Learn more about the Accelerated Ed.D. Option

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Counseling and Human Development (with a Concentration in Human Development)
(ISIS code: HD3)

The Human Development program takes an interdisciplinary and contextual approach to the study of human development. The program is unique in three ways:

• It focuses on processes of growth and change, as opposed to static conceptions of the individual.
• Human development is studied from early childhood through adulthood and from philosophical, historical, sociological, and psychological perspectives, with emphasis on integration across the disciplines.
• The program focuses on the linkage between development processes and the contexts in which they occur. While the primary emphasis is on educational contexts, sociohistorical, cultural, and familial contexts will also be considered. Relations between contexts and development are viewed as interactive, mutually influential, and transformational. There is a strong emphasis on research methodologies appropriate for the study of development and change in real-world contexts.

More specifically, this concentration seeks to develop a disciplined analytical perspective that explicates:

• Different developmental processes and their relations to context.
• The constitutive role of schools and other social systems as institutional shapers of development-e.g., of children's motivation and social and cognitive skills.
• The analysis of institutions, explicitly regarding their role in encouraging the development of specific cognitive content and understanding.

Requirements

I. Entry-level Courses
(Up to 36)

Some or all may transferred from previous graduate work.

II. Research Methods Courses
(9 credits)

Choose two of the following:
ED 506 Concepts and Issues in Social Science Research (formerly titled Doctoral Research Methods)
ED 504 Quantitative Research Methods
ED 507 Qualitative Research Methods
ED 520 Program Evaluation

Learn more about Research Methods Experiences for Ed.D. students.

III. Program Core
(33 credits)

ED 560 Research in Cognitive Development
EDU 565 Research in Life Course Studies
EDU 549 Contemporary Learning Theories

Choose two courses to provide psychological foundations; eligible courses include:
EDU 449 Special Populations and Research in Human Development
EDU 467 Language, Literacy, Cognitive Development
ED 415 Adolescent Development and Youth Culture (ages 10 to 20)
EDU 464 Child Development and Learning in Context (ages 5 to 12)

Choose two courses to provide sociocultural foundations; eligible courses include:
ED 418 The Family and Social Dynamics
EDU 473 Social Organization of Work and Career
ED 412 Sociology of Education
ED 417 Education of American Women: A Social and Cultural History

Choose an additional course from one of the two previous groups.

IV. Electives
In collaboration with your advisor, select electives to reach a total of 90 credit hours in the program. Possible suggested courses, in addition to research methods courses, include:

EDU 557 Selected Theories of Human Development
ED 520 Introduction to Program Evaluation
ED 521 Advanced Program Evaluation
EDU 498 Literacy Learning as Social Practice
EDU 465 Assessment and Appraisal
ED 517 Schooling and Social Justice
ED 508 Reasoning, Argument, and Explanation
ED 429 Theories of Human Development
ED 435 Critical Thinking and Professional Practice
ED 505 Advanced Quantitative Research Methods: General Linear Analysis II
EDU 525 Theory and Research on Teaching and Learning
EDU 564 Contemporary Trends in Mental Health Appraisal, Intervention, and Research
EDU 457 Counseling Theory and Practice I

V. Dissertation Research
(9-15 credits)

In consultation with your advisor, choose a combination of Research Apprenticeship (ED 596), Independent Study (ED 591), Field Study (ED 592), Ed.D. Research (ED 593), and/or courses directly related to your dissertation. At least 9 credits must be in ED 593 and can only be taken after the comprehensive exam.

VI. Additional Requirements/Milestones

• Successful completion of a portfolio within first two years in the program
• Successful completion of research apprenticeship/second year paper
• Successful completion of comprehensive exams
• Successful completion and defense of dissertation

Total Credit Hours: 90

Go to Counseling & Human Development Course Listing.