Ph.D. Plan of Study 1

Progress - Plan of Study - Assistantships - Course Descriptions - Timelines

Doctoral study in higher education through the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) is characterized by the following:

  • breadth of areas of study within higher education,
  • flexibility in ways to fulfill many requirements,
  • the opportunity for students to individualize their programs of study to match their interests and needs, and
  • access to a vast array of intellectual resources and learning environments throughout the University of Michigan.

The doctoral program of study is organized as follows. A total of 60 hours2 of graduate courses must be taken. Most courses are offered for 3 credits; numbers of credits listed for each category are minimum requirements.

I. Common Curricular Experiences (9 credits)

Three curricular experiences are required of each student. The first two provide broad overviews of postsecondary education, from both contemporary and historical perspectives. The last experience listed is one in which the student integrates concepts from scholarly literature to answer a question posed by the student.

II. "Gateway" Courses to Concentration Areas (minimum of 6 credits)

A "Gateway" course provides an introduction to a concentration, and typically serves as a prerequisite course for advanced study within the concentration. Students are required to take two of the following three gateway courses.

III. Research Requirements (minimum of 18 credits)

Since the Ph. D. is a research degree, the research requirement consists of several courses as follows.

  • A course in Qualitative Methods
  • An Advanced methods course for dissertation-related research

IV. Concentration Courses (minimum of 12 credits) selected in consultation with advisor

Each concentration consists of a set of courses appropriate to in-depth study in the concentration. These are described in the Concentration Descriptions section; students choose the appropriate combination of courses in consultation with their advisors.

V. Cognate Courses (minimum of 6 credits) 3

Cognate courses are those that are in a discipline or area different from a student's field of study but are related or connected with some aspect of this field. Students choose the appropriate cognate courses in consultation with their advisors. Course credits from a graduate degree outside Education may be used to fulfill the cognate requirement, with approval of advisor.

VI. Electives (remaining credits to meet 60 hour requirement)

Elective courses may be used to constitute the remainder of the 60 hours to complete the Program of Study. These may be School of Education courses, or non-School of Education courses. They may be taken from within the preceding categories of courses (gateway, research, concentration or cognate).

  • VII. Dissertation Precandidacy and Candidacy 4,5,6

Dissertation registration credits are not included in the 60-hour candidacy total number of credits. In accordance with the School of Education's Time To Degree Policy, a candidate will be required to make a candidacy registration once every two years from the term of achieving candidacy or their last candidacy registration to remain active. It is possible that a candidacy registration may be required as part of an assistantship/ fellowship/award offer, as a condition for readmission, or as a condition for the approval of an extension of time.

Dissertation registration credits are not included in the 60-hour candidacy total number of credits. To review the School of Education's Time To Degree Policy Statement, please see http://www.soe.umich.edu/common/escshpe/downloads/ttdextr.pdf. It is possible that a candidacy registration may be required as part of an assistantship/ fellowship/award offer, as a condition for readmission, or as a condition for the approval of an extension of time.

Notes:
  1. Students entering Fall 2008 or earlier may request an exception to the course waiver/substitution requirement that coursework (except cognates) be taken within five years prior to matriculation in the CSHPE program.
  2. Approval of substitutions or waivers can be requested at any time after initial registration, but should be done as early as possible. When requesting course waivers or substitutions, please attach approved copies of all Request for Course Waiver or Substitution forms to this Worksheet. See http://www.soe.umich.edu/cshpe/resources/graduate/index.html for necessary forms. It is the student's responsibility to initiate and to obtain supporting materials. A separate form should be submitted for each course or requirement for which a substitution or waiver is requested. The definition of course waivers and substitutions are as follows: A course waiver means that a student has already completed equivalent coursework or has sufficient career-relevant experience and, therefore, enrollment in the course at the University of Michigan is deemed by a student's advisor to not be required. (Career-related experiences may not reduce the minimum 60 hours of coursework required.) Substitution involves a request to replace a regular CSHPE requirement with a relevant University of Michigan course or educational experience. All coursework requested for waiver or substitution must have been completed within five years prior to matriculation in the CSHPE program.
  3. Cognate courses are those that are in a discipline or area different from a student's field of study but are related or connected with some aspect of this field. All cognate coursework must be approved by your advisor. See http://www.rackham.umich.edu/policies/gsh/section2/ for full details. Graduate courses cross-listed across Schools, "meet together" courses, or courses offered through another program within the Educational Studies program in the School of Education may count as cognate courses. Course credits from a graduate degree outside Education taken within five years prior to matriculation as a master's student in CSHPE may be used to fulfill the cognate requirement; discuss this decision with your advisor. Effective Fall 2007, all cognates require a grade of B- or above.
  4. Each doctoral student enrolled in the Rackham Graduate School must accumulate a minimum number (68) of Required Fee Totals (RFTs) to receive the doctoral degree. RFTs are calculated according to the number of credit hours you pay for. Your RFT requirements can be reduced from the required 68 to 50 if you have earned a master's degree from an accredited institution that is relevant to the doctoral degree you are pursuing here. See the following Rackham URL for details: http://www.rackham.umich.edu/policies/gsh/section2/#2121 .
    Note: For students with an earned relevant master's from another institution, the School of Education's Office of Student Affairs automatically verifies for Rackham the relevance of the previous degree for the sole purpose of meeting RFT requirements. Decisions about course substitutions and/or waivers are the responsibility of the advisor.
    Further, to clarify, dissertation registration credits (EDUC 995) are not included in the program's 60-hour coursework total, however they do count toward the RFTs.
  5. To view the School of Education's Time To Degree Policy Statement, please see http://www.soe.umich.edu/common/escshpe/downloads/ttdextr.pdf .
  6. 6. A student must complete all degree coursework, submit a signed doctoral worksheet, and pass the qualifying examination to achieve candidacy.

< Previous: Progress | Current: Progress | Next: Assistantships >

 

vCSS | vXHTML | Accessibility Features | Contact Webmaster | ©  2009 Regents of the University of Michigan

July 8, 2008 11:05 AM