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GRADUATE CATALOG

The information contained in this catalog is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as the basis of a contract between a student and this institution.

Ed.D. in Secondary or Middle Grades Education Courses

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Program of Study
Program Total: 66 Credit Hours

The program comprises 66 credits hours, includes 15 credit hours in Education and Research Core courses, 36 credit hours in Area 1: Teaching Field Pedagogy and Area 2: Teaching Field Content courses, 6 credit hours in Cognate elective courses, and 9 credit hours in Dissertation courses. There is also the opportunity to earn an Endorsement while pursuing the Ed. D. degree. A list of endorsement options may be found here.

We offer the following degree options (all programs are hybrid; however, the first 30 hours comprising the Ed.S. portion of the degree are fully online, except for Chemistry Education):

  • Ed.D. in Middle Grades Language Arts or Secondary English
  • Ed.D in Middle Grades Mathematics in Secondary Mathematics
  • Ed.D. in Secondary Chemistry
  • Ed.D. in Middle Grades Social Studies or Secondary History
DOWNLOAD OF PROGRAM OF STUDY

Education & Research Core Courses: All courses required for a total of 15 credit hours

  • The course deepens experienced educators’ knowledge of research-based best practices in diverse classrooms. This is an advanced course with in-depth study of classic and current research on learning theories and related topics in educational psychology as they relate to teaching and learning in schools. Focus is on those theories and research which have transformed and are reforming educational practice.

  • This course will serve as an introduction to qualitative research and methodologies. Methodological origins, theoretical frameworks, literature reviews, and basic methods of data collection and data analysis will be explored in conjunction with an analysis of relevant literature, educational research reports, and ethics in research. Students will apply basic skills of data collection and analysis. Students will differentiate between the types of qualitative research.

  • Candidates will demonstrate a functional understanding of the nature and design of quantitative research as applied to the educational arena including but not limited to the following topics; the nature and application of descriptive and basic inferential statistics including the concepts of variance, normal distribution, population, sample, power, effect size, hypothesis testing, parametric and nonparametric tests, interaction effects, validity, reliability; the strengths, weaknesses of quantitative research designs; the principles of data collection and analysis using computer software such as SPSS. Candidates will acquire and become proficient in analytical and interpretive skills; and will be prepared to conduct applied quantitative research that will bear positively on schools.

  • This seminar will assist the doctoral candidate in conceptualizing, identifying the components of, and articulating the emerging conceptual framework of their dissertation. Under the guidance of the course professor and in consultation with their dissertation chair, the candidate will emerge from the course with a draft his/her conceptual framework which includes the purpose and rationale for his/her research as well as a draft of the theoretical underpinnings of the research described through a review of literature followed by preliminary research questions or hypotheses for his/her dissertation.

  • EDRS 9100: Advanced Qualitative Research Methods
    This course is an advanced study of qualitative research methodologies including ethnography, case study, and phenomenology. Students will examine a variety of data sources (e.g. interviews, observations) and methods of analysis (e.g. memo writing, coding). Students will conduct research as they formulate their research questions, collect and analyze data, and write a research report.

    EDRS 9200: Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
    This course is an in-depth study of and application of selected quantitative research designs. Course also involves advanced study of descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and non-parametric tests traditionally utilized in social and behavioral research. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the process of social and educational research in applied settings. Candidates will deepen their expertise in designing and conducting research and analyzing quantitative data. Candidates will conduct these analyses using quantitative statistical software, interpret their findings, and communicate their results ethically, clearly and effectively.

Secondary or Middle Grades Major Courses: 36 credit hours

Area 1: Teaching Field Pedagogy: 18 credit hours
Major Required Courses: 6 credit hours

  • The course is taken in the first semester of the program and is designed to assist advanced graduate students in developing an understanding of seminal research, contemporary trends, and emerging issues related to teaching and learning in secondary and middle grades settings. The course is designed to assist advanced graduate students in conceptualizing their final capstone project and developing a plan for its completion.

  • The course is taken in the last semester of the Ed.S. program and serves as either the culminating academic endeavor of Ed.S. candidates, or as a bridge for those candidates continuing on toward the Ed.D. The course provides candidates with the opportunity to examine writing, research, or other products related to their own professional interests. Students will complete a capstone project in this course such as evaluating a program, writing a grant for a school or district-based initiative, completing a practitioner research project, writing an article for publication about a teaching strategy they have used in their classroom, designing a research proposal for a potential dissertation topic, or preparing and presenting a paper at a state or national conference.

Major Elective Courses: Select 12 credit hours from the following courses

  • This internship is for advanced specialist and doctoral students interested in teacher education and scholarly work (e.g., research, editing). Teaching internships focus on teaching and learning, curriculum, and assessment. Teaching internships focus on teaching and learning, curriculum, and assessment. Teaching interns will work closely with their professor to determine the scope of the work during the semester (the seminar may extend beyond one semester) and plan, deliver, and evaluate their instruction. Research internships focus on the identification, planning, and implementation of advanced research projects. Research interns will work closely with their professor to design, implement, and analyze research (the seminar may extend beyond one semester). The scope of other internships in scholarly work will be developed collaboratively between the intern and professor. The scope of other internships in scholarly work (e.g., editing journals, coordinating conferences, or revising and developing state standards) will be developed collaboratively between the intern and professor.

  • This course considers contemporary research addressing the cognitive, psycho-social, physical, and moral development of adolescents in the context of schools, relationships, and culture with applications to diverse P-12 settings. A major focus of the course includes how school, family, and community influences interact with and impact adolescents’ development and how educators, through a learner-centered approach, can support and facilitate positive outcomes for middle and high school students.

  • This course is designed to broaden students’ understandings of contemporary equity issues in education. With a focus on perspective taking and knowledge creation, students will examine equity issues at the federal, state, and individual levels. Students will assess themselves, their students, their classrooms and schools for contemporary barriers to equity and develop a proposal to address an equity issue in their school setting.

  • A doctoral seminar focused on analysis and problem-solving of a current topic of vital concern relevant to teaching, leading and student learning in schools with a particular emphasis on the contexts of middle and secondary students, classrooms and schools.

  • This course offers a theoretical, historical, and practical foundation in critical multicultural and global education. Candidates will gain an understanding of how structures, policies, and practices of schools in U.S. and global contexts tend to perpetuate discriminatory inequities by their effects on students and teachers. Candidates will examine their own identities, cultural assumptions, and instructional practices to enact a philosophy of teaching that disrupts deficit discourses and ensures equitable outcomes for all learners.

  • Individualized and independent scholarly investigation and research of an important topic involving teaching, leading and student learning in middle and secondary schools. The focus, content and expectations for this study will be formally established by the doctoral student and supervising professor.

Area 2: Teaching Field Content: 18 credit hours or 15 credit hours for those seeking Content + Endorsement option

All majors must take a Technology Course. Choose from the following courses based on your major:

  • MAED 7719: Technology and Mathematics for Secondary Mathematics & Middle Grades Mathematics majors
  • ENED 8741: Digital Media and Pedagogies in English/Language Arts Education for Secondary English & Middle Grades Language Arts majors
  • ITEC 7430, ITEC 7440, ITEC 7445, or ITEC 7450 for Secondary History, Middle Grades Social Studies, Secondary Chemistry, and Middle Grades Science majors.

Note: There is a possibility to substitute additional courses. Please consult your advisor.

For students who have not had a graduate course in assessment, an assessment course in the content area or EDUC 8705 is required as one of your teaching field content courses. See your advisor for more information.

  • REQUIRED: MAED: 8900: Research Methods and Critique in Mathematics Education
    This course is designed to survey, from an advanced point of view, research methods used in mathematics education by examination of important research in mathematics education. Students will analyze, summarize, and critique published research. Students will also have an opportunity to read extensively the literature relevant to their proposed dissertation research and focus the research questions for their dissertation.

    Any 7000, 8000, or 9000 level MATH, MAED course as approved or recommended by advisor. Students may also consider 6000 or higher STAT courses with mathematics advisor and statistics faculty approval.

  • REQUIRED: ENED 8310: Applied Theory and Research in Writing
    Teacher leaders will read, analyze, and apply seminal and current research in the field of writing and composing to English/Language Arts teaching in P-12 or higher education settings. Teacher leaders will examine trends in the research; emerging themes, trends, and research designs; seminal studies in the fields of writing and teaching writing; connections among grammar study, teaching conventions, standards, and writing instruction as reflected in the research; and research-based applications of technology to writing and teaching writing. Attention will also be paid to research on grading and assessing writing, writing program assessment, teaching writing to speakers of English as a second language, curricular development in the field of writing, and to writing across the content areas for the purpose of enhanced student learning in school settings.

    REQUIRED: ENED 8701: Applied Research and Theory in Literature
    Teacher leaders will read, analyze, and apply seminal and current research in the field of English/Language Arts Education, and design an applied research study related to English/Language Arts Education in P-12 and/or higher education settings. The project may be one that the teacher leader carries out in a workplace setting or may serve as a pilot study for the dissertation.

    REQUIRED: ENED 9400: Designing and Conducting Research in English/Language Arts Education
    Teacher leaders (graduate students enrolled in the course) will read, analyze, and apply seminal and current research in the field of English/Language Arts Education, and design an applied research study related to English/Language Arts Education in P-12 and/or higher education settings. The project may be one that the teacher leader carries out in a workplace setting or may serve as a pilot study for the dissertation.

    Any 7000, 8000, or 9000 level ENGL, ENED course as approved or recommended by advisor. Students may also consider 6000 or higher EDRD and PRWR courses with English advisor or program coordinator approval.

  • REQUIRED: EDSS 8600: Critical Analysis of Contemporary Issues in Social Studies Education
    This course provides a critical analysis of contemporary issues in social studies education theory, research, and practice mainly as identified and discussed in recent scholarly research published in recognized journals, books, and standards adopted by state and national committees or councils for the social studies or social science fields.

    Any 7000, 8000, or 9000 level HIST, GEOG, ECON, ANTH, POLS, SSED, EDSS course as approved or recommended by advisor. Students may also consider 6000 or higher AMST courses with history advisor or program coordinator approval.

  • REQUIRED:  NONE

    Any CHEM course at 5000 or higher. Chemistry majors may consider any 5000 level or higher EDSC, SCED or SCI courses as approved or recommended by advisor.

  • For all content majors, candidates should select a combination of required content courses, in addition to pedagogical or educational foundations courses based on career goals. In addition to courses listed in the content areas above, courses may include selections from any 7000-9000 level EDUC, EDSM, EDRS or others with advisor approval. Candidates are required to consult with the program coordinator AND content advisor to select appropriate courses.

Cognate: 6 credit hours of additional electives or 9 credit hours for those choosing Content + Endorsement option

For those seeking an Endorsement, consult the Graduate Catalog and Ed.D. Program Coordinator for specific courses.

Dissertation: 9 credit hours (minimum)

Additional Information

Students must petition to graduate during the semester PRIOR to their graduation semester. See the KSU Registrar’s website for more information.

Contact your Ed.D. Program Advisor at eddsmge@kennesaw.edu and your Ed.D. teaching field advisor for advising.

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