Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

Program Coordinator

• Dr. Jeanne M. Powers
  jeanne.powers@asu.edu

The Division of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies offers a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies that emphasizes methods of policy analysis and provides for specializations in particular disciplines. Education policy studies deal with the entire process by which society derives, institutes, evaluates and modifies the rules, both stated and unspoken, by which the educational system runs. Doctoral students receive course work and practical experiences in a variety of special contexts, including higher education, elementary and secondary schools, and education governing bodies. The faculty seeks to train persons who will teach or pursue policy studies in school districts, government agencies and universities.

PhD Faculty>>

Admissions

Admission to the Ph.D. program in the Division is based on undergraduate and/or graduate grade point averages, scores on the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) or GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test), letters of recommendation, a letter of intent, work and academic experiences, and availability of faculty to supervise the academic area of interest. Citizens of Mexico applying to the Ph.D. program may substitute the EXAMI III that is required by CONACYT of all applicants for a fellowship from the Mexican government. The program does not have a minimum cut-off score for either the GRE or the GMAT. International applicants must have a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper test, 213 on the computer-based TOEFL, and 83 on the iBT (Internet-based) version of TOEFL. (Applicants are not required to submit a TOEFL score if (1) they graduated from a college or university in a country whose native language is English, or (2) if they have had immigrant status (permanent residency) in the U.S. for at least 18 months. Test results should be reported to the Graduate College directly by ETS.)

Deadlines for application to the Ph.D. program are January 1 and March 1 of each year. To be considered in the January or March admissions meeting, applications must be complete by the first day of the respective month. Applicants will be notified of the faculty's decision no later than the last day of the month in which the admissions meeting is held (January 31st or March 31st). No incomplete applications can be considered.

Financial Support

Admitted PhD students are eligible for a variety of sources of financial suppport. Financial support from Division funds is available for a maximum of four years after admission to the program.

Fellowship for New ELPS PhD Student for 2008-2009

The Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS), Mary Lou Fulton College of Education, Arizona State University is seeking qualified applicants for a fellowship for new Ph.D. students. One of the candidates for the cohort entering Fall 2008 will be selected to receive a special two-year funding package that will consist of a 10 hour/week academic year graduate assistantship and fellowship that will provide an $18,000 stipend and full- tuition (Arizona resident and non-resident) for the 2008- 2009 and 2009-2010 academic years. Students awarded this package will also be guaranteed two additional years of funding as a Graduate Assistant or Teaching Assistant. The total financial value of this package is approximately $38,000 per year for non-resident students and $21,000 for Arizona residents for the two-year fellowship period. The recipient of this fellowship package will be chosen in mid- March 2008 from among the applicants to ELPS Ph.D. program in the January 1 and March 1 applicant pools. No special application forms are necessary; the recipient will be chosen based on the information in their application to the Ph.D. program. However, prospective applicants are encouraged to address their eligibility for the fellowship in their Personal Statement.

Continuous Enrollment

Once admitted, Ph.D. students must be enrolled continuously, excluding summer sessions, until all requirements have been fulfilled. If a program of study must be interrupted, the student must apply for leave status, not to exceed one year. The approved petition must be filed no later than the last day to register for classes in the semester for which the student is requesting a leave. A student who interrupts a program without obtaining leave status may be removed automatically from the program and must reapply through the Graduate College.

Requirements

Requirements for the Ph.D. degree consist of 1) Course work specified in a student's Program of Study; 2) Comprehensive exams; and 3) successful defense of a Dissertation. There is a 10-year time limit for PhD students, starting at the time of admission. All work must be completed within this 10-year period. In addition, there is a 5-year limit between admission to candidacy and completion of the dissertation defense.

1. Program of Study
   Students entering the Ph.D. program with a Masters degree in a related discipline and with credit for between 24 and 30 semester hours of graduate course work will be expected to earn a total of 84 hours past the B.A. including the transferred Masters hours; of these 84 hours, 54 must be earned at ASU. Of the 54 hours at ASU, 24 must be earned in Research or Dissertation. Students can use a block of 30 credits from a previously awarded master’s degree plus 12 credits not used in any previous degree program as part of the PhD required credits, only if they can prove by a master’s POS that these credits were not required for their master’s. Students who withdraw from a master’s in order to start a PhD, lose all credits except the 12 allowed to be brought forward. A typical student's program of study would take the following form:
   • Policy Studies Core
     At the heart of the Ph.D. program are 12 semester hours of coursework on the foundations of policy studies, known as the ELPS Ph.D. Core, which should be taken in the student's first year in the program.
     Offered each Fall Semester:
     • Proseminar I—EPA 791
     • Foundations of Inquiry—EPA 591

       Offered each Spring Semester:

     • Race, Class and Gender—EPA 691
     • Power, Politics & Policy—EPA 691
     Total hours = 12
     
     
   • Research Methods
     Students gain expertise in many approaches to research, evaluation, and policy analysis. A wide variety of courses, both in and outside the College of Education, is available to deepen the students competence and research emphasis. The particular courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s program committee.  A total of 12 hours is required in research methods:
     • Introduction to Quantitative Research—COE 502
       
     • Introduction to Qualitative Research—COE 503
     Total hours = 6
     
     
   • Research Methods Electives
     At least 6 research elective hours must be selected and approved by the student's Program Committee
     
     Total hours = 6
     
     
   • Specialty Studies
     Students will complete at least 12 semester hours (approved by the student's Program Committee) in an area of special interest: 1) Higher Education, 2) Social & Philosophical Foundations, 3) Language Policy, 4) International & Comparative Education, 5) Policy Analysis, and 6) American Indian Education Policy.

     Recommended Courses for the Ph.D. Specialization in Higher Education (12 hours selected from the following) HED 510 Intro. to Higher Education HED 691 Critical Policy Issues in Higher Education HED 611 Law, Ethics & Policy HED 687 Governance, Coordination & External Influences HED 602 Institutional Research/Strategic Planning HED 689 Leadership & Administration in Higher Education HED 691 Special Policy Issues Adviser for Higher Education Specialty     Dr. Caroline Turner             caroline.turner@asu.edu

     Recommended Courses for the Ph.D. Specialization in Social & Philosophical Foundations (12 hours selected from the following) SPF 530 Sociology of Education SPF 544 Philosophical Foundations of Education SPF 566 History of American Education SPF 591 Social & Philosophical Foundations of Higher Education SPF 598 Gender & Education SPF 677 Foundations of Educational Reform Movements SPF 791 Sociocultural Perspectives on Educational Equity SPF 791 Theoretical Issues in Policy Studies Courses outside the College of Education where appropriate. Adviser for Social & Philosophical Foundations Specialty     Dr. Eric Margolis             margolis@asu.edu

     Recommended Courses for the Ph.D. Specialization in Language Policy (12 hours selected from the following or other courses approved by the Specialty Advisers) SPF 791 Educational Language Policies SPF 791 Heritage & Community Languages SPF 791/BLE 791 International Perspectives on Language Policy & English Langauge Teaching ENG 591 Globalization of English BLE 541 Nature of Bilingualism & Second Language Acquisition BLE 598 Assessment of BLE/ESL Students Advisers for the Language Policy Specialty     Dr. Terrence G. Wiley             twiley@asu.edu     Dr. Josué M. González             josue@asu.edu

     Recommended Courses for the Ph.D. Specialization in International & Comparative Education (12 hours selected from the following or other courses approved by the Specialty Advisers) SPF/EDA 684 Education in Global Contexts SPF/EDA 691 Internationl Comparative Education SPF 791 Educational Equity & Language Rights in Global Contexts SPF 691 Comparative Perspectives on Curriculum SPF 791 Human Diasporas & Educational Policy ECD 691 Research Across Cultures/Educational Ethnography Advisers for the International & Comparative Education Specialty    Asia: Dr. Terrence G. Wiley             twiley@asu.edu    Latin America: Dr. Josué M. González             josue@asu.edu                         Dr. Gustavo Fischman             fischman@asu.edu    Africa: Dr. Beth Blue Swadener             beth.swadener@asu.edu

     Recommended Courses for the Ph.D. Specialization in Policy Analysis (12 hours selected from the following or other courses approved by the Specialization Adviser) EPA 791: Social Policy and Critical Advocacy EPA 691: Learning & Education Policy EPA/BLE 791: Ethnography and Language Policy EPA 691: International Perspectives on Indigenous Language Planning and Policy EPA 691: The Art and Science of Writing Policy Documents SPF 530: Sociology of Education EPA 691: Policy, Leadership, and Value Systems EPA 791: Theoretical Issues in Policy Studies EPA 691: Critical Policy Issues in Higher Education Adviser for the Policy Analysis Specialty     Dr. Gene V Glass             glass@asu.edu

     Recommended Courses for the Ph.D. Specialization in American Indian Education Policy Required Course for the Specialization SPF 691: Education Issues in American Indian Communities (9 hours selected from the following or other courses approved by the Specialization Adviser) SPF 691: History of American Indian Education Policy Development SPF 691: Intergovernmental Relations in American Indian Education: The Role Of Federal State and Tribal Governments SPF 691: The Education of the American Indian Student: Curricular and Instructional Issues SPF 691: School Reform and Native Education MCE 598: American Indian Languages, Cultures and Schooling EPA 691: Pedagogy, Policy, and Research in Teaching Indigenous Languages EPA 691: Research and Policy in American Indian Communities and Schools EPA 691: Ethnography and Language Education Policy EPA 691: International Perspectives on Indigenous Language Planning and Policy EPA 691: Indian Education Policy Analysis: EPA 691: Indian Education Leadership and Policymaking Native American Cultural Resources International Indigenous Rights Indian Education and the Law Adviser for the Policy Analysis Specialty     Dr. David Beaulieu             david.beaulieu@asu.edu

     
     
     Total hours = 12
     
     
   • Practicum
     Students must earn three semester hours of credit for a supervised Practicum. The setting must be other than the student’s normal work-place, and the experience should lead to a written report.
     
     Total hours = 3
   • Research & Dissertation
     Each Ph.D. candidate is required by the Graduate College to complete at least 24 semester hours credit in research (792) and dissertation (799) work. Students register for EPA-792, SPF-792, EDA-792 or HED-792 Research before admission to candidacy, and for EPA-799, SPF-799, EDA-799 or HED-799 after admission to candidacy. Of these 24 hours, exactly 12 must be earned under the Dissertation (799) course label.
     
     Total Research & Dissertation Hours = 24

2. Comprehensive Examination
   Students must pass a comprehensive examination before admission to candidacy. The examination may consist of both a written and oral component. The student's program committee may substitute an equivalent activity for this examination.

3. Admission to Candidacy
   After completion of all or nearly all coursework, passing the comprehensive examination, and forming a dissertation committee, the student applies for admission to Ph.D. candidacy.

4. The Dissertation Project
   • Dissertation Committee
     At the time the student is admitted to candidacy, the Dissertation Committee are appointed jointly by the Dean of the College of Education and the Graduate College upon recommendation of the ELPS Division Director. The chair of the student's Dissertation Committee must be a faculty member approved by the Graduate College to serve in this capacity. (All faculty listed as the ELPS Ph.D. faculty here are so approved.) The Dissertation Committee chair is the student's mentor who guides the student in proposing and writing the dissertation. The Dissertation Committee is composed of at least three members; faculty outside the Division of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies may serve on a student's dissertation committee.

   • The Dissertation
     The dissertation shall be a written study through which the Ph.D. candidate demonstrates expertise in research and scholarship in the area of educational leadership and policy studies. The dissertation should make an original contribution to knowledge and be publishable as a book or monograph or as an article in a scholarly refereed journal. Copies of the dissertation must be distributed to members of the Dissertation Committee at least three (3) weeks before the final oral examination. The dissertation must be approved for defense at the final oral examination by the Dissertation Committee before a recommendation is made to the Graduate College to authorize an oral examination in defense of the dissertation. Guidelines for the dissertation format can be obtained by downloading a copy of the Format Manual.

   • Oral Examination in Defense of the Dissertation
     The Ph.D. candidate must take the final oral examination in defense of the dissertation within five years after passing the comprehensive examination. This examination must be scheduled and the final draft of the dissertation delivered to the Graduate College at least ten (10) working days prior to the examination, which must be conducted no later than one (1) week prior to graduation. The student should refer to the Graduate College Graduate Deadlines and Format Evaluation/Oral Defense Procedures for Theses and Dissertations. If all details of the graduation are cleared, a student is ready to graduate once the oral examination in defense of the dissertation has been passed and the dissertation is approved in writing, on the appropriate Graduate College forms, by the student's Dissertation Committee.

Application

Apply to the Graduate College

Students applying for a graduate degree program in the Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies must apply for admission to the ASU Graduate College. Detailed information is available at the ASU Graduate College website.

Apply to the Division

Students must also apply to the Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Begin the application process by printing and completing a program application/letter of intent and recommendation form:

• Certification Application
• MEd Educational Administration & Supervision
• MEd Higher & Postsecondary Education
• MA Social & Philosophical Foundations
• EdD Higher & Postsecondary Education
• PhD Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

Completed forms can be faxed to (480) 965-1880, attention Division Graduate Programs; attached and emailed to delps@asu.edu; or mailed to:

Division Graduate Programs
Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Mary Lou Fulton College of Education
Arizona State University
Box 872411
Tempe, Arizona 85287-2411
(480) 965-6357

Admission to degree programs in the Division is based on undergraduate and/or graduate grade point averages, scores on the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) or GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test)—where such scores are required (see individual degrees)— letters of recommendation, a letter of intent, work and academic experiences, and availability of faculty to supervise the academic area of interest. Application deadlines will differ for different degree programs within the Division. Please consult the degree program you are interested in for its application deadlines. To be considered at any of the admission meetings, your file must be completed no later than the first day of the month in which the meeting is to be held; again, please consult the webpages for individual degree programs.

GRADUATE DEGREES & PROGRAMS

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION (EdD)

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD)

MASTER OF ARTS (MA)

MASTER OF COUNSELING (MC)

MASTER OF EDUCATION (MEd)

CERTIFICATION AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

ONLINE PROGRAMS