Mathematics Education (EdD), Program Information

Program Faculty

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Department Chair

Carolyn Anderson, Interim

 

Program Coordinator

Whitney Johnson

Associate Professor

315 Banneker 

Tel: (443) 885 - 3102; Fax: (443) 885 - 8238

E-Mail: whitney.johnson@morgan.edu

 

Program Faculty

Whitney Johnson

Associate Professor

 

Roni Ellington

Associate Professor

Program Description

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The Doctoral Degree is the highest academic recognition that a university can award.  It is the university’s endorsement of the academic and professional competence of the one upon whom it is conferred.  Earning a terminal degree implies that the student has contributed to the field of knowledge through undertaking original and independent work in the area of the dissertation and has exhibited a level of mastery that will enable him/her to function with the highest level of expertise in his/her area of specialization.  The pursuit of the doctorate requires immense personal sacrifice on the part of the aspirant as well as on the part of his/her academic advisors. Entry into the course of study leading to this highest academic degree is an undertaking that should not be taken lightly. The Ed.D. in Mathematics Education at Morgan State University is designed for those who anticipate significant leadership careers in research or practice in mathematics education and are committed to excellence in meeting the challenges of mathematics education in urban settings.

Program Objectives

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1.  To prepare a cadre of researchers and practitioners who are capable of adding to the body of knowledge about the teaching and learning of mathematics in urban settings, and who possess the skills, competencies and attitudes to provide instructional leadership in these curriculum areas.

2. To develop in participants, a sensitivity to the characteristics and needs of urban students in general, and African-American students in particular, and to the peculiarities of urban environments and institutions, and the implications of these for the teaching and learning of mathematics and in such settings.

3. To effect positive changes in the teaching and learning of mathematics at all levels.

 

General Requirements

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Candidates for the doctoral degree must complete a minimum of sixty-three (63) academic credit hours (including 9 dissertation credits), pass comprehensive exams, and submit an acceptably written dissertation inclusive of the. In addition, the following requirements must be met.

 

1. Graduate courses taken at accredited institutions, and for which the student has been awarded a grade of B or better may be accepted for transfer. Transfer of credit must be approved by the Program Coordinator and the Chair of the Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership and Policy at the time of the student’s first registration. A minimum of 30 credit hours must be completed at Morgan State University.

2. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the program. Grades of “C” may not count for more than 20 percent of total credit applied towards degree requirements.  

3. Students holding part-time registration will be allowed to take a maximum of 6 credit hours of course work per semester.  To be considered full-time in any semester, a student must be registered for a minimum of 9 credit hours. 

4. All candidates will be required to complete a practicum.  The practicum will involve an intervention in an aspect of the teaching/ learning of mathematics at a selected level of the educational system.

5. All candidates must pass written and oral comprehensive examinations.  Candidates shall become eligible to take the comprehensive examinations upon successful completion of 42 credit hours of course work, 9 credit hours of which should be in mathematics content courses.

6. Each degree candidate must submit a dissertation.  When the dissertation has been completed to the satisfaction of the committee, a dissertation defense will be scheduled at which time the candidate must orally defend his/her work before the entire dissertation committee.

7. All requirements for the Ed.D. degree must be completed within a period of seven (7) years.  The granting of a leave of absence by the School of Graduate Studies does not automatically extend this limit.

 

C Grade Policy

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The Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership and Policy adheres to the School of Graduate Studies revised C grade rule as stated in the Supplement to the Regulations and Procedures Section of the 2016-2017 Graduate Catalog, Section II. Policies on Grading 5, 5.A, 5.B, and 5.C. The Department chooses to exercise Option 1 of 5.B. Option 1 states:

 

Demonstration of the required competency in core courses requires that any grades of C in core courses must be retaken. Student must retake any core course in which a grade of C has been earned, even if the student has not accumulated 20% of the curriculum in C grades.

 

Core courses in the Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership and Policy to which Option 1 applies are listed below:

• EDSR 604 - Introduction to Educational Research 3 Credits
• EDSR 620 - Action Research in Urban Education 3 Credits
• EDSR 822 - Mixed Methodology in Educational Research 3 Credits
• EDSR 810 - Qualitative Research Methods 3 Credits
• EDSR 628 - Applied Social Research 3 Credits
• EDSR 632 - Quantitative Research Methods in Education 3 Credits
• EDSR 719 - Quantitative Data Analysis in Education I 3 Credits
• EDSR 818 - Advanced Qualitative Research Methods in Education 3 Credits
• EDSR 819 - Quantitative Data Analysis in Education II 3 Credits
• EDSR 829 - Advanced Qualitative Research: Field Research 3 Credits

Admission

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To be eligible for admission to the ED.D. Program in mathematics education, an applicant must: 

• Grade Point Average:

Undergraduate: minimum of 2.6

Graduate: minimum of 3.0

• Have earned a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, preferably in mathematics or mathematics education. Applicants whose master’s degree is in education must have earned at least an undergraduate degree in mathematics

•  Submit an application for admission to the School of Graduate Studies.  All required documents must be submitted as directed by the School of Graduate Studies prior to program review and admission decision.  

• Use the application system to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be placed with the application.  These letters must be from officials or faculty members of institutions previously attended who are acquainted with the applicant’s ability for graduate study or from employment supervisors where applicable. 

• Submit a typed exposition regarding the candidate’s personal academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University. 

• Teacher certification is desirable.

Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant.  The decision of the Program Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program.  The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer admission should be made based on that review.

Candidacy

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Students achieve candidacy by successfully passing the comprehensive examinations. If the student has completed all of the coursework prior to sitting for the comprehensive exams he/she should register for ASLP 993 until the exams have been completed.

Thesis/Dissertation Completion

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DISSERTATION

The development and defense of a dissertation is the culmination of a terminal degree program.  The successful student begins thinking and planning for the dissertation from the very beginning of the program of study. In that way the student is alert to practical and theoretical issues that might prove to be fruitful areas for research that could lead to the dissertation. The student can thus gradually focus her/his reading, research and course-selection on the topic to be investigated for the dissertation.

 

The process for completing the final stage of the Doctoral Program includes the following steps:

1. Selection of dissertation Chairperson and Committee

2. Proposal Preparation

3. Proposal Defense 

4. Research Activity

5. Dissertation Writing

6. Dissertation Colloquium

7. Oral Defense

 

A. Selection of Dissertation Chairperson and Committee

The student discusses with the program coordinator or chairperson of the department possible members in the department who might serve as chairperson of the dissertation committee.  This faculty member should have an interest in, and knowledge of the area of research proposed by the student. Once there is an agreement as to the faculty member to serve as Chairperson, the other members are proposed by the student and committee chairperson.  The chairperson makes the contact with the other members of the committee. Their commitment is secured by the signing of the appropriate forms.

 

The names of the proposed committee members are forwarded by the chairperson of the Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership and Policy to the Dean of the School of Education and Urban Studies for approval.

 

B. Proposal

The student works with the dissertation committee to develop the proposal which should be completed during the first semester in which the student registers for the dissertation.  The Proposal includes the following sections:

 

1. Introduction

 

- Context of the issue to be studied

          - Statement of the problem

          - Research questions and / or hypotheses

          - Rationale for the study

          - Definition of terms

          - Significance of the study

          - Scope and delimitations

- Assumptions and limitations

 

The dissertation committee reviews the proposal.  Preliminary approval of the proposal by the committee is required in order for the student to be scheduled for the dissertation proposal colloquium.

 

C. Proposal Defense

The purpose of the proposal defense is to confirm the terms of the dissertation contract between the student and the dissertation committee and to give the student an opportunity to benefit from ideas and suggestions of the wider school and university community. Once the proposal is given final approval by the committee, all members of the committee indicate their approval by signing the proposal cover sheet. Copies of the signed cover sheet are forwarded to the Chair of the department, the Dean of the School and School of Graduate Studies for recording. Any change in the title of the proposal requires approval of the committee and notification of such must be sent to the chairperson, dean and School of Graduate Studies

 

Approval of the Proposal constitutes permission for the student to continue with the research and the preparation of the dissertation but does not guarantee approval of the final dissertation.  The signed proposal constitutes a binding agreement between the University and the student.  Even in the event that all members of the dissertation committee may leave the University, the University will consider the topic acceptable during whatever period of time is allowed for completion of the study.

 

D. Research Activity

This is the period when the student conducts the research study by collecting the data, recording the findings, and analyzing the results.  Depending on the topic being researched, this step may take from six months to several years. The time it takes to complete the study will be determined by the thoroughness of the Proposal, the energy of the student, and resolution of any unforeseen problems.  If the project involves other people, part of the timing will depend on their cooperation.

 

E.        Dissertation

The dissertation, describes what has been done and with what results. The chapters traditionally follow the same order as the Proposal but are written in greater detail and with the addition of a fifth chapter which is a summary that demonstrates how this study has contributed to the field, the implications it has raised, and any recommendations for further study.

 

The dissertation must follow an approved style e.g. APA, for which the student must obtain prior agreement from the dissertation committee. 

 

Graduation Application: 

All students must file the application for graduation with the Graduate School.  The application must be signed by the advisor and department chairperson. The date for filing of the application is published each year by the Graduate School.

 

6. Oral Defense

When the dissertation has been judged acceptable by the members of the dissertation committee, an oral defense will be scheduled by the department chair.  The date must be published two weeks in advance.

 

Copies of the completed dissertation must be made available to the department chairperson and the Graduate School Dean by mid-March (the date will be announced each semester) for students who expect to graduate in the May graduation ceremonies of the university.  

 

Attendance at the oral defense is open to other faculty members who may participate in the discussion.  The dissertation committee chairperson chairs the meeting.

 

The candidate will be requested to present the following information:

    1. A brief description of her / his educational background and professional experience;

2. A summary and explanation of the research undertaken.

3. The ability of the candidate to relate the dissertation problem and findings to problems and issues in the field of specialization.

 

At the close of the examination, the chairperson shall request the candidate to withdraw while the Dissertation Committee deliberates on the outcome of the oral examination.  Faculty may remain but cannot participate in the vote.

 

The approval or disapproval of the candidate’s dissertation will be the responsibility of the dissertation committee. Approval of the dissertation requires a unanimous vote of the dissertation committee.  The committee may approve with specific stipulations (recorded in writing) or disapprove with specific reasons (recorded in writing). The revised draft of the dissertation, reflecting changes required by the committee, will be circulated by the chairperson indicating that the specific stipulations have been met.  Final approval of the dissertation is the responsibility of the department chair. If the dissertation is not approved, the candidate can (1) abandon this particular topic and start again with a new committee and topic; or (2) not receive the degree.

Program Course Requirements

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EdD. in Mathematics Education 63 credits

Total Credits 57

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*  Upon achieving Doctoral Candidacy, the student will continuously register in Fall and Spring terms for EDUC 997 (Dissertation Guidance) until the Dissertation is completed and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for review.  The course is used only when the curriculum has been completed, candidacy has been achieved, and the student is completing the research and writing of the Dissertation.  The EDUC 997 course registration maintains the student status as a matriculated, full-time student (student is registered for 3 credit hours and the system reports a full-time 9 credit hour load).

After the Intent to Defend the Dissertation form has been received by the School of Graduate Studies, this course registration will be changed to EDUC 998 (Dissertation Defense) for the given semester and count for 3 credit hours of curricular coursework (EDUC 998 will also count as 9 credits of load).  EDUC 997 will not count toward curricular credits.  Other courses cannot be substituted for EDUC 997 (Dissertation Guidance).  The only eligible grade of EDUC 997 (Dissertation Guidance) is the grade of “S” and the only acceptable grade for EDUC 998 (Dissertation Defense) is “P/F” (Pass/Fail).

Suggested Curriculum Sequence

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• Mathematics Education (EdD), Curriculum Sequence