Discipline Coordinator

Omiunota Ukpokodu, (816) 235-2469, ukpokodun@umkc.edu

 

Click here to see Curriculum and Instruction faculty who are members of the doctoral faculty.

Curriculum and Instruction is a discipline in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program administered by the School of Graduate Studies.

Note: The discipline-specific requirements listed here are in addition to the requirements listed in Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Application Procedure and Minimum Criteria for Admission and Minimum Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Academic Regulations and Degree Requirements.

Discipline-Specific Admission Requirements

Applicants who designate curriculum and instruction as their primary discipline will be expected to have a Master's degree; and a GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, covering all post-baccalaureate work completed to date.

If the discipline is selected as the primary discipline and the dissertation research will have a primary orientation in curriculum and instruction, the student must obtain the agreement of a member of the doctoral faculty in curriculum and instruction to serve as research adviser before the student can be admitted.

The applicant must provide the following supplementary documentation:

1. Written recommendations from appropriate professors and practitioners in the field (selected by student).
2. Brief narrative stating research interest
3. GRE score requirement of a combined minimum score of 295 on the verbal and quantitative section and 4.00 on the analytic writing section

4. Sample research or scholarly writing

Suggested Compatible Co-disciplines

Educational Leadership, Policy and Foundations, music education, chemistry, history, mathematics, physics, and public affairs and administration.

 

Core Program Requirements

All students with curriculum and instruction as primary discipline are required to complete 9 hours of core courses (EDUC-C&I 5618 or EDUC-C&I 5620, EDUC-C&I 5626 and 3 hours of technology) and a minimum of 15 credit hours of electives. All students with curriculum and instruction as a co-discipline are required to complete 9 hours of core courses (EDUC-C&I 5618 or EDUC-C&I 5620, EDUC-C&I 5626 and 3 hours of technology) and a minimum of 6 credit hours of electives. All students with curriculum and instruction as primary discipline are required to complete a minimum of 12 hours of research that includes EDUC-R&P 5608 (Introduction to Graduate Research) and at least one course each in qualitative research methods and statistics and a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation.

Ph.D. study in curriculum and instruction prepares students with diverse academic and professional backgrounds to meet equally diverse career and scholarly goals. Moreover, rather than being a homogeneous field with a relatively uniform approach to Ph.D. study, curriculum and instruction encompasses several separate specialized areas, each with its own requirements and expectations regarding doctoral work. Hence, students accepted for the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program with curriculum and instruction as their co-discipline may have backgrounds in one of the educational fields represented in the School of Education, in one of the disciplines represented in the College of Arts and Sciences, or in a professional field such as criminology, computer science or law. Students accepted with curriculum and instruction as their coordinating-unit discipline would typically have prior academic training and experience in curriculum and instruction. Advisers would tend to be specialists in reading education, physical education, special education, educational psychology, mathematics education, science education or curriculum and instruction. The doctoral student in curriculum and instruction may be preparing for teaching and research in higher education, for a curricular or supervisory position in a public school district or for work in a government agency, private foundation or an educational training role in business and industry. Consequently, a single set of minimum standards cannot possibly fit all Ph.D. programs for which curriculum and instruction is the primary discipline or co-discipline. Instead, sensitivity to individual student needs and goals, as well as regard for the different approaches to doctoral study represented in the several fields within curriculum and instruction, require flexibility and diversity in program planning.

Within the context described, a minimum of 24 hours in curriculum and instruction is required of students with curriculum and instruction as their coordinating-unit discipline and a minimum of 15 hours in curriculum and instruction is expected of students selecting curriculum and instruction as their co-discipline. In no case will a program be drawn up or approved that contains only coursework previously completed. Additional requirements may be set by the student's doctoral supervisory committee on the basis of the individual's program goals, previous academic preparation and relevant prior experiences.

Requirements for Comprehensive Examinations

The student may obtain discipline-specific information on comprehensive examination guidelines from his or her research adviser.