Education, Schools, & Communities Specialization (Education Ph.D.)

About

The Education, Schools and Communities specialization within the Education Ph.D. program responds to growing interest from educators both inside and outside the classroom in applying research-backed solutions to the challenges facing schools and communities, particularly those in rural and underserved areas. Schools in these areas can and should serve as community hubs. This doctoral specialization focuses on the intersections between education as an institution, the organization of schools, and the communities in which they are located. It is designed to prepare practicing teachers and leaders to lead systemic change in educational and community settings, and to promote equitable opportunities for all individuals. The doctoral program can be completed entirely online and includes both part-time and full-time options, with faculty who have extensive experience supporting innovation and collaboration between schools and communities.

Program Highlights

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Requirements

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Program Delivery

All of our Ph.D. specializations require a minimum of 57 graduate credits beyond a masterโ€™s degree. Students will develop an initial program of study with a faculty advisor. Before enrolling in their fifth course, students must form a program committee consisting of three or more faculty members to finalize their program of study. The curriculum includes of a minimum of 15 required foundation course credits, 15 required research core credits, 12 required program core credits and three elective credits combined with comprehensive exams, a research practicum and a dissertation:

  • Educational Foundations (minimum 12 credit hours): All students are required to enroll in a professional seminar course at the beginning of doctoral studies. After that, students may choose three additional courses from a menu of options focusing on the philosophical, psychological and social aspects of education.
  • Research Foundations (minimum 15 credit hours): Includes a minimum of six credits in quantitative methods and six credits in qualitative methods. In addition, students must take at least one additional research course related to their professional or academic interests.
  • Education, Schools and Communities Core (minimum 15 credit hours): A series of courses specifically tailored to students in the Education, Schools and Communities Area of Specialization.
  • Research Practicum (minimum 6 credit hours): In the fourth year of the program, each student in consultation with their advisor and program committee, will do a two semester research practicum specific to their Area of Specialization. This allows students to develop a literature review and implement field study in that area.
  • Dissertation (minimum of nine credits)

Advising & Support

The College of Education and Human Development provides students with academic guidance and personal support before they set foot on campus through graduation and beyond. Our graduate students work with faculty advisors, who build genuine relationships and provide timely information to help you navigate your program, your work in schools and communities, and whatever else is on your plate.

Program Learning Outcomes

The University of Maine Graduate School prepares engaged scholars and professionals to make meaningful contributions to their communities of practice: research consortia, clinical practices, studios, workplaces, classrooms, and political collectives. As graduate students are key agents in helping to sustain an environment supportive of learning through teaching, collaborative inquiry, mentoring or demonstration, they are critical ambassadors for public higher education during their coursework and after graduation. During and after graduate training, accordingly, the Graduate Schoolโ€™s doctoral, masters, and professional-certifications degree programs will enable students to:

  • Contributing research, scholarship, creative work, and informed practice to our developing understanding of the social and material world
  • Staying abreast of methodological, pedagogical, and professional advances
  • Consuming research for continuing professional knowledge and practice
  • Committing to professional development through engagement in professional societies and other knowledge-transfer modes
  • Accurately distilling and disseminating complex expertise to help solve problems
  • Responsibly integrating developing research consensus into professional best-practices
  • Working collaboratively across domains to develop new insights and effective practices
  • Responding with principled recommendations to emerging concerns that confront their communities of practice
  • Respectfully observing (and where necessary, helping to shape) the communicative conventions of the community of practice
  • Attending to sustainability, responsiveness, and potential long-term implications when engaging local-global context and communities
  • Learning from and working respectfully with diverse cultural perspectives, knowledge-systems, and priorities
  • Giving and acting on productive feedback
  • Complying with best-practices in methodology and pedagogy and in making informed recommendations to employers, coworkers and the broader public
  • Maintaining a critical awareness of structural inequities in their communities of practice and working to redress them
  • Assuring that contextโ€“and discipline-informed modes of inquiry are safe

Careers

The Education, Schools and Communities concentration prepares educators and community service providers to assume leadership positions in schools and community agencies. Graduates of the program teach, lead and conduct research in PreK-12 schools, community or higher education settings, particularly those serving rural areas. In addition, alumni of the program gain experience in grant writing and project management.

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At a Glance

College of Education & Human Development


Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Earned

Doctor of Philosophy in Education

Mode of Study

Online

time to Complete Degree

57 Credits

College of Education & Human Development


Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Earned

Doctor of Philosophy in Education

Mode of Study

Online

time to Complete Degree

57 Credits

Featured Courses

XXX 101

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XXX 101

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XXX 101

Research Learning Experience

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Scholarships

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Learn More about Scholarships

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Contact

Education & Human Development

Shibles Hall

umaine.edu/edhd

P

207.581.2441

Admissions

Undergraduate

Estabrooke Hall, Room 115

go.umaine.edu

P

207.581.1561

F

207.581.1213

International

Chadbourne Hall, Room 122

go.umaine.edu/international-undergraduate-admissions/

P

207.581.3437

F

207.581.2920