Program Overview

Education, PhD

Overview

This program is designed to advance professional study to develop research-informed expertise in a selected field of professional education. As a program of doctoral study, it emphasizes theory and research as much as it does practice, breadth of study as much as depth, and process as well as knowledge. It seeks to develop both knowledge and the skills useful in educational roles as well as the abilities to analyze and respond to problems in their relationships to various educational concerns.

Admissions

Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study. See Graduate Admissions Policies.

Eligibility and Application Requirements

• Admission is highly selective and applicants must fulfill all admission requirements:
  • A minimum of three years of successful experience as a practitioner in an educational setting
  • Baccalaureate and master's (or equivalent) degrees from accredited institutions
  • Demonstrated high intellectual capability and leadership potential
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Writing assessment
  • GRE general test scores (GRE general tests scores are optional for Concentrations in Education Leadership and Higher Education)

Policies

For policies governing all doctoral degrees, see AP.6.10 Requirements for Doctoral Degrees.

Program of Study

A written program of study which lists all courses required to complete the program is used to guide student progress and to verify that they have met all requirements. The student's final Program of Study is submitted to the Office of the University Registrar with the Advancement to Candidacy paperwork and in the graduation semester for a final audit.

Transfer of Prior Earned Credits

Students are permitted to transfer credits from a master’s degree into a doctoral program per the stipulations outlined under policy AP.6.5 Credit by Exam or Transfer.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 75

Core Requirements

General Culture

• EDUC 800: Ways of Knowing 1 (3 credits)
• or EFHP 860: Critical Perspectives in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion (3 credits)

Research Methods

• EDRS 810: Problems and Methods in Education Research (3 credits)
• EDRS 811: Quantitative Methods in Educational Research (3 credits)
• EDRS 812: Qualitative Methods in Educational Research (3 credits)
• Select two from the following:
  • EDRS 814: Anti-Colonial Methodologies
  • EDRS 818: Critical Discourse Analysis in Education Research
  • EDRS 820: Evaluation Methods for Educational Programs and Curricula
  • EDRS 821: Advanced Applications of Quantitative Methods
  • EDRS 822: Advanced Applications of Qualitative Methods
  • EDRS 823: Advanced Research Methods in Single Subject/Case Design
  • EDRS 824: Mixed Methods Research: Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches
  • EDRS 825: Advanced Research Methods in Self-Study of Professional Practice
  • EDRS 826: Qualitative Case Study Methods
  • EDRS 827: Introduction to Measurement and Survey Development
  • EDRS 828: Item Response Theory
  • EDRS 829: Bayesian Methods
  • EDRS 830: Hierarchical Linear Modeling
  • EDRS 831: Structural Equation Modeling
  • EDRS 832: Document Analysis and Archival Research
  • EDRS 833: Participatory Action Research
  • EDRS 836: Narrative Inquiry
  • EDRS 850: Grounded Theory
  • EDRS 897: Special Topics in Research Methods
  • WMST 890: Advanced Topics in Feminist Research and Scholarship (pre-approved for HE Concentration students; all other students need permission from their Program Advisory Committee and the Director of the PhD in Education Program)

Transfer of Prior Earned Credits

• Students can transfer eligible credits from an earned Master's degree:
  • PhD without concentration (9-18 credits)
  • Kinesiology concentration (9-18 credits)
  • Education Leadership concentration (15 credits)
  • Higher Education concentration (9-18 credits)
  • Approval from student's Program Advisory Committee required

Dissertation Proposal and Research

Advancement to Candidacy

Upon successful completion of all coursework and the comprehensive portfolio assessment, students are advanced to candidacy and enroll in EDUC 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal.

Dissertation

Students must follow the university continuous registration policy as specified in AP.6.10.6 Dissertation Registration.

• Minimum 12 credits of:
  • EDUC 998: Doctoral Dissertation Proposal (1 credit)
  • EDUC 999: Doctoral Dissertation Research (2 credits)
  • or HE 999: Doctoral Dissertation (2 credits)

PhD without Concentration

All students are required to create digital portfolios to define their academic and professional goals; formulate specific plans to achieve those goals through coursework, research experiences, and experiential learning; demonstrate growth in understanding their chosen field and how knowledge is advanced through inquiry; synthesize and reflect upon the process and results of research; modify goals and plans as needed based on academic and reflective self-evaluation as well as feedback from the student's Program Advisory Committee, and demonstrate readiness to proceed to the dissertation phase of the program.

Program Advisory Committee

Students choose a program advisory committee of three current George Mason University faculty members who are affiliated with the PhD in Education Program prior to the end of their second semester. This committee is chaired by a graduate faculty member with the PhD in Education Program who is affiliated with the student’s primary specialization. One member must represent the student's secondary specialization. The major functions of this committee include assessing the student's goals, interests and academic needs, approving the program of study, monitoring the student's progress through the program and evaluating the student's three portfolio reviews.

Primary Specialization

Professional specializations include:

• Early childhood education/early childhood special education
• Education policy
• Educational psychology
• Higher education
• Interdisciplinary
• International education
• Learning technologies design research
• Literacy(ies) culture and reading
• Mathematics education leadership
• Multilingual/multicultural education
• Research methodology
• Science education research
• Special education
• Teaching and teacher education
• Students select course work based on their area of specialization. They may choose EDUC 994 and EDUC 890 to broaden their professional expertise. These internships must be taken in a setting that differs from the student's work setting, and includes 100 clock hours of work.

Secondary Specialization

• Students may develop a secondary specialization from coursework offered within CEHD or coursework offered within other Mason units, in consultation with their advisor

Concentration in Higher Education

All students are required to create digital portfolios to define their academic and professional goals; formulate specific plans to achieve those goals through coursework, research experiences, and experiential learning; demonstrate growth in understanding their chosen field and how knowledge is advanced through inquiry; synthesize and reflect upon the process and results of research; modify goals and plans as needed based on academic and reflective self-evaluation as well as feedback from the student's Program Advisory Committee, and demonstrate readiness to proceed to the dissertation phase of the program.

Program Advisory Committee

Students choose a program advisory committee of three current George Mason University faculty members who are affiliated with the PhD in Education Program prior to the end of their second semester. This committee is chaired by a graduate faculty member with the PhD in Education Program who is core faculty in the Higher Education Concentration. The major functions of this committee include assessing the student's goals, interests, and academic needs, approving the program of study, monitoring the student's progress through the program and evaluating the student's three portfolio reviews.

Higher Education Core

• EDEP 823: Research Project: Designing your Study (3 credits)
• or HE 886: Doctoral Internship in College Teaching and Administration (3 credits)
• or HE 897: Directed Reading in Higher Education (3 credits)
• EDUC 813: Systematic Reviews of Research (3 credits)
• or HE 886: Doctoral Internship in College Teaching and Administration (3 credits)
• or HE 897: Directed Reading in Higher Education (3 credits)
• Select 30 Credits from the following:
  • HE 701: Higher Education Law
  • HE 702: Contemporary Issues and Fundamental Theories in Higher Education
  • HE 703: Higher Education in the Digital Age
  • HE 704: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  • HE 705: Social Justice and Higher Education
  • HE 706: College Access and Student Success
  • HE 707: Scholarly Digital Storytelling
  • HE 710: Leadership in Higher Education
  • HE 711: Policy Studies in Higher Education
  • HE 712: Learning Assessment and Program Evaluation in Higher Education
  • HE 713: Internationalization of Higher Education
  • HE 721: History of Higher Education
  • HE 722: Organization and Administration in Higher Education
  • HE 792: Special Topics in Higher Education
  • HE 886: Doctoral Internship in College Teaching and Administration
  • HE 897: Directed Reading in Higher Education

Concentration in Kinesiology (KNES)

All students are required to create digital portfolios to define their academic and professional goals; formulate specific plans to achieve those goals through coursework, research experiences, and experiential learning; demonstrate growth in understanding their chosen field and how knowledge is advanced through inquiry; synthesize and reflect upon the process and results of research; modify goals and plans as needed based on academic and reflective self-evaluation as well as feedback from the student's Program Advisory Committee, and demonstrate readiness to proceed to the dissertation phase of the program.

Program Advisory Committee

Students choose a program advisory committee of three current George Mason University faculty members who are affiliated with the PhD in Education Program prior to the end of their second semester. This committee is chaired by a graduate faculty member with the PhD in Education Program who is affiliated with the student’s concentration. The major functions of this committee include assessing the student's goals, interests and academic needs, approving the program of study, monitoring the student's progress through the program and evaluating the student's three portfolio reviews.

Kinesiology Core

• EFHP 810: Neuromuscular Responses to Exercise (3 credits)
• EFHP 811: Motor Learning and Control (3 credits)
• EFHP 813: Musculoskeletal Biomechanics in Human Movement (3 credits)
• EFHP 815: Measurement Techniques and Instrumentation (3 credits)
• EFHP 820: Careers in the Academy Seminar (3 credits)
• EFHP 825: Data Analytics in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion (3 credits)
• EFHP 840: Doctoral Seminar in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion (3 credits)
• EFHP 880: Grant Writing (3 credits)

Experiential Learning

• KINE 890: Research Experience I (6 credits)
• KINE 891: Research Experience II (3 credits)
• KINE 897: Independent Study (3 credits)

Concentration in Education Leadership (EDLE)

All students are required to create digital portfolios to define their academic and professional goals; formulate specific plans to achieve those goals through coursework, research experiences, and experiential learning; demonstrate growth in understanding their chosen field and how knowledge is advanced through inquiry; synthesize and reflect upon the process and results of research; modify goals and plans as needed based on academic and reflective self-evaluation as well as feedback from the student's Program Advisory Committee, and demonstrate readiness to proceed to the dissertation phase of the program.

Program Advisory Committee

Students choose a program advisory committee of three current George Mason University faculty members who are affiliated with the PhD in Education Program prior to the end of their second semester. This committee is chaired by a graduate faculty member with the PhD in Education Program who is affiliated with the student’s concentration. The major functions of this committee include assessing the student's goals, interests and academic needs, approving the program of study, monitoring the student's progress through the program and evaluating the student's three portfolio reviews.

Education Leadership Core

• EDLE 801: Contemporary Organization Theory (3 credits)
• EDLE 802: Leadership and Decision Making (3 credits)
• EDLE 812: Education Law (3 credits)
• EDLE 813: Social and Political Forces in Education Leadership (3 credits)
• EDLE 814: Education Finance and Human Resources (3 credits)
• EDLE 816: Instructional Leadership-Curriculum Policy and Practice (3 credits)
• EDLE 818: Instructional Leadership-Supervision Policy and Practice (3 credits)

Experiential Learning

• EDUC 890: Doctoral Internship in Education (3 credits)
• EDUC 994: Advanced Internship in Education (3 credits)

Dissertation Proposal

• EDUC 998: Doctoral Dissertation Proposal (3 credits)