Ph.D. Program
The Ph.D. program in art education gives students the opportunity to achieve a high level of scholarly competence and to develop the capacity to contribute to the field. It consists of a coherent pattern of courses and other educational experiences, a Preliminary examination, a Candidacy examination, a dissertation, and a Final Oral Examination. Students have five years to complete the Ph.D. requirements after passing the Candidacy Examination.
The program is designed to foster research, scholarship and knowledge of
a specialty in the field and/or of related fields. It requires both some
breadth of study within the field of art education and also a research concentration
on a particular topic within it. The design of the research concentration
should be developed by students in consultation with a faculty advisor.
The whole program of study must be approved by the advisor and is subject
to the rules of the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School.
The Department does not offer a Ph.D. in Arts Policy and Administration, but Ph.D. students can take a concentration in arts policy. For a sample Ph.D. course progression in arts policy, please click here.
Program of Studies
This program was last revised in the Fall of 1998.
A. INITIAL REQUIRED STUDIES (25 hrs)Students are expected to complete these classes in their first year of study (part-time students may take two years)
- AE 700 - Issues in Graduate Study in Art Education (5 hrs.)
- AE 703 - Contemporary Theory and Art Education (5 hrs.)
- AE 704 - Policy Perspectives on Arts Education (5 hrs.)
- AE 705 - Overview of Research Methods in Art Education (5 hrs.)
- AE 830 - History of Art Education in the U.S. (5 hrs.)
This is a required examination, aimed at assessing the conceptual abilities required for success in the program and for writing a dissertation. The exam requires that candidates analyze academic material in a critical spirit, organize their answers effectively, and handle the English language well enough to make their understanding unmistakably clear. Students are allowed to retake the exam if necessary.
C. BREADTH REQUIREMENTS (12-20 hrs)
Students are required to take at least one class from each of the following four groups:
- Social, Cultural, Political, and Community Dynamics
- Knowledge Building and Application
- Critical Thought, Reflection, and Research Capacity Building
- Policy, Practice, and Evaluation
Students are required to take at least six hours of study in research methods, in addition to the AE 705 class and the seminar on proposal writing below. These courses are selected in consultation with the faculty advisor and will usually be from other departments within the university.
E. AREA OF SPECIALIZATION (24 hrs)This requirement consists of studies that are organized around a relatively specialized interest and that lead toward the dissertation. They are to be arranged in consultation with the student's advisor.
F. THE PROPOSAL AND CANDIDACY EXAM (5 hrs)- A required seminar in which students conceptualize the dissertation and write a research proposal
- The Candidacy Exam consisting of:
- submission of the proposal to the exam committee
- answering questions in writing based on the proposal
- an oral exam based on the proposal and the written answers to questions
- formal acceptance by the exam committee of the proposal.
G. THE DISSERTATION (20 hrs)
- Writing the dissertation according to the guidelines of the Graduate School
- The final oral exam, based on the dissertation.
PhD coursework = 90
Hrs applied from MA = 45
Total hours = 135