeting all requirements.
- To uphold the values of good scholarship and professional conduct as outlined by the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota. As part of the M.A. and Ph.D. programs, coursework is required that provides students opportunities to learn about ethical issues from a disciplinary perspective (e.g., CI 8133 Research Methods in Curriculum and Instruction). More information on Professional Ethics and Responsible Research Conduct is available on the Graduate School’s website.
When degree requirements and expectations are not met, the DGS will call a joint meeting with the student, adviser(s) and DGS to discuss degree progress and establish clear steps and guidelines for the student. The DGS will follow up with a letter outlining the steps agreed upon in the meeting and indicating a date(s) by which the student is expected to have demonstrated appropriate progress. Consistent failure on the part of the student to meet requirements and expectations will result in a recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School that the student’s status as a graduate student be terminated.
Committees
Graduate committees
Both the Ph.D. and M.A. degree programs require students to work with a graduate committee of faculty members who hold graduate faculty status in the Graduate School. A Graduate School Faculty Roster is updated on a regular basis. All faculty within C&I are members of the graduate faculty of the program in education, curriculum, and instruction. In addition, we have a number of affiliate graduate faculty members.
There are three primary categories of graduate faculty membership: Senior Member status, Member status, and Member status with advising privileges. Each category involves different levels of responsibility and requires different qualifications. Affiliate membership in each category involves similar responsibilities but excludes members from participation in graduate program governance. More information can be found at the Graduate School website and in this handbook under Graduate Faculty Membership in Education, Curriculum and Instruction.
Requesting a Non-U of M Faculty Member to Serve on the Committee
Although uncommon, it is also possible for a student to request that a faculty member from an institution other than the University of Minnesota serve on his/her committee. In such cases, the student must write a letter to the C&I director of graduate studies to make the request, explaining that no faculty members at the University of Minnesota have the expertise offered by the proposed non-U of M member of the committee. A current curriculum vitae of the proposed non-U of M member should be attached to the letter, and it should also state that it is understood that neither the Graduate School nor the Department of Curriculum and Instruction will provide funds to support the attendance of the proposed non-U of M member at the examinations. This letter must be signed by both the student and his/her adviser(s).
Ph.D. committees
Ph.D. students work with two committees, the Preliminary Examination Committee and the Final Examining Committee. Each committee includes a minimum of four members: three (including the student’s adviser) from the major and one from the minor field (outside C&I) or supporting program (within or outside C&I).
Often members of the preliminary examining committee remain for the final examining committee, but this is not required.
The Preliminary Examination Committee is determined when a student files their degree program and committee members’ names are listed on both the C&I and Grad. School program forms. This committee is responsible for conducting the Preliminary Written and Oral exams. An adviser always serves as the Chair of this committee. Once the Preliminary Oral exam has been completed, this committee is technically dissolved.
Often, students do select the same members for both the Preliminary and Final Examining Committees.
Students identify their Final Examination Committee when they submit their Thesis/Project Proposal Transmittal form to the Graduate School. A primary difference of this committee is that the Chair may NOT be the student’s adviser AND the Chair MUST be a Senior member of the Graduate Faculty. (To check Graduate Faculty status, please see: http://www.grad.umn.edu/faculty_rosters/faculty.html). The “Thesis Panel”, a subgroup of the Ph.D. Final Examining Committee, is also identified at the time the student proposes their thesis. This “Thesis Panel” is comprised of the three readers on the committee—the adviser, the outside member, and one other committee member from within the major. The outside member may be a C&I faculty member from a different track represented in the supporting program. The Thesis Panel member’s signature on the C&I Thesis Panel Review form confirms that the Thesis Panel has met to discuss and approve the proposal.
Committee Examples:
Example A: Student Tania Phillips is pursuing a Ph.D. in education, curriculum & instruction (Educ, C&I) with a track in Family, Youth, and Community (FYC). She has elected to pursue a supporting program comprised of courses taken in Learning Technologies (within Educ, C&I). Her committee includes:
Ruth Thomas, adviser (Educ, C&I, FYC)
Jane Plihal (Educ, C&I, FYC)
Susan Walker (Educ, C&I, FYC)
Aaron Doering (Educ, C&I, Learning Technologies)
Example B: Steve Olsen is pursuing a Ph.D. in Educ, C&I with a track in Second Languages and Cultures Education (SLC). He has elected to pursue an official minor in International Education. His committee includes:
Connie Walker, adviser (Educ, C&I, SLC)
Martha Bigelow (Educ, C&I, SLC)
Diane Tedick (Educ, C&I, SLC)
Michael Paige (International Education)
Example C: Susan Drier is pursuing a Ph.D. in Educ, C&I with two tracks—Culture and Teaching (CaT) and Literacy Education. To do so, she must have co-advisers representing each of the tracks. In addition, she is pursuing a supporting program comprised of courses outside of C&I (Feminist Studies, Rhetoric & Scientific & Tech. Communication). Her committee includes:
Misty Sato, co-adviser (Educ, C&I, CaT)
Cynthia Lewis, co-adviser (Educ, C&I, Literacy Education)
Bic Ngo (Educ, C&I, CaT)
Lisa Albrecht (Feminist Studies)
M.A. committees
M.A. students work with one committee of at least three members, which convenes for the M.A. thesis proposal meeting (Plan A only) and for the final oral examination (Plan A and Plan B). Committee members are recommended when the degree program is filed. This committee consists of two representatives from the major and one from the minor (outside of C&I) or a related field. For official minors, a committee member outside of Educ, C&I must be appointed. For a related field, a committee member from a different track within Educ, C&I or from another program outside Educ, C&I may be chosen.
Committee examples
Example A: Student Judy Smith is pursuing an M.A. in Educ, C&I with a track in Mathematics Education. She has elected to pursue an official minor in Math. Her committee includes:
Lesa Clarkson, adviser (Educ, C&I, Math Education)
Kathy Cramer (Educ, C&I, math education)
Scot Adams (Mathematics)
Example B: Arcadio López is pursuing an M.A. in Educ, C&I with a track in Science Education. He has elected to pursue a related field within Educ, C&I, Learning Technologies (LT). His committee includes:
Gillian Roehrig, adviser (Educ, C&I, Science Education)
Fred Finley (Educ, C&I, Science Education)
Aaron Doering (Educ, C&I, LT)
Committee changes
Substitutions on examining committees may be necessitated by such circumstances as a faculty member’s temporary absence or leave from the University. Students should complete the C&I Adviser/Committee change form and submit to the Graduate Studies Assistant in 125G Peik. Students may also submit the information on this form via email –copying adviser(s) to signify approval. All email changes should be sent to cigs@umn.edu.
Coursework
4000-level courses
Both M.A. and Ph.D. students may include University of
Minnesota 4000-level courses on their degree program forms, but
only with adviser and DGS approval.
Course approval/"online class permission"
Approval may be required to register for certain C&I courses
(CI or MthE). After getting verbal permission from the
instructor, students will need to contact the instructor’s
support person (Art, Math, Science, Social Studies, Contexts: Di
Nguyen, nguye187@umn.edu;
English, Literacy, Language Arts, Elementary, Learning
Technologies, Family, Youth, and Community: Cathy Zemke,
zemke001@umn.edu) to get
online permission to register for the course. If a CI or MthE
course is closed, students may be able to obtain instructor
permission for admission, depending on current enrollment.
Permission for courses in other departments must be obtained
from the corresponding department.
Distance learning courses
Courses taken via distance learning must be pre-approved by
faculty advisers on a course-by-course basis. Distance learning
courses must reflect the same level of rigor and high standards
embedded in graduate level courses offered at the University of
Minnesota. Students are responsible for providing faculty
advisers with complete information about the courses.
Minimum grade requirements
See “Requirements and Expectations
for Successful Graduate Degree Completion”
Policy on "I" grade for incomplete coursework
See "Incomplete
Grade Policy" adopted by faculty February 23, 20009.
Registration requirements
Effective Fall 2002, all Graduate School students are required to register every fall and spring term to maintain their active status. Active status is necessary to register for courses, take exams, file for graduation, or otherwise participate in the University community as a Graduate School student. A zero-credit mechanism has been created to facilitate this policy (see GRAD 999 information below).
Students who lose their active status must reapply for admission, and if admitted, may be held to the requirements in place at the time of readmission. Change of Status/Readmission forms are available online.
Zero-credit mechanism — Grad 0999
Grad 999 is a free, zero-credit, non-graded registration
mechanism for Graduate School students who must register solely
to meet the Graduate School’s registration requirement. Grad 999
may be found in the course schedule under “Graduate School.” All
Graduate School students with active student status are eligible
for Grad 999. However, GRAD 999 should be used conservatively,
that is only when circumstances warrant it. It must not be used
as a mechanism for maintaining active status yet making no
progress toward degree completion.
C&I has a policy concerning the use of Grad 999. A student may register using Grad 999 up to two times. Thereafter, each time s/he wishes to register using Grad 999, s/he must receive written permission from both the adviser and the DGS. The Grad 999 registration permission form should be used to gain this permission. If the student fails to receive written permission for Grad 999 registration, a hold will be placed on his/her record until permission is granted.
Time limits for degree completion
M.A.–All requirements for the master's degree must be completed and the degree awarded within seven years. The seven-year period begins with the earliest coursework included on the official degree program form, including any transfer work.
Ph.D.–Ph.D. students have a five-year time limit to complete the doctoral degree. This time frame is computed from the term following the passing of the preliminary oral examination. While no official timeline is in place for Ph.D. coursework to be completed, the Graduate School discourages courses on the degree program that were taken ten years or more prior to submitting the program. See more information under “Filing the degree program” and “Ph.D. requirements.
Transfer credits
For Ph.D. students, the graduate faculty adviser determines the number of graduate credits accepted for transfer on an individual basis. It is very common for credits from an MA to be transferred and applied to the supporting program or major. Ph.D. students work closely with their advisers to determine which coursework is applicable to transfer and are encouraged to meet with the DGS for additional input on transfer requests. Graduate coursework taken at the University of Minnesota and other recognized graduate institutions may be applied to the Ph.D. degree, provided the credits earned meet criteria expressed in the Graduate School Catalog and are taught by individuals having the necessary qualifications, i.e., the instructor holds a Ph.D. or is an advanced Ph.D. student, preferably ABD. Students may apply credits taken toward a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree at the U of M or other recognized institutions provided that they are related to advanced study and professional development and taught by qualified individuals. Graduate level credits taken as part of an initial licensure program may count toward the Ph.D., but there are several restrictions related to initial licensure courses. (See more information under Transfer Credits) The Graduate Studies committee then reviews the program and can make further recommendations/restrictions.
M.A. students are required by the Graduate School to complete at least 60% of the coursework for their official degree programs as registered University of Minnesota Graduate School students. With the approval of the adviser(s), DGS and Graduate School, up to 40% of the graduate degree program coursework taken at the U of M and other recognized graduate institutions may be applied to the M.A. degree, provided the credits earned meet criteria expressed in the Graduate School Catalog.
Revised Fall 2008
