Educational Policy Studies

Ph.D. Requirements


Concentration Areas:  Research, Measurement, and Statistics; Social Foundations of Education

Degree Description:
The Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies allows students to examine the philosophy and practice of education and to develop skills in both the methodology and the study of educational practice. Students will prepare to become policy makers and examiners of policy and the effects of policy on education. The broader requirements of the Department of Educational Policy Studies offer students the opportunity to link their programs of study with broader social and educational issues in such areas as race, gender, leadership, and policy. This broader context establishes an understanding of the programs of study as essential components rather than separate structures of our social, economic, and political lives.


Concentration Areas:
Students shall select one of the concentration areas as part of his or her doctoral program. Newly admitted students will be assigned a temporary adviser from the department at the time of admission.

• Concentration in Research, Measurement, and Statistics (RMS)
  This concentration prepares graduates to investigate research methodologies, to conduct research related to schools, and to conduct and critique research in educational practice, policy, and administration. Students develop knowledge and skills in qualitative and quantitative research and evaluation methods.
  
• Concentration in Social Foundations of Education (SF)
  Social foundations is a broadly conceived field of educational study that derives its character from a number of academic disciplines and interdisciplinary studies. At Georgia State University, the disciplines involved in social foundations inquiry are history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and political science; the interdisciplinary field is cultural studies. The purpose of social foundations study is to bring the intellectual resources derived from these areas to bear in developing interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives of educational theory, policy, and practices, both inside of and outside of schools.

Degree Offered:
Ph.D.


Program Coordinators:
Janice Fournillier and T. Chris Oshima (RMS concentration)

                                                              (SF concentration)


Program Faculty:
Research, Measurement and Statistics

Social Foundations

Program Degree Requirements

A. Core Area (18)

The Core Area consists of 15 semester hours of research coursework and 3 semester hours of Social Foundation of Education and Psychology of Learning coursework.

Research Core (15 hours)

Choose one course (3):
EPRS 8500 Qualitative/Interpretive Research in Education (3)
EPRS 8530 Quantitative Methods and Analysis in Education (3)

Required (12):
A two course sequence (6 hours) in research methodology (specific tracks/courses: http://education.gsu.edu/main/phd_requirement.htm)
Two courses (6 hours) in advanced research methods as identified by the Doctoral Advisory Committee

Social Foundations of Education and Psychology of Learning course (3) [for specific courses: http://education.gsu.edu/main/phd_requirement.htm]
The Social Foundations and Psychology of Learning Core requirements (3) must be completed during the first two years of the students' program.

B. Major Area (24)
The students must take EPS 9270 during the first year after being admitted and EPS 9260 during the subsequent academic term.

Required (6):
EPS 9260 Issues of Race, Class, and Gender in Education (3)
EPS 9270 Research in Educational Policy Studies (3)

Students select one of the following concentration areas:

B.1 – Ph.D. Concentration in Research, Measurement, and Statistics (18 hours)

Select six courses (18 ) from the list below:

• ECE/EPRS 9380 Discourse Analysis (3)
• EPRS 8500 Qualitative/Interpretative Research in Education I (3)
• EPRS 8510 Qualitative Research in Education II (3)
• EPRS 8520 Qualitative Research in Education III (3)
• EPRS 8530 Quantitative Methods and Analysis in Education I (3)
• EPRS 8540 Quantitative Methods and Analysis in Education II (3)
• EPRS 8550 Quantitative Methods and Analysis in Education III (3)
• EPRS 8600 Computer Use in Educational Research (3)
• EPRS 8620 Educational Evaluation (3)
• EPRS 8640 Case Study Methods (3)
• EPRS 8660 Bayesian Statistics (3)
• EPRS 8700 Visual Research Methods (3)
• EPRS 8820 Institutional Research (3)
• EPRS 8830 Survey Research, Sampling Principles, and Questionnaire Design (3)
• EPRS 8840 Meta-Analysis (3)
• EPRS 8920 Educational Measurement (3)
• EPRS 8950 Professional Development Seminar (1)
• EPRS/ECE 9120 Poststructural Inquiry 93)
• EPRS 9350 Introduction to Item Response Theory (3)
• EPRS 9360 Advanced Item Response Theory (3)
• EPRS 9400 Writing Qualitative Research Manuscripts (3)
• EPRS 9550 Multivariate Analysis (3)
• EPRS 9560 Structural Equation Modeling (3)
• EPRS 9570 Hierarchical Linear Modeling I (3)
• EPRS 9570 Hierarchical Linear Modeling II (3)
• EPRS 9600 Advanced Computer Methods for Educational Research (3)
• EPRS 9670 Practicum in Educational and Psychological Research (3)
• EPRS 9900 Advanced Research (3)
• EPRS 9920 Seminar in Special Topics in Qualitative Research (3)

B.2 – Ph.D. Concentration in Social Foundations of Education (18 hours)

Select six courses (18) from the list below:

• EPSF 8010 Cultural Studies In Education: Film (3)
• EPSF 8040 Cultural Studies in Education: Gender (3)
• EPSF 8260 Sociology of Inner-City Children (3)
• EPSF 8270 Philosophy of Education (3)
• EPSF 8280 Anthropology of Education (3)
• EPSF 8310 Sociology of Education (3)
• EPSF 8320 Politics and Policy in Education (3)
• EPSF 8330 Globalization and Education Policy (3)
• EPSF 8340 History of American Education (3)
• EPSF 8350 Comparative Educational Systems (3)
• EPSF 8440 Foundations of Curriculum Development (3)
• EPSF 9260 Epistemology and Learning (3)
• EPSF 9280 Interpretive Inquiry in Education (3)

C. Cognate Area (12)
The major and cognate areas should represent a cohesive program of study.

D. Dissertation (15)
Required (15):
EPS 9990 Dissertation (15)

Program total: minimum of 69 semester hours