Prevention and Intervention Studies (ph.D.)

The Prevention and Intervention Studies specialization within the Education Ph.D. program is designed for K-12 educators and scholars interested in boosting positive academic and socio-behavioral outcomes for children and families.

A photo of smiling elementary students.

Note: We are not currently accepting new students to the Prevention and Intervention Studies Ph.D. specialization at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Program overview

The goal of Prevention and Intervention Studies is to increase positive academic and social-behavioral outcomes for PreK-12 children and their families by focusing on issues related to risk, resilience, prevention and intervention. Doctoral students study and conduct research on risk and protective influences on development, as well as evidence-based interventions to promote academic achievement and positive social behaviors in school. The program is designed for mid-career professionals, including special educators, classroom teachers, curriculum coordinators, administrators and counselors who are committed to the goal of improving outcomes for students who are at-risk for academic or social-behavioral difficulties. Study in this area may be of particular interest to individuals involved with design, implementation or evaluation of response to intervention in school or early childhood settings.

The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 57 graduate credits beyond a master’s degree. Students in the Prevention and Intervention Studies specialization are part of two cohorts: One made up of students pursuing the same area of study and a larger group of students from other specializations. This model encourages dialogue across multiple, related disciplines, while enabling students to develop in-depth expertise in their focus area. To the degree possible, courses are adapted to the needs, interests and schedules of these groups.

Students will develop an initial program of study with their faculty advisor. Before enrolling in their fifth course, students must form a program committee consisting of three or more faculty members to finalize the 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.
  • Professional Core (minimum 15 credit hours): A series of courses in the student’s 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)

Faculty

Jim Artesani, Associate Professor of Special Education (Retired)

Staff

Jo-Ellen Carr, Administrative Specialist for Graduate Programs

Graduates of the Education Ph.D. program who specialize in Prevention and Intervention Studies go on to work as school district and community agency administrators, school and community-based counselors and social workers, and fulfill faculty roles in higher education. In addition, our graduates are prepared to work for nonprofit and government agencies specializing services for children and youth.

The mission of the Graduate School of the University of Maine is to produce engaged scholars and professionals by promoting excellence in all aspects of the graduate student experience. The Graduate School provides advanced education and professional training through innovative teaching, mentorship, research, and creative activity in established and emerging areas. This rigorous education prepares students to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of the state of Maine, the nation and the global community.

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 School’s doctoral, masters, and professional-certifications degree programs will enable students to:

Understand, interpret, shape, and augment the knowledge base by

  • 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; and
  • Committing to professional development through engagement in professional societies and other knowledge-transfer modes.

Share disciplinary expertise openly, effectively, and accurately by

  • 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; and
  • Respectfully observing (and where necessary, helping to shape) the communicative conventions of the community of practice.

Demonstrate responsible and ethical practice by

  • 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; and
  • Assuring that context–and discipline-informed modes of inquiry are safe.

For current information about tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s office.

Note: We are not currently accepting new students to the Prevention and Intervention Studies Ph.D. specialization at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Applicants must have at least a master’s degree in an educational field relevant to their intended area of research and prior experience working in PreK-12 schools.

Contact Us

For questions about the program, please contact program coordinator Jim Artesani. For general queries, coehd@maine.edu.

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