Educational Studies: Cross-Specialization PhD Option: Details
Overview:
This proposal creates within the Educational Studies Ph.D. degree program a student-initiated Cross-Specialization degree option.
Rationale:
Talented students who wish to enroll for doctoral studies in the School of Education, or whom we wish to recruit, may have research interests that cut across existing specializations or units within Educational Studies. Rather than requiring them to choose between fulfilling one or another existing set of specialization requirements, none of which may be the best preparation for the work they wish to do, we should offer a cross-specialization option. Under this option, students would complete an individualized set of requirements (in addition to the Educational Studies degree requirements applicable to all students) agreed upon with a faculty committee of three members.
Offering such an option would be consistent with the traditions of inter-disciplinary scholarship and permeability of academic boundaries in the School of Education. The SOE’s CSHPE unit already has such an option (www.soe.umich.edu/highereducation/selfdesign/index.html).
Particulars:
1. Admissions
Students would be admitted to an existing specialization, which would judge the strength of their background and preparation in one area relevant to their research interests. In exceptional cases, a very promising student whose background did not fit with any single existing specialization could be recommended for admission after review of the file by two faculty members and the Educational Studies chair.
A student who has been admitted may petition the department Chair for permission to elect completion of their degree requirements under the Cross-Specialization option. Students should make such a petition as early in their course of studies as possible and no later than the beginning of the second year of study, and prior to taking their preliminary examinations in a specialization area.
The petition must (1) contain a clear statement of a coherent program of study, specifying required courses to be taken; (2) make a persuasive case that the student’s academic needs in relation to the goals set forth would not be met within an existing Educational Studies specialization, and (3) identify the special value for the student of taking this option. The petition must be accompanied by a letter of support from the student’s advisor, which should include an assessment of the impact of taking this option on the student’s time to degree and opportunities for funding, and which is endorsed by at least two other faculty members who are willing to form a Studies Committee to guide the student’s work. The specific plan of study should accompany the petition as an appendix.
The student should indicate in the petition that s/he is requesting a transfer out of the specialization to which s/he was originally admitted and understands that, as is currently the case for any transfer between specializations, any subsequent request to transfer back to that specialization or to any other would require approval of re-admission by the specialization faculty and is not guaranteed.
2. Requirements:
Under the Cross-Specialization option, the Educational Studies degree requirements that apply to all students in the program must be met, including the ES core courses and cognates. Individualized course requirements, comparable in quantity and scholarly rigor to those of other Educational Studies specializations, will be set by the student’s Studies Committee, appointed by the Educational Studies Chair, and chaired by the faculty advisor. A copy of the student’s plan of studies, as approved by the Studies Committee and the Ed Studies Chair, will be kept on file in the Educational Studies office. The Studies Committee should approve any subsequent changes in the plan in advance, and a copy of the revised plan, including committee signatures, should be filed with the Educational Studies office. The Studies Committee will serve as the student’s annual Portfolio Review Committee, and the committee chair will provide the Educational Studies office with a copy of the annual portfolio feedback letter to the student. The Studies Committee will also serve as the student’s Preliminary Examination committee, and will follow departmental policy regarding the examination. The student will qualify to advance to candidacy after completion of all departmental and individualized requirements and passing all parts of the preliminary examination.
3. Studies Committee:
Students electing the ES cross-specialization option will be guided by a Studies Committee consisting of three members of the governing faculty of the School of Education, including the student’s advisor (serving as the committee chair) and at least one faculty member whose primary affiliation is either with a different specialization within Educational Studies from that of the advisor or with another program or unit within the School of Education. The Studies Committee is appointed by the Educational Studies Chair. A Studies Committee may include a university faculty member from outside the School of Education, if approved by the Educational Studies Chair. The Studies Committee will act as readers for the student’s Part A scholarly paper (but may invite other readers whose expertise is relevant), and set a written (and optionally an oral) Part B examination to assess the student’s preparation to undertake research in an agreed-upon area of interest. The committee completes its responsibilities when the student achieves candidacy.
4. Designation of Specialization:
Under this option the student’s degree shall be designated as being in Educational Studies with a cross-specialization emphasis. The names of other, existing specializations should not be used to designate the degree or specialization. The title of the dissertation, when approved, will serve to further characterize the student’s degree work.
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