Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in
Curriculum and Instruction

Thank you for your interest in the doctoral program offered by the University of New Orleans’ Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The doctoral program is designed to foster an understanding of the interaction of theory and practice in culturally diverse, metropolitan, educational settings. These broad objectives are met through a planned set of courses, seminars, independent studies, practica, and research. Doctoral students engage in reflective inquiry and conduct qualitative and/or quantitative research in their respective fields as well as develop their professional competencies in instructional and curriculum leadership.

Program objectives are consistent with the conceptual framework of the College of Education and Human Development and the metropolitan mission of the University of New Orleans. The Theory-Practice Interaction Model advanced by the faculty of Curriculum and Instruction serves as an overall conceptual framework guiding the establishment and development of the doctoral program.

The program of study is conducted in three phases:

• Phase I: Application through Unconditional Program Admission;
• Phase II: Unconditional Program Admission through Generals, and
• Phase III: General Exam through Dissertation Defense.

The Doctoral Handbook provides the student and the faculty with a through description of each phase and related policies and procedures set forth by the university and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and will be forwarded to the graduate student once he or she is admitted unconditionally to the university and conditionally to the program. The student is always welcome to contact the Chairperson of the Department, the Graduate Studies Coordinator and/or individual faculty members to discuss the nature of doctoral study.

This Information Packet is designed to give your thorough information concerning the first phase of the program and guide you through the application and screening process.

Phase I: Application through Unconditional Acceptance

Phase I consists of 4 separate steps:

•  Unconditional admission to University of New Orleans
•  Conditional Admission to the Doctoral Program based on GPA and GRE requirements
•  Screening for Doctoral Program In Curriculum and Instruction
•  Conditional Admission to Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction based on screening
•  Unconditional Admission to Program: Submission of the Doctoral Program of Study 

Please note that scholarships are awarded only to students who are unconditionally accepted to the doctoral program. They are awarded once a year for the following academic year. Deadlines for applications are March 1 of any academic year. Potential students who want to be eligible for a graduate scholarship must obtain unconditional admission to the program status by the beginning of the academic year the scholarship is to take effect.

Admission to the Graduate School at UNO

The first step toward admission to the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction is admission to the University of New Orleans as a graduate student. Applications for Graduate Studies can be found on the UNO website and are to be submitted on-line to the Graduate Admissions Office. Students whose degrees are not from colleges or universities in the United States must provide English translations of academic records, certified by a U.S. Foreign Service officer and/or admissions officer.

Unconditional admission to Graduate school requires an undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.5 and a graduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher and scores from the Graduate Record Examination dating back not more than 5 years.

Conditional Admission to the Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction

Conditional admission to the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction requires:

1. unconditional admission to the graduate school and
2. a combined minimum score of 850 on the verbal and quantitative portions and a score of 3.5 or greater on the analytical writing portion of the Graduate Record Exam.

Admission to UNO’s graduate school and conditional admission to the doctoral program permits an applicant to enroll in graduate courses, but it does not permit enrollment in doctoral level courses or seminars (with the exception of EDCI 6900). Please note that admission to the UNO graduate school does not imply admission to the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction. Admission to the doctoral program comes only after members of the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction carefully screen each student’s materials.

Screening Process for Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction

An electronic Doctoral Screening Packet will be sent to applicants who are conditionally accepted into the program or can be obtained by contacting the Graduate Studies Coordinator for Curriculum and Instruction. Included in the packet is an application form, a list of required documentation, an application check list, and instructions for submission. Hard copies of all materials should be submitted to the Graduate Studies Coordinator, Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Applications are screened in October of each year. The deadline for submission of all forms and materials is the last workday of September. It is the applicant's responsibility to see that all materials have arrived in the office of the Graduate Studies Coordinator (ED342) by the deadline. Only applicants who have been admitted, unconditionally, to the graduate school, scored a combined minimum of 850 on the verbal and quantitative portions and a 3/5 or greater on the analytical writing portion of the Graduate Record Exam and have submitted all materials required will be screened.

The complete doctoral program screening application includes: 

1. Official transcripts showing evidence of: A Master's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5 or additional coursework at the graduate level for the purpose of raising the GPA. A Bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5 or the last 30 hours of undergraduate coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.0 should be sent to UNO admissions. They will be posted in an electronic file which will be available to the Graduate Studies Coordinator.
2.  Application form indicating area of interest.
3. Statement of Intent which contains applicant’s statement of professional goals and research interests and should include a written discussion of the following:

• • purposes for pursuing a doctoral degree
  • major areas of academic/research interest
  • future professional goals 
  • recent professional involvement and professional reading
  • educational theorists, theories, or writers in your discipline who have influenced your thinking and practice
  • understanding of the commitment involved in pursuing a research degree.

4. Three current letters of recommendation. A member of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction may provide only one. Letters should be submitted by professional educators or professionals in the applicant's field who are in a position to judge the applicant's potential as a doctoral student and future as a teacher/researcher in higher education. Letters should be sent directly to the Graduate Studies Coordinator of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
5. A vita or resume,
6. Official record of Graduate Record Examination scores should be sent to UNO admissions. It will also be recorded in the student’s electronic file and be available to the faculty during screening. The combination of verbal and quantitative scores should be 1000 or higher. Note: Scores are considered only one factor among several to guide the faculty in its decision-making process. If the scores are between 850-1000, the student must provide compensating evidence in the form of a work sample portfolio. If the sum of the verbal and quantitative scores is below 850, the student must retake the GRE and demonstrate a higher score before screening can take place. Scores may be no more than five years old. Foreign students who do not hold a degree from a college or university in the United States must submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
7. Optional: Resources and Additional Support. A student may submit a portfolio of past scholarship, e.g., research papers, literature reviews, Master's thesis, and/or projects.

Note: This is considered compensating evidence and is required for students scoring between a combined 850 - 1000 on the verbal and quantitative portion of the GRE. These materials are to be utilized in assessing the applicant's potential for successfully completing the doctoral program.

Applicants have one academic year after conditional admission to the doctoral program to complete the screening process. If the student is not accepted or does not follow through with the screeing his or her classification will be changed to non-degree seeking graduate student.

Screening Criteria for the Doctoral Program

The entire graduate faculty in Curriculum and Instruction will act as the screening committee and review all doctoral applications and related material individually, then meet together to discuss each applicant’s potential. No one item of the screening packet, on its own, will be used to determine either rejection or admission to the program. The screening committee will seek to establish a broad overview of

the applicant's potential for successful completion of the doctoral program and (2) the strength of the match between the applicant’s goals and the department’s capacity at the time of application. These are the two criteria used to determine admission status.
After reviewing each applicant’s submitted material, graduate faculty will vote to 1) accept the applicant, provisionally, based on the results of the Qualifying Exam, 2) deny the application, or 3) give further consideration to the application. When the vote is to give the application further consideration, the applicant will be asked to submit additional materials and work samples for review, and/or invited to participate in an interview. Those applicants from outside the New Orleans metro area will be interviewed via telephone or other electronic means.

The Graduate Studies Coordinator will inform the doctoral applicant in writing of the results of the doctoral screening committee's action. Classification of applicants who are not been accepted will be changed to non-degree seeking graduate student. They may reapply in the future.

Applicants who pass the screening process within one year of conditional admission maintain their conditional admission status until they file an official Doctoral Program of Study. The Graduate Studies Coordinator will act as the initial advisor and meet with each student, at the student’s request, to 1) plan initial coursework, 2) discuss policies and procedures related to the doctoral program, and 3) guide the student in the selection of the most appropriate permanent advisor, the major professor.

Selection of the Major Professor

Selection of the major professor is ultimately the student’s choice and responsibility. The Graduate Studies Coordinator acts as the initial advisor but the student can declare his/her major professor at any time between acceptance into the program and filling the official Program of Study by informing the Graduate Studies Coordinator or the faculty member, who in turn, informs the Graduate Studies Coordinator. The major professor must be on the graduate faculty, currently assigned to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and willing to serve as Major Professor.

A student and/or faculty member may initiate a change in major professor at any stage of the student’s program. Students who need to change major professors or who need assistance identifying a major professor should consult with the Department Chair and/or the Graduate Studies Coordinator. When faculty members, serving as major professors, leave the university, the Graduate Studies Coordinator will inform the student and assist in the selection of another major professor.

Unconditional Acceptance into the Doctoral Program:
Submitting the Doctoral Program of Study

Full admission to the doctoral program is not final until the student has submitted an official Doctoral Program of Study and this plan has been approved by the Graduate Studies Coordinator and forwarded to the Graduate School for approval.
After a student has been favorably screened into the doctoral program, he or she enrolls in nine hours of graduate coursework, including EDCI 6900, Introductory Doctoral Readings in Curriculum and Instruction. After nine hours have been completed, or during the semester that the nine hours will be completed, the student, with the support of the Graduate Studies Coordinator, selects a major professor (if this has not been previously done) and the major professor and the student review the student’s transcripts and develop a program plan. Programs of Study must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Coordinator within one academic year of passing the screening process.

The Doctoral Program of Study outlines the coursework in the major, the research sequence, and minor. The student, major professor, the Graduate Studies Coordinator, and the Dean of the Graduate School must sign the form. Any change of program requires the approval of the major professor who notifies the Graduate Studies Coordinator in writing.

General Program Specifications and Policies

All programs must include a minimum of 96 hours beyond the Bachelor's degree, including:

• 18 hours in the research sequence.
• A minimum of 33 hours of coursework offered through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at UNO must be included in the program.

The required doctoral courses are:

EDCI 6900, EDCI 6902 or 6904, EDCI 6905, EDCI 6990, EDCI 6992 or 6994,
and nine hours of EDCI 7050.

Students become eligible for EDCI 6905, EDCI 6990, EDCI 6992 or 6994, and nine hours of EDCI 7050 and the optional doctoral seminars (EDCI 6492, 6910, 6920, 6940, 6950, 6970) after filing their program of study. A minimum of 18 hours of EDCI courses must be taken after this document is filed.

RESEARCH SEQUENCE: All doctoral students must complete 18 hours in the research sequence. The courses must include an introduction to educational research for doctoral students (EDRF 6705 or a more appropriate alternate), a quantitative methods course (EDFR 6710) and a qualitative research methods course (EDFR 6715). Nine additional hours of research courses which prepare a student to conduct a dissertation must be selected with guidance of the major professor.

MINOR/RELATED FIELDS: Students seeking the Ph.D. must complete a minimum of 18 hours in one area of study. The major professor and the student must design this minor to include a coherent focus in one discipline or a multidisciplinary area (e.g., multicultural studies, computers in education).

TRANSFER CREDIT: Acceptance of transfer credit is determined by the student's major professor. Transfer credit beyond the master's degree may be accepted from regionally accredited institutions that offer doctoral work (maximum of 12 hours). Limits on total master's level and post-master's level coursework are as follows: 33 graduate hours from non-LSU System universities; 45 graduate hours from LSU System campuses. Only courses in which the student obtained a grade of "A" or "B" may be accepted for transfer credit.

RETENTION STANDARDS: A student in a doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction may accumulate no more than two grades of "C" or lower at the University of New Orleans. A student receiving a third grade of "C" or lower will be subject to dismissal from the doctoral program. Students must maintain a 3.0 on all coursework.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS:
A doctoral student must earn two consecutive semesters of a minimum of nine hours of residence. The doctoral residence requirement may be met alternatively by three semesters of enrollment at six or more hours, which may be non-consecutive.

Students who are in residence for the purpose of the above requirement are expected to devote all of their energies to graduate study under the direct supervision of a major professor and/or advisory committee.

CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT: Doctoral students will maintain continuous enrollment of at least 3 credit hours throughout their program.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
In Curriculum and Instruction

_________________________________
(Area of Specialization)
Name Major Professor
Prior Earned Degrees

Major Area of Study Research Sequence
(Min of 33 hrs.)          EDFR 6705 (3) __
EDCI 6900 (3) __      EDFR 6710 (3) __
EDCI 6902/04 (3) __ EDFR 6715 (3) __
EDCI 6905 (3) __      9 hours of additional research
EDCI 6990 (3) __      approved by major professor
EDCI 6992/94 (3) __  ________ (3) __
EDCI 7050 (9) __       ________ (3) __
________ (3) __
Minimum of 9 additional EDCI Courses
________ (3) __ Minor
________ (3) __ (at least 18 hours)
________ (3) __          ________ (3) __
________ (3) __
Additional Course Work
________ (3) __
________ (3) __          ________ (3) __
________ (3) __          ________ (3) __
________ (3) __          ________ (3) __
________ (3) __          ________ (3) __
________ (3) __
________ (3) __
________ (3) __
________ (3) __
________ (3) __

A minimum of 96 graduate hours is required.
A minimum of 33 graduate hours in EDCI is required.
A minimum of 18 graduate hours after passing Qualifying exam.
A minimum of 45 graduate hours taken at UNO.

The program from Qualifying Exam to filing dissertation must be completed in 10 years or less. (5 years from Qualifying to Generals; 5 years from Generals to completion of Dissertation) Residency requirements are met by 2 consecutive semesters of 9 or more hours/ or 3 semesters of 6 hours. These semesters do not need to be consecutive.