|
Doctor of Education in
Agricultural and Extension Education
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 athttp://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.
Return to the
Graduate Degrees page |
|
Back to AEE Home
|
