Doctor of Philosophy
in Curriculum and Instruction
with specialization in STEM Education
Global PRiSE
Program Handbook
College of Education
Texas Tech University
Box 41071
Lubbock, TX 79409-1071
www.educ.ttu.edu
1
Overview
This PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with specialization in STEM education program, known as Global
PRiSE, is a blended delivery program in which all coursework is completed online except that for two weeks
each of the first three summers student study on the Lubbock campus. Also, students attend a professional
education conference in years one and two and a Washington, DC, STEM policy advocacy activity in year
three.
Global PRiSE is designed to produce graduates who can “make a difference” in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics education at the local, state, national or international level with skills as:
• Pragmatic STEM education researchers, and
• Global STEM educators.
For each of these outcomes, students in this program will produce a signature product as part of their
coursework. For example, as a global STEM educator, students will aid teachers to involve their children or
adolescents in collaborative international STEM study and write about this experience for publication. As
another example, as a pragmatic researcher, a student might study classroom dynamics when the pupils are
engaged in global collaboration.
Global PRiSE is designed for K-12 STEM educators and others, such as those in informal science, who work
with children and adolescents. This program is not designed for post-secondary STEM faculty in departments
such as mathematics, biology, technical fields and so forth.
This handbook provides information to help you apply to and complete the Global PRiSE doctoral program in
Curriculum and Instruction. Information about Texas Tech University can be found on-line at www.ttu.edu.
Information about the College of Education can be found at www.educ.ttu.edu. The Graduate School catalog
can be accessed through https://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/_viewcat.php.
What Do We Mean by STEM?
STEM is an acronym coined by the National Science Foundation some 20 years ago to replace SMET, which
NSF had previously been using. As an acronym, STEM stands for science technology engineering
mathematics; no more, no less; it’s just an acronym. Since STEM has no meaning beyond the four disciplines
involved, it behooves us to define what we mean by STEM.
We take a very eclectic approach. By STEM we mean the four individual, independent disciplines plus the
interrelationship of two or more of the disciplines. For example, the Next Generation Science Standards
includes engineering standards along with science and the NGSS point out connections to mathematics and
language arts of the Common Core.
While computers and other teaching technologies are used heavily in the Global PRiSE program, the T of
STEM refers to technology in the same sense as technology is used by the ITEEA (International Technology
and Engineering Educators Association) where technology teachers instruct students about everything from the
impact of technology on society to robotics and to skills needed by a welder or electrician.
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What Do We Mean by Global STEM Educator –
the Global Part of Our Name and Logo?
To us global STEM education means that students are working interdependently with students from one or more
other countries on scientific inquiry to learn about nature, technology and engineering problem solving to
address human desires and needs, and social problems, such as climate, disease and water, requiring the
application of STEM knowledge. Building on that conceptualization of global STEM education, our students
develop skills to help individual teachers or groups of teachers engage their students in global STEM education,
advocate for sound STEM policies based on this understanding of global science education, and conduct
research about global STEM education or other STEM topics, such as argumentation, professional
development, or instructional sequences in the context of global STEM education.
What Do We Mean by the PRiSE Part of Our Name and Logo?
By PRiSE – pragmatic researcher in STEM education – we point out that we are producing STEM education
researchers. Of course, this program is a PhD; and the hallmark of a PhD is that the recipient can conduct
research at the cutting edge of the field. However, beyond being a researcher, our graduates will know how to
and have experienced both (1) direct work with groups of teachers to improve their STEM teaching, whether
that be in science or technology or engineering or math or some combination of the four STEM fields, and (2)
advocacy for sound, research-based STEM education policy.
Contacts for More Information
For information about the admissions process, email april.chavez@ttu.edu or call her at 806.834.5629. If you
have difficulty reaching Ms. Chavez, contact pam.smith@ttu.edu or call 806.834.2969. For specific
programmatic information about Global PRiSE, email walter.smith@ttu.edu or call Dr. Smith at 806.834.3799.
Application and Admissions
Who Should Apply to the Program?
Professional STEM educators, including those in informal education settings, who wish to become (1)
university STEM educators who teach teaching methods, student teaching or related courses in one of the
STEM education disciplines or a combination of disciplines, (2) STEM education leaders in the K-12 setting, or
(3) regional, state, national or international leaders in STEM education. (See application criteria for more
information.)
This program does not lead to certification to be a school administrator and it is not intended for people who
desire to be a chemist, mathematician, geologist or other discipline-centered professor at the university. The
focus of this program is on K-12 education and is not for community college or other post-secondary teachers of
math, science, engineering or technology per se.
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When to Apply:
Global PRiSE students complete the program as a cohort which starts formal coursework in the fall1 and
continue taking courses each fall, spring and summer semester as a group. Contact april.chavez@ttu.edu to
inquire about the application process.
Start your application process as soon as you are aware a new cohort of students is being recruited. It takes time
– frequently two or more months – for all parts of the application process to be completed; and you don’t want
to miss deadlines.
How to Apply:
You must apply to both the Graduate School of Texas Tech University (gradschool@ttu.edu) for “General
Admission” to the Graduate School and to the STEM education (Global PRiSE) PhD program in the College
of Education.
Step 1: Apply to Texas Tech University’s Graduate School at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/admissions/
•
Submission of Graduate Records Exam (GRE) scores that are five years old or fewer is required.
Information about the GRE can be found at gre.org. Apply now to take the GRE.
•
International applicants must also submit their Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score
to the Graduate School.
Step 2: Apply to the College of Education.
•
The College of Education requires the submission of an online application portfolio. Details and
guidelines, as well as submission instructions, will be found on the College of Education degree
website
(https://appspace.ads.ttu.edu/EDUCGraduateApplication/Candidate/apply/ApplyForDegree?guid=1a1b
c5bb-1e49-42af-bbda-1797410d604d).
Presently work is proceeding to combine steps 1 and 2. Contact april.chavez@ttu.edu, if you have questions.
In the College of Education application process you will be asked to submit:
1. your resume (vita),
2. an applicant statement in which you discuss your academic background, work experience, and personal
insights that led you to decide to pursue this degree, and
3. a sample of your scholarly writing.
You must also have three people submit professional recommendations for you to the College of Education. As
you complete your application you will be given web addresses to give to your recommenders.
Step 3: Apply for financial aid at http://www.financialaid.ttu.edu/home/ and/or for general scholarships. (You
1
A free, non-credit orientation to the program is conducted during the summer preceding the fall in which formal coursework begins.
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may apply for scholarships as part of Step 2 (application to the College of Education). Also, go to the
Graduate School scholarship website at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/scholarships/. Many scholarships
have February 15 deadlines.
Step 4: Upon acceptance to the Graduate School and the College of Education, you will work with a
Temporary Advisor from the Global PRiSE program to develop a degree plan.
What Are the Prerequisites for Admission?
Applicants must have a master's degree from an accredited institution in STEM education or closely related
field such as curriculum and instruction, elementary, middle or secondary education, educational leadership or a
STEM field.
Applicants must have taken a graduate course in each of three areas: curriculum, instruction, and diversity. Any
or all of these three courses may apply to a specific field (e.g., elementary math education) or to education in
general. Examples of diversity courses include special education, diversity, educational anthropology, or
English as a Second Language. Applicants who have not completed these three courses may be admitted with
the proviso that they complete their deficiency by the end of the second year in the program.
Applicants must have had at least three years of successful K-12 STEM teaching in a public or private school
and/or an informal STEM setting by the start of their first course in the program.
Applicants must have an acceptable set of GRE scores. (There is no cut-off score; several types of evidence,
including the GRE, are taken into account in the admissions decision.)
Applicants must have outstanding writing skills indicative of their being able to produce polished academic
papers.
Applicants must have three references from professionals in the field of education. At least one of the
references must speak to the strength of the applicant as a STEM teacher.
Applicants must have completed undergraduate and/or graduate coursework in STEM consistent with their
intended focus level after graduation. For example, applicants intending to work with secondary STEM
teachers are expected to have a stronger STEM background than those who plan to work with elementary
STEM teachers.
Preference will be given to applicants who have significant graduate work in STEM education.
International Applications:
Students from countries other than the United States are welcome to apply. If you are applying from outside the
United States, contact april.chavez@ttu.edu for information about international applications.
Admissions Decision:
Once all of the materials required by the Graduate School and the Global PRiSE program in the College of
Education have been received, a committee of STEM faculty will review your application materials in a holistic
manner. Their recommendation for admission will be acted upon by the Graduate School and you will be
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informed of the decision.
The number of spaces in each cohort is limited, so applicants who might be admitted at another time may be
denied admission for a particular cohort.
Appeal of Admissions Decision:
Applicants who are not accepted into any doctoral program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction
may appeal the faculty’s decision. The first level of appeal is to reapply to the program, addressing the program
faculty’s reasons for rejection, as delineated in the notification of the rejection letter. If an applicant is still
rejected by the Curriculum and Instruction Program faculty, the next level of appeal is the College of Education
Graduate Academic Affairs Committee. In making an appeal to the Graduate Academic Affairs committee, the
applicant must address the Curriculum and Instruction Program faculty’s reasons for rejection as defined in the
two previous letters. If the applicant’s appeal is denied by the College of Education Graduate Academic Affairs
Committee, there is no further recourse for admission.
Advisor and Members of the Doctoral Advisory Committee
and Planning your Program and Residency
Temporary Advisor:
Upon admission to Global PRiSE you will be assigned a Temporary Advisor to help you begin your program.
Currently Dr. Walter S. Smith (walter.smith@ttu.edu; 806.834.3799) serves that role.
Advisor:
Toward the end of the second year of your program you will be asked to request an advisor. Using that
information and keeping a balance among the advisors’ responsibilities, early in the third year of the program
the Global PRiSE faculty will assign you an advisor to guide you through selection of the remainder of your
doctoral committee, completion of your qualifying examination, selection of a dissertation topic, approval of
your dissertation proposal, completion of the dissertation and other tasks to help you succeed in your doctoral
program.
Selection of your advisor (sometimes known as your major professor or committee chair) and members of your
doctoral committee is one of the most important choices you will make in your doctoral studies. These
individuals frequently will be your mentors through your program and subsequent professional life. Certainly
during your doctoral studies they will make key judgments (e.g., approve your dissertation proposal) about your
progress toward the degree.
Doctoral Committee:
After your advisor has been appointed, communicate with your advisor about potential committee members
based on their areas of expertise, research interests, and willingness to work with you. At least three (3) faculty
members, including your advisor, must be selected to constitute your doctoral committee. Your advisor will
serve as the committee chair and there will be at least one other member from Curriculum and Instruction. At
least one committee member must be from outside Curriculum and Instruction. All members of your doctoral
advisory committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Membership of your doctoral committee will be
listed on the program form which is submitted to the Graduate School. If you are unsure who qualifies for
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doctoral committee membership, contact your temporary advisor, advisor or the Associate Dean for Graduate
Education and Research.
Some Global PRiSE students’ doctoral committee includes an individual who is not on the faculty at Texas
Tech. Such a person must have an appropriate terminal degree in his or her field, the approval of your advisor,
and the approval of the Graduate School. In order to secure the Graduate School's approval, your advisor must
email to the Graduate School the person's vita along with a request for that person to be appointed to the
Graduate Faculty for the purpose of serving on that specific student’s doctoral committee. Typically this person
must have recent research-based publications, as revealed by their vita, or other outstanding research qualifications and be a member of a graduate faculty at another university.
Preliminary Exam:
There is no preliminary exam in Global PRiSE.
Planning Your Program:
Your program must be submitted to the Graduate School before you complete 18 credit hours. Because the
Texas Tech portion of your coursework is the same for all Global PRiSE students, the degree plan can be filled
out during the aforementioned orientation during the summer prior to your first semester of formal coursework.
At that time you will list the Tech courses plus 30 hours of graduate hours to be transferred from your master’s
and/or other graduate study. With each transfer course you must list its Texas Tech equivalent.
Note: Coursework that is seven or more years old will not typically be accepted. Exceptions will require written
justification from the temporary advisor to the department chairperson, Associate Dean for Graduate Education
and Research, and final approval by the Graduate Dean.
Continuation of Enrollment
Students who are admitted to Global PRiSE are expected to begin taking classes in the semester for which they
were granted admission and continue to enroll each semester in the courses planned by the Global PRiSE
faculty until they graduate. If for extenuating circumstances, such as personal illness or failure of a class, a
student is unable or not allowed to enroll, every effort will be made by the student’s temporary advisor or
advisor and the Global PRiSE faculty to continue the program at a later date with a different cohort of students.
Normally students “stop out” of coursework only one year; and only in the rarest of circumstances will students
be allowed to not take courses for more than two years. Students who stop taking classes for any period of time
may be required to apply for re-admission to the program according to the procedures and standards in effect at
the time of reconsideration.
Program of Study
Program Length:
Assuming a student has completed all of the prerequisites and completes the dissertation on time, the program
is 66 hours long, including 54 hours of coursework (i.e., 18 courses at 3 hours each) and 12 hours for
dissertation. Students who do not complete their dissertation during those 12 hours need to enroll each
semester – fall, spring and summer – for three hours of dissertation until it is completed.
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Once started, students will continue to take courses for three years and then there is one year for the dissertation.
In the event of unforeseen circumstances such as extreme medical trauma, we will make every attempt to work
with students thus affected to complete their program in a timely manner. However, we can make no guarantee
we will be able to get a student back on track, if s/he has to stop out for an extended period of time.
As with all Texas Tech University College of Education programs, Global PRiSE courses are organized into a
sequence of three phases called P1, P2, and P3. At the end of each phase you must pass an assessment built into
one of your courses to determine whether you can move to the next phase or pass out of P3. If you are
unsuccessful with one of the end of phase assessments, you will be given remediation aimed to your being
successful with the assessment task.
When and how is the program offered?
The majority of the 66 hours of coursework will be completed online during the fall, spring and summer
semesters; but students will also be required to attend as a group:
•
three intensive, face-to-face, two-week, July sessions on the Lubbock campus of Texas Tech University
toward the end of each of their first three years in the program,2 and
•
national conferences of a professional education association such as the International Society for
Technology in Education during their first year in the program, Association for Science Teacher
Education (typically in January) or the Association of Mathematics Teacher Education (typically in
February) during their second year in the program, and a Washington, DC/Capitol Hill policy
advocacy experience in June of the third year of the program. During each of the three experiences,
students will meet with Texas Tech faculty as a group for cohort activities as well as attend sessions.
Students must be committed to completing a predetermined set of courses as part of a cohort. Additionally,
students will be expected to complete coursework and additional expectations as outlined in the program
requirements.
Courses:
In order to achieve the Global PRiSE outcomes of this doctoral program in STEM education, students will
complete 45 hours in research courses (including 12 hours in dissertation) to demonstrate their skill as a STEM
education researcher, and six hours each in STEM education change agency, STEM education advocacy and
global STEM education. Additionally students will complete 12 more hours of coursework that undergird these
areas. Courses are organized into 18 hours per year for the first three years and 12 hours of dissertation in year
four. If a student does not complete their dissertation by the end of year four, they must continue to enroll in a
minimum of three dissertation hours per semester – fall, spring and summer – until all degree requirements are
complete.
The degree requires a minimum of 96 hours of graduate level courses, which includes at least 12 hours of
dissertation research and up to 30 hours of transfer courses.
2
We are considering a global education conference in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for approximately the first three days of the
two week “Lubbock” session; and then the Global PRiSE activities would move to Lubbock for the remainder of the two weeks.
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Coursework follows the university schedule. Fall courses extend from late August to mid-December. Spring
courses extend from early January to early May. Summer courses start after the end of Spring semester courses
and end in mid-August. Global PRiSE students take the following courses.
Year One
Fall – Year One
ESTM 6377
Global STEM Education (3)
Make up one course deficiency, if needed.
Spring – Year One
ESTM 6370
Research in STEM Education (3)
EDCI 5306
Quantitative Methods in Curriculum and Instruction I (3)
Attend national conference of ISTE (International Society of Technology in Education).
Summer – Year One
EDCI 5306
Fundamentals of eLearning in Curriculum and Instruction (3)
EDCI 6331
John Dewey (3)
ESTM 6373
Advanced Theory of Inquiry in STEM Education (3)
Typically one of the three summer courses is taught in the first five weeks of the summer term, a second
course is taught in the second five weeks, and a third course extends across the ten weeks of the summer
term.
Attend a two week session (dates TBA in July) in Lubbock for the face-to-face portion of coursework
and advising about the doctoral program.3
Year Two
Fall – Year Two
EDCI 6306
Quantitative Methods in Curriculum and Instruction II (3)
ESTM 6378
Applications of Global Science Education (3)
Spring – Year Two
ESTM 6372
Applied Assessment in STEM Education (3)
Make up one course deficiency, if needed.
Attend Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) or Association of Mathematics
Teacher Educators (AMTE) international conference in January or February.
Summer – Year Two
ESTM 6371
Effective Policy Advocacy in STEM Education (3)
EDCI 5386
Constructivist Inquiry Method (3)
ESTM 6374
International STEM Education Assessment, Policy and Practice (3)
Typically one of the three summer courses is taught in the first five week summer term, a second course
is taught in the second five weeks, and a third course extends across the ten weeks of the summer term.
Attend a two week session (dates TBA in July) in Lubbock for the face-to-face portion of coursework
and advising about the doctoral program.
3
We are considering a global education conference in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for approximately the first three days of the
two week “Lubbock” session; and then the Global PRiSE activities would move to Lubbock for the remainder of the two weeks.
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Year Three
Fall – Year Three
ESTM 6375
Staff Development in STEM Education (3)
EDCI 6382
Advanced Field Methods as Constructivist Inquirer (3)
Spring – Year Three
ESTM 6379
Applied Research in STEM Education (3)
EDCI 6393
Advanced Practicum as a Global STEM Professional Developer (3)
Summer 2016
EDCI 6393
Advanced Practicum applying theory to practice as advocate for research-based STEM
education policy
EDCI 7000
Research
Proposal)
(3)
education (Dissertation
policy at the state
and national
levels (3)
Attend Capitol Hill advocacy meeting in Washington, DC, probably in mid to late June.
Typically the policy course is taught in the first five weeks of the summer term and the proposal course
extends over the entire ten weeks of the summer term.
Attend a two week session (dates TBA in July) in Lubbock for the face-to-face portion of coursework
and written portion of your qualifying exam.
Year Four
Fall – Year Four
EDCI 8000
Dissertation (6)
Oral portion of qualifying exam in August–September. (Students who do not successfully pass their
qualifying exam may be required to enroll in additional coursework.)
Formal presentation of dissertation proposal in October–December.
Spring – Year Four
EDCI 8000
Dissertation (3)
Summer – Year Four
EDCI 8000
Dissertation (3)
Dissertation Defense
Students who do not complete their dissertations by Summer – Year Four will continue to enroll in
dissertation research for a minimum of three hours each semester – fall, spring and summer – until
completion of their degree.
In order to complete this sequence of course, you must meet any pre- or co-requisites for particular courses.
Not being able to meet pre- or co-requisites in most cases will delay your progress in this sequence.
Every effort has been made to correctly represent the courses you will be taking, but the university reserves the
right to modify the courses to be taken or the sequence in which they are taken.
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Dissertation:
Consistent with program outcomes, all dissertations will report research about:
•
global STEM education or
•
a STEM research topic such as argumentation, school improvement or teacher self-image in the context
of global STEM education.
Dissertations will be written with two or more embedded manuscripts, each of which will be ready for
submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
Other Expectations:
Most of your requirements will be included in coursework, but doctoral students who are looking for career
advancement frequently take part in degree-related but out of class activities such as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Present at a national or international professional conference, such as ASTE, ITEEA or NCTM.
Submit research manuscripts for publication.
Submit book reviews for publication.
Contribute to the writing of a grant proposal.
Serve as a reviewer of conference proposals.
Serve as a reviewer of journal manuscripts
Residency Requirement
In order to immerse the doctoral student in the life of the scholar for an extended period of time, one year of
residency or a comparable residency is required for the doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. This
requirement may be met in one of five ways:
1. Registration as a full-time student for two consecutive fall and spring semesters with at least 12
semester hours during each term.
2. For students holding half-time graduate assistantships, or students involved for no more than halftime in other work closely related to the doctoral study, 9 semester hours in each of the long terms
and at least 6 semester hours in the preceding or subsequent summer.
3. A full summer term of 12 weeks, earning 12 semester hours of graduate credit plus the completion of
at least 12 semester hours of graduate credit during the adjacent spring or fall semester.
4. Three consecutive full summers of at least 9 weeks each while earning at least 9 semester hours of
graduate credit during each summer.
5. A combination of 21 hours of graduate credit completed during a 12-month period plus at least 3
additional hours of graduate credit completed in an immediately preceding or subsequent full
semester or summer session.
Of these five options, Global PRiSE students meet the residency requirement through option 5.
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Qualifying Examination
All Global PRiSE doctoral students must pass a qualifying examination prior to receiving their degree. Students
are permitted to take the examination no earlier than their last semester of coursework, excluding the
dissertation. Students must apply to take the examination in the office of the College of Education Associate
Dean for Graduate Education and Research (Ed., Room 105). For additional information about the Doctoral
Qualifying Examination, see the Student Handbook.
The following statements govern the administration of the Qualifying Examination for all programs culminating
in the PhD in Curriculum and Instruction.
1. At the discretion of the student’s committee, the written portion of the qualifying examination for the
PhD in Curriculum and Instruction must be composed of either
(1) questions for which students write their answers, without notes, in a proctored room in the College of
Education, (2) questions given to the student to answer at home, or (3) a combination of both options
one and two.
Students in Global PRiSE must follow option 1(2) which means they will be given questions to answer
at home. That is, Global PRiSE students answer “take home” essay questions when they are on campus
in Lubbock in the summer of their third year.
2. Regardless of which of the three options for the written exam is used, an oral exam must be
administered following the written portion of the qualifying examination.
3. The written portion of the examination must ask questions about (1) the student’s concentration, (2) their
research skills, and (3) the remaining goals for the PhD program with attention to the concentration
being about equal to the sum of the attention to the research skills and other goals. (It is inappropriate to
ask students to write the first three chapters of their dissertation as their qualifying exam.)
4.
If the written examination is composed only of questions to be answered in a proctored room in the
College of Education, the student will be given twelve hours spread over a one week period to respond,
using a computer (e.g., four three-hour sessions)
5. If the written examination is composed of only questions to answer at home, the student must return
their answers two weeks after receiving them. The sum of their typed answers must be no longer than
30 pages, double spaced, with one inch margins in 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
6. If a combination of proctored and take home responses is used, the sum of the two parts of the exam
should approximate the parameters for the proctored or take home only written examination.
7. When either the proctored and/or take home exam is given, the student may ask their committee chair
for clarification of questions; but no further assistance may be given by the student’s committee
members.
8. The student’s committee members compose the student’s questions, following these guidelines, for the
written and oral examination, oversee the administration of the examination, and evaluate the student’s
answers.
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9. The oral examination of approximately two hours must be limited to questions that ask the student to
clarify and/or extend their written answers plus other questions that address the goals for the program.
10. If the qualifying examination is given in the fall or spring semester, the oral examination must be held
no more than three weeks after the student turns in their answers.
11. The qualifying examination may be given in the summer only if all committee members agree to the
examination being given then.
12. If the written portion of the qualifying examination is given in Summer I, the written and oral portions
must be completed prior to the end of Summer I.
13. If the qualifying examination is given in Summer II, then the deadline for the orals will be September 15
of the subsequent fall semester.
14. At the discretion of the student’s committee, the committee members may give the student, prior to the
written portion of the examination, guidance in what questions might be asked. Options for guidance
include but are not limited to giving the student a brief or detailed list of topics to be covered, sample
questions from other exams, and possible questions that could be asked.
15. Nothing about these statements may be construed to contradict other university policy.
Candidacy and Dissertation Committee
After passing the qualifying examination, the student becomes a “candidate” and at that point a dissertation
committee, which may be the same as the advisory committee, is appointed. At least two members, one of
whom is the committee chair, must be from Curriculum and Instruction; and at least one member must be from
outside Curriculum and Instruction. As with the advisory committee, any changes in the dissertation committee
are rare and may be done only for significant reasons.
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Steps to Complete the Global PRiSE PhD in Curriculum and Instruction
Following is a list of steps a student follows to complete the Global PRiSE degree requirements. The list is
intended as an aid and not as a replacement for policy statements written elsewhere.
What
When
1
Applicants apply for admission to both the Graduate School and Global PRiSE
through the College of Education. Applicants may follow directions provided by
the Graduate School to track the progress of their application through Raiderlink.
Prior to admission.
2
After the admissions decision is made a letter is sent to the applicant. If they are
admitted, the letter includes the name of a Temporary Advisor.
Upon admissions.
3
Global PRiSE students are enrolled in appropriate classes by staff in the College of
Education. Students may track their enrollment through Raiderlink.
Prior to semester in which the courses
are taken.
4
Continuous enrollment is required in all semesters. If students are unable to take
courses in a particular semester, they must discuss their situation with their
Temporary Advisor or Advisor. Global PRiSE faculty will attempt to enable to reenter the program when the next cohort reaches the point where the student stopped
taking classes.
The Temporary Advisor advises Global PRiSE students through the first two years
of the program. Early in Year Three students are assigned to an advisor, who may
be the Temporary Advisor.
Contact you Temporary Advisor or
Advisor as soon as you know you will
have to stop taking classes.
5
6
7
With advice from the Advisor, the student selects an Advisory Committee of the
Doctoral Advisor plus at least two other faculty members, at least one of whom
must be from Curriculum and Instruction and one of whom must be from outside
Curriculum and Instruction. Steps 5 & 6 are reported to the Grad School by the
Doctoral Advisor.
Under the direction of the Temporary Advisor, students complete their degree plan
form which is then signed by the Temporary Advisor and submitted to the Graduate
School.
The Temporary Advisor is assigned
upon admission. Request for someone
to serve as Advisor is made at the end
of the second year and the Advisor is
appointed early in the third year.
After the Advisor has been appointed.
No later than the first semester in the
program.
8
The student’s Doctoral Advisor submits changes in degree program, if necessary.
As needed
9
Complete residency. Global PRiSE students complete residency via “option 5” (see
above).
10
The student’s Advisory Committee administers the Qualifying Exam; the Doctoral
Advisor reports the results of the examination and the appointment of the
Dissertation Committee, often the same as the Advisory Committee, to the
Graduate School who admits the student to candidacy. The form is available on the
Graduate School site.
Complete before taking the Qualifying
Examination. (Completion of this
requirement is checked by the
Graduate School prior to graduation.)
No earlier than the last semester of
coursework and at least three months
prior to graduation. After passing the
exam, the Grad. School approves the
student as a “candidate.”
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The candidate proposes their dissertation topic and procedure to their Dissertation
Committee via Skype for their approval. (After receiving consent of the
Dissertation Advisor, the student informs the College of Education Graduate Office
of the defense at least two weeks before the proposal defense.) The Doctoral
Advisor reports via memo the results of the proposal meeting to the College of
Education Graduate Office.
The student submits an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval form for the
dissertation research, if human subjects are involved.
After admission to candidacy and
prior to formally conducting
dissertation research.
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Continuous student enrollment in all semesters (fall, spring and summer) in at least
three credit hours of EDCI 8000 under the dissertation is successfully defended.
All semesters.
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Candidate files with the Graduate School a “Statement of Intention to Graduate”
form with official title of dissertation listed. (If the student does not graduate that
semester, she or he must file a new form in their intended graduation semester.)
Semester of graduation.
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Candidate must pay document fees through the Student Business Services Office
Semester of graduation. (This fee is
paid only once.)
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With consent of the Dissertation Advisor, the candidate schedules a final oral
defense of dissertation via Skype. (The candidate submits defense notification form
to the College of Education Graduate Office at least three weeks before the
dissertation defense.)
Candidate completes on line College of Education and Department of Curriculum
and Instruction doctoral surveys.
At least three weeks prior to the
defense.
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The candidate stands for their oral defense of their dissertation and the results are
reported by the Dissertation Advisor via a form, which is available on the Graduate
School website, to the Graduate School.
Prior to announced deadline in
semester of graduation.
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After incorporating committee changes, the candidate submits PDF file of
dissertation to the Graduate School’s Dissertation Supervisor for review
Prior to announced deadline in
semester of graduation. (Usually 5
weeks before graduation date.)
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Final grade (A or B) submitted by the Dissertation Advisor to the Registrar. (Prior
to the final semester, 8000 is graded credit/no credit.)
End of semester when dissertation was
defended.
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The candidate submits official PDF file of dissertation to ETD web site, orders and
takes all personal/paper copies to Graduate School
Prior to announced deadline
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The candidate is hooded by their advisor at graduation ceremonies. A celebration
ensues.
At an announced date at the end of
either the fall, spring or summer
semester.
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After the proposal has been approved
by the student’s Dissertation
Committee.
Prior to dissertation defense.
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Academic Conduct
Academic conduct is governed by the Code of Student Conduct and the Texas Tech Operating Policies, including 34.12 (2011) Grading Procedures. In cases involving academic dishonesty or other aspects of student conduct, if the student is not suspended from the university, then pre- and co-requisite statements in course descriptions will govern decisions about courses in which the student will be allowed to enroll.
Statement of Intention to Graduate and Graduation Fees
All doctoral degree students must file a Statement of Intention to Graduate and pay graduation fees. Since
specific deadlines exist for filing forms and paying fees, students should contact the Office of the Associate
Dean for Graduate Education and Research for additional information.
Additional Suggestions and Information
Other important issues such as registration, financial assistance, ethics, and appeals procedures are outlined in
the Texas Tech University Graduate Catalog, College of Education Doctoral Student Handbook, and the
Education Student Handbook.
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