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Doctor of Education in Agricultural and Extension Education

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"One's work may be finished some day, but one's education never."
Alexander Dumas

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 The Department offers an Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) degree in Agricultural and Extension Education. This degree is a research based degree and is designed for individuals who want to pursue careers in higher education or administrative positions in educational settings or government.

Enrolling in a doctoral program is not something to be taken lightly. The decision to enroll in a doctoral program is a very serious decision. A doctoral program is very demanding. A person should have clearly defined goals and a reason for enrolling in a doctoral program. The best doctoral candidates are people who are successful in their careers. A doctoral program is not an escape from the real world. If one wants to teach at the university level, it should be realized that universities are reluctant to hire their own graduates and positions in agricultural and extension education are not available at most universities. In all likelihood, one would have to leave the state to secure a faculty position.

There are major differences in the Master's and Doctoral program!!! A doctoral program IS NOT an extension of the Master's program. Following are some of the differences:
  • Knowledge - At the Master's level the student is expected to demonstrate an above average knowledge of the field. At the doctoral level the student is expected to possess an overwhelming, comprehensive mastery of the knowledge in the field. Not only should the doctoral student understand and know the major constructs, facts, principles and theories of the field, and be able to apply this knowledge in real world settings, the student will also know who in the field are experts in the various components of agricultural and extension education and what these individuals have written.
  • Quality of Work - Course expectations are different for doctoral students. Merely adequate assignments that were completed at the Master's level will not suffice at the doctoral level. Assignments turned in by doctoral students should be superior to those turned in by Master's students. Doctoral work should be high quality, perceptive, in-depth and demonstrate the mastery of knowledge mentioned in the previous section. At the doctoral level there is no excuse for sloppy, slovenly work. 
  • Research - Master's student are expected to have a knowledge of the research process. Doctoral students must demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the research process, statistics, research in the field, and be able to conduct original research. Since the doctorate is a research based degree, doctoral students are expected to excel in this area.
A good analogy would be to compare participation in college athletics with participation in professional athletics. Many students participate in collegiate basketball or football. However, only a handful of these athletes make it in the NFL or NBA. The same is true of a doctoral program. The doctoral program is not for the masses.

A question is often raised about the difference between the Ed.D. and Ph.D. degrees. There is virtually no difference between the quality and rigor of the Ed.D. offered at NCSU and the Ph.D. offered by other universities. Historically (in theory), the Ph.D. was a research based degree designed for scientists and the Ed.D. was designed for educational practitioners who needed advanced training in education but who did not need the heavy emphasis on research.  At some universities there may have been a difference in the requirements and implementation of the two degrees. However, that has not been the case at NCSU in Agricultural and Extension Education. The Ed.D. is a research based degree and does not differ from a Ph.D.  Some of the top leaders in the field have Ed.D. degrees and some have Ph.D. degrees. It is the person who makes the difference, not the degree. However, it should be noted there may be a few uninformed individuals who believe the Ph.D. is superior. Since our department was located in the College of Education when this degree was first implemented, and because Colleges of Education typically offer the Ed.D. degree, that explains why our degree is an Ed.D. There are plans to add a Ph.D. option in the near future.

Program Length :

The length of the doctoral program depends upon the student's prior educational background. Because of the diverse nature of professionals employed in agricultural and extension education positions, the length of time needed to get everybody "on the same page" varies. If a person has at least one prior degree in agricultural or extension education, then the minimum possible hours is 72 semester hours past the bachelor's degree. If a person has no previous formal training in agricultural and extension education, the length of the doctoral program might be 90 hours. The student's graduate committee, in consultation with the student,  will determine what courses will be required and how many hours are needed.  Eighteen hours from the Master's program can be counted in the doctoral program unless the student immediately "rolls over" from the Master's program into the Doctoral program upon completion of the Master's degree. In those situations up to 36 hours completed in the Master's program can count toward the doctoral degree.

The doctoral program is customized to meet the career goals of the individuals. Therefore each program will be different. However, there are some common components and requirements. The student's graduate committee will identify the remainder of the requirements.

Required courses:

    • AEE 501 Foundations of Agricultural and Extension Education (3 hours)
    • AEE 578 Scientific Inquiry in Agricultural and Extension Education (3 hours)
    • AEE 579 Research Design in Agricultural and Extension Education (3 hours)
    • ST 507 Statistics For the Behavioral Sciences I (3 hours)
    • ST 508 Statistics For the Behavioral Sciences II (3 hours)
    • AEE 895 Doctoral Dissertation Research (12 hours)
The remainder of the courses should be in Agricultural and Extension Education, closely related fields and a minor field of study (this is optional).

Comprehensive Examination:
At the completion of the course work, there is a comprehensive examination to determine if the student can continue in the program. If the student does not pass this examination, the doctoral program is terminated. There are two parts to the exam -- a written component and an oral component.

The written part of the exam is 16 hours in length and occurs over four days (4 hours a day). This exam is over the student's factual knowledge and the ability to apply this knowledge. The first part of the exam (4 hours) is over general knowledge in the field of agricultural and extension education. The second part of the exam (4 hours) concentrates on course work and knowledge in the field of the student's specialization (i.e., agricultural education, extension education, international development, etc.)  The third part of the exam (4 hours) concentrates on research and statistics. The final component of the exam (4 hours) is over the minor field of study.

After the written exam, there is a two hour oral exam over the written exam. This exam allows the student to clarify information from the written exam and allows the graduate committee to ascertain more accurately the depth and breadth of the student's knowledge.

Dissertation:
The final requirement of the doctoral program is to make an original contribution to the field of agricultural and extension education through research. The student will identify a major problem or question in the the field of agricultural and extension education and design a research study to address this problem. The student will then conduct the research and report the results in the form of a dissertation. The finished dissertation will probably be around 150-200 pages in length. The student's graduate committee will provide guidance and support for the project. When the dissertation is complete the student will have to defend the dissertation before his or her graduate committee. The topic of the dissertation must be in the area of agricultural and extension and should be of such quality that the results can be published in the professional journals of the field.
Admission Requirements:
The graduate school application is to be completed. It is on-line at http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/grad/prospect.htm. As part of the application process students are to provide transcripts of all past course work and submit three letters of recommendation (there is provision for this in the on-line application).

Students are also required to submit scores for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).  There is no "set" score required for admission.; but the score is one of several factors considered in making an admissions decision. 

A GPA of 3.5 (on a 4 point scale) on the Masters program is required along with a 3.0 GPA on undergraduate work. .

Applicants are expected to have successful real world work experience in agricultural and extension education. In order to be employable after completing the program, it is recommended that applicants have at least 3-5 years of experience as a teacher of agriculture, as an extension agent, or work experience in a similar field. A person can be denied admission to the program if they do not have this experience or the appropriate professional disposition to be a success in the field.

Time Limit:

Students have 10 years to complete the doctoral program (started with the first course that is to be counted in the doctoral program). Once admitted to the doctoral program, students are required to maintain continuous enrollment. This means a student must be enrolled in at least one course every fall and every spring semester. One leave of absence for one semester may be requested.

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Department of Agricultural and Extension Education