Program Description
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 Science Education at Morgan State University is designed for those who anticipate significant leadership careers in research or practice in science education and are committed to excellence in meeting the challenges of science education in urban settings.
Program Objectives
To prepare a cadre of researchers and practitioners who are capable of adding to the body of knowledge about the teaching and learning of science in urban settings, and who possess the skills, competencies and attitudes to provide instructional leadership in these curriculum areas.
· 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 science and in such settings.
· To effect positive changes in the teaching and learning of science at all levels.
Candidates for the doctoral degree must complete a minimum of sixty-three (63) academic credit hours (including 6 dissertation credits), pass comprehensive exams, and submit an acceptably written dissertation.
General Requirements
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.
· 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.
· 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.
· All candidates will be required to complete a practicum. The practicum will involve an intervention in an aspect of the teaching/ learning of science at a selected level of the educational system.
· 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 science content courses.
· 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.
· 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
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:
Admission
To be eligible for admission to the ED.D. Program in science 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 science or science education. Applicants whose master’s degree is in education must have earned at least an undergraduate degree in an area of science.
· 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
Students achieve candidacy by successfully passing the comprehensive examinations. If the student has completed all coursework prior to sitting for the comprehensive exams he/she should register for ASLP 993 until the exams have been completed.
Comprehensive Qualifying Exam
A student may register for the comprehensive in either the fall or spring semester.
Completion of 42 hours of course work of which at least nine hours should be in science content courses. Credit hours gained from the Practicum cannot be counted towards these 42 hours.
The examination is designed to be both an assessment tool and a learning experience. As an assessment tool, it will assess the student’s mastery of some of the foundational concepts of education in general and science education in particular. It will also assess the student’s readiness to proceed to the dissertation. As a learning experience, it is intended to help the student to develop the skills and competencies expected of those who will fill leadership roles in the fields of science education. There comprehensive exam consists of responses in the form of two papers. The student and his/her advisor will design the question for each paper. Once the student has completed all coursework and passed the comprehensive exams they will advance to candidacy.
Dissertation Completion
Once a student attains candidacy, they must maintain status as a matriculated full-time student by enrolling in ASLP 997 every Fall and Spring semester until graduation. At this point in the program the student will complete a concept paper for the dissertation. Once the committee provides guidance on how to proceed the student will then complete the proposal and the dissertation.
Responsibility for writing and editing of the dissertation rests with the student, under the guidance of the chair of the student’s supervisory committee. General guidelines for formatting and submitting dissertations are detailed in the School of Graduate Studies, Handbook for Dissertations and Theses, which may be downloaded from the School of Graduate Studies’ website. Students must also have a working knowledge of the most recent version of the APA publication style manual. The final defense of the dissertation is an oral exam conducted publicly during which the student presents the dissertation research to the supervisory committee. The presentation must be of the highest academic quality. It is the responsibility of the chair of the supervisory committee to submit a letter to the department chair and the School of Graduate Studies affirming the successful defense of the dissertation. Finally, the student must complete the administrative process for proper submission of the dissertation to the Graduate School.
Foundation Courses 12 credits
Research Courses 9 credits
Science Education Courses 12 credits
Science Content Courses 12 credits
Students choose four (4) courses from BIOL, CHEM, PHYS and EDSC courses
- XXXX - 500 or higher Science Course 3 credits
- XXXX - 500 or higher Science Course 3 credits
- XXXX - 500 or higher Science Course 3 credits
- XXXX - 500 or higher Science Course 3 credits
Science Elective Courses 6 credits
Students choose two (2) courses not used in the Science Content section from the following options
Practicum Course 3 credits
Dissertation Course 3 credits
Total Credits 57
* 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
Return to: