STEM Education Ph.D. - College of Education and Human Development

STEM Education (Ph.D.)

The STEM Education specialization within our doctoral program in Education is an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program for those who have an interest in improving the quality of science, technology, engineering or mathematics education through research.

Program overview

The STEM Education Ph.D. is an interdisciplinary degree program for those who have an interest in improving the quality of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics education through research. The program is a specialization within the Education Ph.D. in the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) and governed by an interdisciplinary committee consisting of STEM education faculty associated with COEHD and the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center).

The program prepares students for faculty positions in STEM education research. It consists of coursework, as well as mentored and independent research culminating in a dissertation research study. Students complete a common core of required courses, as well as courses specific to their focus within STEM education research. In the program’s initial years, all students will be full-time graduate students funded by assistantships from within participating colleges and departments. In future years the core program of full-time students may be augmented by exceptionally qualified part-time students.

Students in the STEM Education Ph.D. specialization:

Are full-time students eligible for financial support
Carry out STEM education research studies broadly, and in their discipline(s)
Build robust research skills while strengthening their knowledge of the discipline(s)
Join a vibrant interdisciplinary community of STEM education researchers and students associated with the Maine RiSE center

The STEM Education PhD specialization requires a minimum of 45 credits of coursework and a research dissertation. There are two pathways through the PhD program. In both pathways, a bachelor’s degree in a STEM or STEM education is a prerequisite for admission.

Pathway 1 is for students who do not already have graduate level experience in STEM education research. Pathway 2 is for students who have both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in STEM or STEM education and whose master’s program included a STEM education research thesis.

Pathway 1

This pathway is for students who are not graduates of the University of Maine’s Master of Science in Teaching (MST) Program or a similar program which includes a thesis in STEM education research. In this pathway, students enroll concurrently in one of several of UMaine’s master’s degree programs and the STEM Education Ph.D. program. The following are some of the options for the master’s degree component of the program:

The MST program
A master’s degree in the Department of Physics & Astronomy with a research thesis in STEM education
A master’s degree in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics with a research thesis in STEM education
A master’s degree from another STEM department at the University of Maine that includes a research thesis in STEM education

By design, there is substantial overlap between the course requirements of the MST program and the first two years of requirements for the STEM PhD program. In consultation with their advisors, students in other master’s programs will plan their program of study so it fulfills requirements for the PhD as well as the master’s degree.

Completing the thesis of whichever master’s program the student is enrolled in and its oral defense will be a necessary step for advancing to candidacy.

Application Information for Pathway 1:

Prospective students for Pathway 1 select master’s degree program options as part of the application process. Follow the links below for prerequisite requirements for each of these degrees. To be admitted to the STEM Education Ph.D. program, students pursuing Pathway 1 must also be admitted to a UMaine master’s degree program. Some possibilities are below.

The MST program
Master’s degree in the Department of Physics and Astronomy
Master’s degree in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Pathway 2

Pathway 2 is for students who are graduates of the MST or a similar program that includes a STEM education research thesis. After applying for and being accepted into the Ph.D. program, and upon successful review by the admissions committee, students in this pathway will normally receive credit for coursework required in the MST and for having met master’s thesis and oral defense requirements. Decisions about credit for prior courses may be influenced by the recency of graduate work.

Faculty

Justin Dimmel, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education and Instructional Technology
Elizabeth Hufnagel, Associate Professor of Science Education
Natasha M. Speer, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education
Shihfen Tu, Professor of Education and Applied Quantitative Methods

Staff

Jo-Ellen Carr, Administrative Specialist for Graduate Programs

This program is designed so graduates can pursue careers:

As faculty in science or mathematics education research, in discipline departments or colleges of education
As education researchers in museums, research centers and think tanks

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.

Use the Graduate School application. Your application packet should include the following:

Graduate School application with essay (see note below about content of the essay)
Three letters of recommendation
Official transcripts
Official score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Your score should be within five years of the term for which you are applying for admission. Note: The GRE requirement is waived for UMaine alumni or current students with a minimum GPA of 3.0
TOEFL scores (if required)
A sample of scholarly writing. For Pathway 1, the sample can be from any field. For Pathway 2, it should be your education research thesis. If your thesis is not yet finished, provide an excerpt from your thesis.

Your application essay should be 900 to 1200 words, not 300-500 words as stated in the Graduate School application. This essay should be a statement of purpose that addresses the following:

Describe your career goals and how pursuing graduate study in STEM education contributes to those goals. Discuss your particular interests in STEM education research. Also, describe any research experience you have STEM education, including any teaching experiences. Include any other information that will help us get to know your qualifications and interests better. If, as part of Pathway 1, you wish to also pursue teacher certification while in the program, let us know the Subject Concentration Area(s) in which you are most interested in concentrating.

Application deadline: Completed applications that are received by Jan. 6 will receive full consideration for admissions and assistantship funding. Normally, admissions decisions are made and notifications given by mid April.

Contact Us

For questions about applying to the program, please contact Justin Dimmel, associate professor of mathematics education and instructional technology or use the Graduate School contact form below. For general queries, coehd@maine.edu.

UMaine Graduate school Contact form