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, and GRE general test scores (GRE general tests scores are optional for Concentrations in Education Leadership and Higher Education).
For more information, call the PhD Office at 703-993-2011. For deadlines, see the PhD in Education website. To apply, see Graduate Admissions.
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
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC 800 | Ways of Knowing 1 | 3 |
| or EFHP 860 | Critical Perspectives in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion | |
| Total Credits | 3 | |
Research Methods
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDRS 810 | Problems and Methods in Education Research | 3 |
| EDRS 811 | Quantitative Methods in Educational Research | 3 |
| EDRS 812 | Qualitative Methods in Educational Research | 3 |
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| Anti-Colonial Methodologies | ||
| Critical Discourse Analysis in Education Research | ||
| Evaluation Methods for Educational Programs and Curricula | ||
| Advanced Applications of Quantitative Methods | ||
| Advanced Applications of Qualitative Methods | ||
| Advanced Research Methods in Single Subject/Case Design | ||
| Mixed Methods Research: Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches | ||
| Advanced Research Methods in Self-Study of Professional Practice | ||
| Qualitative Case Study Methods | ||
| Introduction to Measurement and Survey Development | ||
| Item Response Theory | ||
| Bayesian Methods | ||
| Hierarchical Linear Modeling | ||
| Structural Equation Modeling | ||
| Document Analysis and Archival Research | ||
| Participatory Action Research | ||
| Narrative Inquiry | ||
| Grounded Theory | ||
| Special Topics in Research Methods | ||
| Advanced Topics in Feminist Research and Scholarship 1 | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
- 1
WMST 890 is 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
| Code | Title | 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. | 9-24 | |
| Total Credits | 9-24 | |
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.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum 12 credits of | 12 | |
| Doctoral Dissertation Proposal 1 | ||
| Doctoral Dissertation Research 2, 3 | ||
or HE 999 | Doctoral Dissertation | |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
- 1
Students must register for a minimum of 3 credits the first semester enrolled in EDUC 998. Students preparing their proposal must register for a minimum of 1 credit each semester thereafter until the proposal has been successfully defended. Concentration in Education Leadership requires an additional 3 credits of EDUC 998.
- 2
Students must register for minimum of 3 credits the first semester enrolled in EDUC 999. They must register for at least 1 credit thereafter until all work has been completed including the semester in which the degree is conferred.
- 3
HE 999 is an option only for HE Concentration students. Other students should select EDUC 999.
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.
The first portfolio review must be completed no later than the end of the third semester. The second portfolio review must be scheduled at the completion of 36 credit hours. When students complete the coursework phase of the program, a final meeting is held with the Program Advisory Committee. This meeting is the context for conducting the comprehensive portfolio assessment, a formal evaluation of a student's readiness to proceed to the dissertation phase of the program which is analogous to the traditional doctoral comprehensive exam.
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, and teaching and teacher education.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 18-24 | |
| Total Credits | 18-24 | |
Secondary Specialization
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students may develop a secondary specialization from coursework offered within CEHD or coursework offered within other Mason units, in consultation with their advisor | 12-18 | |
| Total Credits | 12-18 | |
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.
The first portfolio review must be completed no later than the end of the third semester. The second portfolio review must be scheduled at the completion of 36 credit hours. When students complete the coursework phase of the program, a final meeting is held with the Program Advisory Committee. This meeting is the context for conducting the comprehensive portfolio assessment, a formal evaluation of a student's readiness to proceed to the dissertation phase of the program which is analogous to the traditional doctoral comprehensive exam.
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
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEP 823 | Research Project: Designing your Study | 3 |
| or HE 886 | Doctoral Internship in College Teaching and Administration | |
| or HE 897 | Directed Reading in Higher Education | |
| EDUC 813 | Systematic Reviews of Research | 3 |
| or HE 886 | Doctoral Internship in College Teaching and Administration | |
| or HE 897 | Directed Reading in Higher Education | |
| Select 30 Credits from the following: | 30 | |
| Higher Education Law | ||
| Contemporary Issues and Fundamental Theories in Higher Education | ||
| Higher Education in the Digital Age | ||
| Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | ||
| Social Justice and Higher Education | ||
| College Access and Student Success | ||
| Scholarly Digital Storytelling | ||
| Leadership in Higher Education | ||
| Policy Studies in Higher Education | ||
| Learning Assessment and Program Evaluation in Higher Education | ||
| Internationalization of Higher Education | ||
| History of Higher Education | ||
| Organization and Administration in Higher Education | ||
| Special Topics in Higher Education | ||
| Doctoral Internship in College Teaching and Administration | ||
| Directed Reading in Higher Education | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
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.
The first portfolio review must be completed no later than the end of the third semester. The second portfolio review must be scheduled at the completion of 36 credit hours. When students complete the coursework phase of the program, a final meeting is held with the Program Advisory Committee. This meeting is the context for conducting the comprehensive portfolio assessment, a formal evaluation of a student's readiness to proceed to the dissertation phase of the program which is analogous to the traditional doctoral comprehensive exam.
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
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EFHP 810 | Neuromuscular Responses to Exercise | 3 |
| EFHP 811 | Motor Learning and Control | 3 |
| EFHP 813 | Musculoskeletal Biomechanics in Human Movement | 3 |
| EFHP 815 | Measurement Techniques and Instrumentation | 3 |
| EFHP 820 | Careers in the Academy Seminar | 3 |
| EFHP 825 | Data Analytics in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion | 3 |
| EFHP 840 | Doctoral Seminar in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion | 3 |
| EFHP 880 | Grant Writing | 3 |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
Experiential Learning
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| KINE 890 | Research Experience I | 6 |
| KINE 891 | Research Experience II | 3 |
| KINE 897 | Independent Study | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
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.
The first portfolio review must be completed no later than the end of the third semester. The second portfolio review must be scheduled at the completion of 36 credit hours. When students complete the coursework phase of the program, a final meeting is held with the Program Advisory Committee. This meeting is the context for conducting the comprehensive portfolio assessment, a formal evaluation of a student's readiness to proceed to the dissertation phase of the program which is analogous to the traditional doctoral comprehensive exam.
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
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDLE 801 | Contemporary Organization Theory | 3 |
| EDLE 802 | Leadership and Decision Making | 3 |
| EDLE 812 | Education Law | 3 |
| EDLE 813 | Social and Political Forces in Education Leadership | 3 |
| EDLE 814 | Education Finance and Human Resources | 3 |
| EDLE 816 | Instructional Leadership-Curriculum Policy and Practice | 3 |
| EDLE 818 | Instructional Leadership-Supervision Policy and Practice | 3 |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
Experiential Learning
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC 890 | Doctoral Internship in Education | 3 |
| EDUC 994 | Advanced Internship in Education | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Dissertation Proposal
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC 998 | Doctoral Dissertation Proposal 1 | 3 |
| Total Credits | 3 | |
- 1
These credits are in addition to the required 12 dissertation credits.