During the first semester in either program, each doctoral student will be advised by the program head or department chair, or will be assigned a temporary faculty advisor. Before the end of the first year in the program, each student must submit in writing to the Office of Graduate Studies an Advisory Committee and a Program of Studies.

Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee consists of at least three faculty members. Two must be from the major area of study and one from the minor area. The committee chair, who becomes the student's primary advisor, must be a regular faculty member in the major area of specialization. For interdisciplinary minors, the minor representative must be from outside the major. At least two of the faculty members on each doctoral advisory committee must be regular faculty members; one may be an adjunct or part-time faculty member. For Ph.D. Advisory Committees, two members, including the chair, must be members of the University Graduate School faculty.

Program of Studies

The Program of Studies is a coursework plan to fulfil program requirements. These requirements fall into several component categories. The student and the Advisory Committee chair play the primary roles in planning the Program of Studies. An Advisory Committee meeting is required, at which time all committee members review the Program of Studies for approval. The Program of Studies must then be approved by the department chair and the associate dean for graduate studies. A Program of Studies should be submitted within one year of matriculation.

Transfer of Credits

Some graduate coursework completed at other universities may be transferred in to degree and licensure programs.  All coursework transferred must be from an accredited college or university and no transfer credit will be given for courses with a grade lower than a B.  Transferred courses must be relevant to the student’s program of studies and must be approved by a program advisor and the associate dean for graduate studies.  It is the program advisor's responsibility to verify the quality and relevance of transfer courses in the program of study. A course description, syllabus or course deliverables may be required to transfer a course.

Degree Specifications

Doctoral programs are offered only at the Bloomington campus, with the exception of the Urban Education Studies Ph.D. which is offered exclusively at IUPUI. Some doctoral course work is offered at Indianapolis, and IUPUI faculty members may serve on doctoral committees. Information about application procedures and admission criteria is found in the section titled Admission to Graduate Programs.

90 hour Program (Ph.D. or Ed.D.)

For the 90 credit hour program, credit hours earned in master's or specialist degree programs may be included in the doctoral program as long as they are relevant to the student's doctoral areas of focus. Sixty (60) credit hours (including 12 dissertation credit hours) in the 90 credit hour program must be taken at the Bloomington or Indianapolis campus of Indiana University.

Program of Studies Components

Inquiry Core

This component requires a minimum of 9 credit hours, however many doctoral programs in the school require 12 or 15 credit hours of Inquiry Core course work. The Inquiry Core includes a survey course in research methodologies (e.g.Y520) and beginning courses in statistics, measurement, program evaluation, or in ethnographic, qualitative, quantitative, and historical research methods. Inquiry Core courses are to lay a rudimentary methodological foundation for applied inquiry courses in the major, and for dissertation research. A list of approved Inquiry Core courses is available at the School of Education Graduate Student Portal website.

Major

A major consisting of a minimum of 36 credit hours of course work in the selected field of specialization is required. There is substantial flexibility in the major. Courses from related areas of study may be included in the major component if their relevance to the major can be demonstrated and committee approval can be secured.

In addition to the inquiry core course work, 6 credit hours of inquiry course work are required in the major. One of these inquiry courses must be an early inquiry experience, during which a student carries out a research project, including the collection and analysis of data to answer a research question, and the writing of a research manuscript. This research is to be prior to the dissertation and not a direct part of the dissertation research. The early inquiry experience may be implemented through an independent study course (e.g., a 590 course), through a master's thesis (e.g. 599 course), or through a departmental research seminar. Each student must carry out an independent research project. The research manuscript that results from this study must be read and approved by the student's Advisory Committee.

The second of the two major area inquiry courses is an inquiry linkage course. This is a course in which research relevant to the major field of specialization is studied. Such study, however, focuses more on the research design and methodology of research in the major area than on the findings of the research. Analyzing and critiquing the research methodology are of primary importance in this experience. Each department has a research seminar or a specialized research methodology course for this purpose. The inquiry core courses normally should be completed prior to taking inquiry courses in the major.

Minor

The minor requires a minimum of 12 credit hours of course work taken in an area of studies outside of the major. The minor must complement the major. The committee member representing the minor field must approve the selection of courses in the minor area. An interdepartmental (interdisciplinary) minor is also possible. In this case the student must submit a written description of the theme of the minor, an explanation of the contribution of each course to that theme, and a rationale for the selection of the minor representative. This must be signed by the minor advisor. Interdepartmental (interdisciplinary) minors for Ph.D. students must be approved by the University Graduate School as well.

Electives

The electives category is designed to allow students freedom in course selection. This is also the place to put foundations courses. Each program area has specified courses in foundations, substantive core perspective, or other areas outside the major and minor, which are required for breadth. Courses that may fall into this category are those needed to meet the doctoral program requirement for 27 credit hours outside of the major program area. This ordinarily includes the 12 credit hours of minor course work, and the 9 or more credit hours of inquiry core courses.

Dissertation

The dissertation requires 12 credit hours of 799 and 3 credit hours of dissertation proposal preparation. Each doctoral program area has a 795 dissertation proposal preparation course, which is generally used for this purpose, either on an individual basis or as a departmental seminar.

60 hour Program (Ed.D. only)

For the 60 credit hour program, a master's degree is a prerequisite for admission. Master's course work may not be counted toward the 60 required credit hours, but graduate course work beyond the master's degree may be, as long as it meets requirements. In this program, 42 credit hours must be taken at the Bloomington or Indianapolis campus of Indiana University. At present, the 60 credit hour program is only available in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, Higher Education, Instructional Systems Technology and Literacy, Culture, and Language Education.

Program of Studies Components

Inquiry Core

This component requires a minimum of 9 credit hours of inquiry core course work. The Inquiry Core includes a survey course in research methodologies (e.g., Y520) and beginning courses in statistics, measurement, program evaluation, or in ethnographic, qualitative, quantitative, and historical research methods. Inquiry Core courses are to lay a rudimentary methodological foundation for applied inquiry courses in the major, and for dissertation research. A list of approved Inquiry Core courses is available at the School of Education Graduate Student Portal website.

Major

The major must con­sist of a minimum of 27 credit hours, of which 3 credit hours are to be in an inquiry linkage course. There is substantial flexibility in the major. Courses from related areas of study may be included in the major component if their relevance to the major can be demonstrated and committee approval can be secured. No early inquiry experience course is required.

Minor

The minor requirement is 9 credit hours of course work taken in an area of studies outside of the major. The minor must complement the major. The committee member representing the minor field must approve the selection of courses in the minor area. An interdepartmental (interdisciplinary) minor is also possible. In this case the student must submit a written description of the theme of the minor, an explanation of the contribution of each course to that theme, and a rationale for the selection of the minor representative. This must be signed by the minor advisor.

Dissertation

The dissertation requires 6 credit hours of 799 and 3 credit hours of 795. The focus of the dissertation is on data collection and analysis for the purpose of answering practical questions in the field. Descriptive research, program evaluation, needs assessment, case study, campus audit, and survey research are examples of the kinds of research studies expected.

Residency

The purpose of a residency requirement in graduate programs is for students to become closely involved in the academic life of their program and of the university; to become fully immersed in their graduate study for a substantial period of time; and to develop a relationship of scholarly and professional collegiality with faculty and fellow students. To this end, it is desirable for students in graduate programs, especially those in doctoral programs, to be full-time, residential students for a significant period. During their residency period, students are expected not only to take courses, but to participate in other aspects of the intellectual life of their discipline and of the university community.

For Ph.D. and Ed.D. students, two consecutive semesters in a single academic year (exclusive of summer session) must be spent in residence on the Bloomington or Indianapolis campus where the degree is being offered. This residency period must be subsequent to admission to the program. Nine (9) credit hours of program course work must be completed in each of these semesters. Ed.D. students who are working full time may fulfill residency requirements with three consecutive 6 credit hour terms. (Summer Session I and Summer Session II are not counted as separate terms.) Dissertation credit hours (799 or G901) may not be used to fulfill residency requirements.

Transfer of Credits

Some graduate course work completed at other universities may be transferred into degree and licensure programs at Indiana University. All coursework transferred must be from an accredited college or university. No transfer credit will be given for a course with a grade lower than a B. Courses graded P (Pass) may not ordinarily be transferred into education graduate programs. Courses graded S (Satisfactory) may be transferred only if a letter is received from the course instructor stating that the student's performance in the course was at or above a grade of B.

All transferred courses must be relevant to the student's program of studies. They must be approved by a program advisor and by the associate dean for graduate studies. An official transcript is required for course work to be transferred. A course description or syllabus may also be required in order to judge the appropriateness of coursework.

Students may transfer no more than 30 credit hours into an IU doctoral program. The form required for students to transfer courses is available at the School of Education Graduate Student Portal.

Double Major

Students in a doctoral program may declare a double major. A double major requires students to take all of the required course work in both majors. No minor is required, and some required courses outside of the major proper may be double-counted (i.e., research courses— including inquiry linkage courses, foundations courses, and foreign language courses). Double majoring students must include two representatives from each major on both their advisory and research committees (except Ed.D. double majors), and they must take qualifying examinations in both major areas. Only one dissertation is required. Special forms are available at the Office of Graduate Studies for the appointment of double major advisory and research committees.

Doctoral Minors

The student will select at least one minor subject. The minor must have integrity in its own right and must complement the major.

It must be taken outside the major department. The minor field must demonstrate wholeness within itself and contribute to the student's overall doctoral program. The major fields of doctoral specialization in education listed above are also available as minor areas for other doctoral programs. Students may also minor in any area of study outside of the School of Education that is listed in the University Graduate School Bulletin.

In addition, five approved minor area programs are available and described below.

College Pedagogy Minor

This minor introduces doctoral students to teaching and learning issues in higher education and may include the opportunity for a college teaching internship under the supervision of a university faculty member. As such, the minor prepares students for university teaching positions and for positions that involve the supervision and development of college and university faculty.

The 12 credit hours of course work required for this minor cannot duplicate those taken in the major field, and this minor is not available to students who are majoring in higher education. A listing of the required courses is available in the office of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and on the departmental Web site.

Inquiry/Research Methodology Minor

The development of competencies in methods of quantitative and qualitative inquiry constitutes the main thrust of this minor program. Graduates of a doctoral program with a minor in inquiry may qualify for positions as faculty members in colleges or universities or as researchers or evaluators in foundations, public school systems, industry, or consulting firms.

Students minoring in inquiry methodology may not use courses in their minor that have been counted elsewhere in their program of studies. Questions about this minor should be addressed to the chair of the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology.

International and Comparative Education Minor

This minor provides an international perspective on doctoral students' learning about education. It introduces students to educational issues that are of importance in the international community and provides the opportunity for students to conduct comparative research within their own fields of study.

The 12 credit hours of course work required for this minor cannot duplicate those taken in the major field. A listing of the required courses is available in the office of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

Social Foundations of Education Minor

This minor introduces students to the use of sociological and anthropological research in the study of education. It encompasses the intellectual foundations of these social sciences, the educational theories and findings of scholars in these disciplines, and the research methodologies of these disciplines that are relevant to educational research.

The 12 credit hours of course work required for this minor cannot duplicate those taken in the major field. A listing of the required courses is available in the office of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

Teacher Education Minor

The Teacher Education Minor (minimum 13 credit hours) is designed to help students explore four broad areas of scholarship:1) the theories, ideologies, and philosophies of teacher education; 2) the different approaches that have been used to develop teacher education programs and components of programs; 3) the experience (from students' and/or teacher educators' perspectives) of being involved in teacher education; 4) the societal factors (e.g., issues of race, class, gender) that have an impact on teacher education. Each area is examined both historically and in the present. In order to address these areas of concern, students are required to: 1) work for one semester (as an associate instructor or as part of an internship) in a teacher education program and to take a corresponding seminar, J700 Teaching in Teacher Education, and 2) take a minimum of 12 additional credit hours of graduate course work. Below are examples of courses students may consider for inclusion into a Teacher Education minor, although each student's program is personally developed by the student and his/her minor advisor (see list below):

• E530 Supervision of Student Teaching in Elementary School (3 cr.)
• H637 Topic: Histories of Teachers and Teacher Education (3 cr.)
• H637 Topic: Women in Education in America (3 cr.)
• J610 Staff Development Issues and Principles (3 cr.)
• J661 Materials and Methods in Teacher Education (3 cr.)
• J690 Internship in Curriculum (Teacher Education) (2-5 cr.)
• J710 Paradigms and Programs in Teacher Education (3 cr.)
• J720 Inquires into Pre-service Teacher Socialization (3 cr.)
• P524 Teaching Behavior and Effectiveness (3 cr.)