BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION DEGREE
IN ADULT, HIGHER, AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Purpose Students completing the Doctor of Education Degree (Ed.D.) in Adult, Higher, and Community Education increase their competencies to work effectively with a variety of stakeholders in multiple settings, including educational, community-based, social, governmental, business, religious, industrial, and other contexts.  Knowledge, competencies, attitudes and values regarding teaching, learning, evaluating, planning, program development, leadership, policy, and research are emphasized.

General Requirements The doctoral program in Adult, Higher, and Community Education includes a minimum of 90 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the bachelor’s degree.  At least 48 of the 90 hours, and at least half of required hours in the research requirement, the major, and the cognate must be completed at Ball State. The current University Graduate Catalogue describes the requirements in more detail.

Degree Requirements Students will earn 15 semester hours of credit in the foundation courses, 17 semester hours in research courses, a concentration of 18 semester hours in either Adult and Community Education or Higher Education, and a single cognate of 24 hours or two cognates of 15 hours each. Completion of the dissertation earns 10 semester hours.  Students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

Foundational (Core) Courses - 15 hours

Course Number	Course Name	Credit Hours
EDAC  631	Adult & Community Education	3
EDHI  610	Issues in Higher Education	3
EDAC  655	Continuing Education for Professionals	3
EDAC 697	The Grant Process and Research	3
	And at least one of the following courses:
EDAC 700	Advanced Seminar in Adult and Community Education	3
EDHI  700	Seminar in Higher Education	3

 

Research Requirements (17 hours)

Course Number	Course Name	Credit Hours
EDPSY 640	Methodology of Educational and Psychological Research	3
EDPSY 641	Statistical Methods and Educational Psychological Research	3
EDAC 710	Research Seminar in Adult, Higher, and Community Education	3
ID 705	Research Colloquium	2
	Plus six more hours of research courses. Students are encouraged to take a   mixture of quantitative and qualitative courses, such as:
EDCUR 660	Ethnographic Research in Education	3
EDCUR 671	Evaluation of Educational Programs	3

 

Adult and Community Education Concentration (18 hours)

Students are strongly encouraged to complete courses marked by asterisks.  Directed electives, chosen from this list, are to be determined between the student and doctoral committee.                    

Course Number	Course Name	Credit Hours
EDAC 629	Psychology of Adult Adjustment	3
EDAC 632	Organizing Adult and Community Education Programs	3
*EDAC 634	The Adult as a Learner	3
*EDAC 635	Strategies for Teaching Adults	3
EDAC 638	Program Planning in Community and Adult Education	3
EDAC 644	Collaborative Learning in Adult, Higher, and Community Education	3
EDAC 646	Working with Volunteers in Community Agencies	3
EDAC 648	The Community Educator	3
EDAC 681	Managing Community Education	3
EDAC 699	Internship in Adult and Community Education	(2-6)
*EDAC  780	Advanced Seminar in Managing Lifelong Education	3
EDCUR 675	Evaluation of Educational Personnel to Strengthen Curriculum	3
EDCUR 680	Staff Development to Strengthen Curriculum	3
EDCUR700	Seminar in Curriculum and Staff Development and Evaluation	3

                                                                                    

Higher Education Concentration (18 hours)

Students are strongly encouraged to complete courses marked by asterisks. Directed electives, chosen from this list, are to be determined between the student and doctoral committee.

Course Number	Course Name	Credit Hours
EDHI 600	Introduction to Student Affairs Administration	3
EDHI 601	Theories of College Student Development: Higher Education Application	3
EDHI 602	The American College Student	3
EDHI 609	Preparing for the Professoriate Teaching in Higher Education	3
EDHI 611	Teaching and Curriculum Issues in Higher Education	3
*EDHI 613	Administration and Finance in Higher Education	3
*EDHI 640	The Community College	3
EDHI 698	Principles and Practices of Student Affairs Administration	3
EDHI 659	Independent Study in Higher Education	(1-3)
EDFON 610	Women, Gender, and Education	3
EDFON 660	Comparative Education	3
EDAC 646	Working with Volunteers in Community Agencies	3
EDHI 699	Internship	3

Cognate Requirements (24 or 30 hours) Students will complete two cognates (minors) of 15 hours or more, or one cognate of 24 hours or more. Nine hours of each 15-hour cognate must be completed at Ball State; or 12 hours of a 24-hour cognate must be completed at Ball State.  Cognates are available in all areas in which Ball State offers graduate degrees.  The Graduate Catalogue lists cognate areas.  A student whose concentration is Adult and Community Education can use Higher Education as a cognate, or whose concentration is Higher Education can use Adult and Community Education as a cognate.  Other cognates in the Department of Educational Studies are: Curriculum; History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Education; Teacher Education; and Executive Development for Public Service. The faculty member on the student’s doctoral committee who represents the cognate area, cooperatively with the student, sets the expectations for the cognate courses and the cognate examination.

Dissertation (10 hours)  By completing the dissertation students earn the final 10 credits for the doctoral degree. A student may not register for dissertation hours until all coursework has been completed, the doctoral comprehensive exams have been passed, and the student’s committee has approved the dissertation proposal.

Total Hours Earned May Vary Students may find it necessary to earn more than the minimum of 90 hours to meet all program requirements and meet their own individual requirements.  Often students earn 100 or more graduate hours beyond the bachelors degree.

Residence Requirements Students meet the residence requirements by earning a total of 15 semester hours of credit in two consecutive semesters.  Summer semester can be one of those semesters.

Meeting Times Classes meet in the evenings, weekends or other times convenient to groups of students to reduce conflicts with typical scheduled work hours. A few courses are offered by distance learning, primarily over the internet.

Time to Complete the Degree All requirements for completion of the doctoral degree are to be completed within seven years from the time of enrollment in the first course after the student has been admitted.  After admission the student has two years to begin courses. The director of the doctoral program serves as a student’s adviser until the student establishes a doctoral committee.
It is possible to complete up to nine hours in one registration as a non-degree student. A limit of 9 hours of credit earned as a non-degree student can be counted toward program requirements if the student is subsequently admitted to the program. 

Application Process

  Applications for admission are accepted continuously. Students apply for admission to the doctoral program in Adult, Higher, and Community Education by submitting the following to the Graduate School, Ball State University, Muncie IN 47306:

1. Completed Graduate Application form is available from the Graduate School or the Educational  Studies Department.
2. Names and addresses of five references. (department will contact by mail )
3. Two official College/University transcripts from all institutions attended.
4. Graduate Record Examination Scores.

Upon acceptance by the Graduate School, the applicant’s materials are sent to the Educational Studies Department where the Doctoral program is housed.
The following application materials should be sent to the Director of the Doctoral Program in Adult, Higher, and Community Education:    

1. A brief autobiography. (500-1000 words).
2. A statement of your philosophy of learning and education. (500-1000 words)
3. A three to five page description of the following:
4. purposes you intend to accomplish by earning a doctoral degree,
5. examples of the contributions you will make to the doctoral program.  
6. Current educational and employment vitae.
7. Evidence of high levels of competence in written and oral expression in English.

Usually the essays written in completion of the application materials are adequate evidence.
When all admission materials are received, program faculty members evaluate them.  As part of the evaluation the applicant may be invited for a departmental interview.  Following the evaluation, the director of the doctoral program makes a recommendation to the Chairperson of the Advanced Graduate Studies Committee in Educational Studies. The Chairperson makes a recommendation to Dean of the Teachers College.  The Dean of the Teachers College forwards the department’s and college’s recommendation to the Dean of he Graduate School who makes the final decision and notifies the applicant.

Criteria for Selection  The Advanced Graduate Studies Committee for Adult and Community Education considers the following criteria in reaching its recommendation: Graduate Record Examination Scores (Verbal +Quantitative  900 or more); the grade point average in previous graduate work (3.2 or above on a 4.0 scale); the content of reference letters; the applicant’s professional and personal goals; relevant career or life experiences and accomplishments; evidence of advanced graduate study skills including writing, speaking, and completing research.

Assistantships  A limited number of doctoral assistantships requiring 20 hours of work per week are awarded on a competitive basis.  Assistantships are available to full-time students.  Assistants are paid a stipend, tuition is waived, and students pay only the student service fees. See more complete policy.

For additional information or an appointment contact:
Dr. Joseph L. Armstrong, Program Director
TC 814 Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306-0590
Phone: (765) 285-5460 Fax: (765) 285-5489
Email Contact

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revised 7/16/04