Education & Human Development

Graduate Programs

Guidelines for the Individually Designed Ed.D.
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The College of Education and Human Development presently offers doctoral programs with four concentrations: educational leadership, higher education, literacy, and counselor education. Each program serves applicants with professional backgrounds and career goals specific to the area. In contrast, the Individually Designed Ed.D. serves applicants already holding a Master’s degree whose interests in education do not fall within the bounds of these concentrations.

The intended clientele for the Individually Designed Ed.D. typically follows one of two paths. First, applicants may draw upon an existing doctoral concentration in the College of Education and Human Development and another graduate program within Education (e.g., Special Education, Science Education, Human Development) or outside of Education (e.g., English). Second, the applicant may draw upon two or more areas within the College that do not presently offer doctoral programs, but that offer Master's level programs (combining them, if desired, with study in a graduate program outside of the College). In either case, the program is expected to offer a strong base in doctoral level coursework.

The Individually Designed Ed.D. is appropriate only for those applicants whose interests are well developed and who present a highly focused proposal for study that can be supported by the College’s resources. Major responsibility for defining and initiating study falls upon the applicant before admission and must continue through matriculation. Furthermore, applicants must demonstrate adequate academic preparation at the graduate level in the major area(s) of study being proposed. For example, applicants who wish to combine study in special education and educational leadership should have sufficient academic preparation in both these areas. Applicants lacking such background will be advised to pursue further preparation. Finally, existing facilities, courses and support resources must also be present, and qualified faculty representing the contributing graduate programs must make a commitment from the outset to sponsor and direct the applicant’s work.

Admission Procedures
Step 1: Initial inquiries

Initial inquiries regarding the Individually Designed Ed.D. should be made to Dr. Dorothy Breen, Graduate Coordinator, College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine, Orono, ME. 04469-5766 (207-581-2479) or E-mail her at dorothy.breen@umit.maine.edu. At this time, potential applicants will be informed about application procedures and admission requirements. If the intended program appears to be consistent with the College’s mission and it draws upon graduate degree programs in the College, the candidate will be encouraged to seek the support of a faculty mentor willing to chair the committee and at least three additional faculty sponsors. Applicants interested in assistantships and financial aid are advised to begin the application process in the Graduate School one year in advance of matriculation. The GRE is required of all doctoral applicants. Due to the timeline for application and scoring of the GRE, applicants are encouraged to take the examination at the earliest available date.

Step 2: Contact potential faculty sponsors

The next step is for applicants to seek the support of a primary sponsor to serve as chair of the student's doctoral committee and at least three additional faculty sponsors. Generally, once a primary mentor/chairperson is identified, s/he can assist in identifying other potential members of the committee. Faculty sponsors should be Graduate Faculty (or faculty who are eligible for such appointment) who have expertise relevant to the intended area(s) of study. The chair and at least one other sponsor must be faculty in the College of Education and Human Development. This step can be accomplished by meeting, phone or letter. Students should be prepared to share the following information with faculty:

1. Professional goals and aspirations
2. Reasons why needs cannot be met through existing programs in the College
3. Intended specialization(s) and graduate programs to draw upon for the Individually Designed Ed.D.
4. Research interests
5. Courses relevant to intended specialization(s)
6. Prior academic and professional experiences that support the proposed plan of study reflected in transcripts, curriculum vita and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (if available).

Faculty may request the above information in writing. In addition, letters of recommendation and/or a sample of scholarly or professional writing might help the faculty member assess the fit between the student's aspirations and the College resources to meet them. Discussions at this stage typically help the student shape the final program proposal.

Step 3. Faculty commitment to assist the student in completing an application for the Individually Designed Ed.D.

After learning about a student's background and interests, faculty members must decide whether they have sufficient time, expertise and interest to support the applicant through the remaining steps of the application process. A commitment at this point represents an agreement to assist the candidate in developing an Individually Designed Ed.D. proposal.

At a later date, faculty and the College’s Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC) of the will consider these criteria in evaluating the viability of the proposed Individually designed Ed.D. (see step 7)

1. Has the applicant convincingly explained his/her need for an Individually Designed Ed.D., making clear why this need cannot be met through existing programs in the College?
2. Has the applicant described his/her aspirations, providing a convincing rationale as to how these can be met through the proposed program?
3. Does the applicant provide a plan that includes academic area(s), research interests, and list of potential courses consistent with the offerings and resources of the College and University?
4. Has the applicant been in contact with specific faculty members of the College who might provide additional support for this applicant, if necessary?
5. Does the applicant’s academic and professional background support the proposed plan of study?

Step 4: Application to the Graduate School

If the student is successful in obtaining faculty support to develop a proposal, the next step is to apply to the Graduate School. At this point, the candidate completes the Graduate School application and submits official transcripts, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation to the University of Maine Graduate School.

Step 5: Preparation of the Individually Designed Ed.D. proposal

With support from faculty sponsors, the applicant prepares a typewritten Individually Designed Ed.D. proposal, typically representing a revision of a working draft provided for faculty mentors, that includes the following sections:

1. Statement of purpose. Applicants should identify their reasons for pursuing the Individually Designed Ed.D., explaining why their goals cannot be met through existing programs in the College. In addition, they should describe their professional aspirations and briefly explain how these can be met through the proposed program.
2. Description of intended area(s) of academic area study and research interests.
3. Relevant Academic and Professional Experience. Applicants should describe the academic and professional experiences that support their proposed plan of study. Applicants must have sufficient academic preparation in proposed area(s) of study. Applicants lacking such background will be advised to pursue further preparation before applying for the Individually Designed Ed.D.
4. Program of Study. Applications should prepare a tentative chronology of coursework to fulfill the requirements of the College (see below) and the purposes and goals of the proposed program.
5. List of Faculty Sponsors. Applicants should identify at least four faculty members, including a chair, who have agreed to serve on the doctoral committee. These faculty sponsors should be Graduate Faculty or eligible for such appointment. For each faculty sponsor, the applicant should include areas of expertise (relevant to the proposed program of study) and institutional or department affiliations. At least three members of the committee including the prospective chairperson must be full-time faculty members in the College of Education and Human Development.
6. Comprehensive Examination. Applicants should provide a list of the topics to be assessed by the comprehensive examination.
7. Appendix. Applicants should submit one or two samples of scholarly writing.

It may be helpful to provide faculty sponsors with a current set of these guidelines to remind them of the process and to assist them in reviewing your proposal.

Step 6: Obtain Letter of Sponsorship

When all the above materials are complete, faculty sponsors meet as a group to review the proposal and application to the Graduate School. Each potential committee member evaluates the proposal and application against the following criteria:

• Does the applicant demonstrate ability to succeed at advanced graduate coursework in the proposed areas of study, in research, and to fulfill College requirements?
• Does the applicant demonstrate sufficient facility with scholarly ideas and writing to make a contribution to scholarship?
• Has the applicant a background in scholarship and/or professional experience that prepares him/her well to engage in the proposed program of study and fulfill the proposed goals?
• Do resources exist at the University of Maine to support and sustain the proposed program to completion?
• Do four faculty with scholarly strengths applicable to the applicant's proposed program agree to support and sustain the applicant to successful completion?

Faculty sponsors who answer these questions in the affirmative sign a Letter of Sponsorship. The letter is attached to the proposal and forwarded to the GAC. The application cannot proceed to the GAC unless it is accompanied by such a letter, signed by four faculty members.

Step 7: Review by the Graduate Affairs Committee

The Graduate Affairs Committee subcommittee on doctoral admissions reviews the completed application packet using the same criteria listed in step 6 above. The chair of the student's committee and the student (optional) present the application to the full Committee membership. The GAC then decides to approve, disapprove or table the application and provides reasons for the decision in the GAC minutes and on appropriate forms. The committee chair and the applicant are notified of the decision by the chair of the GAC.

Step 8: Graduate School Review

The GAC forwards its recommendation to accept or reject the applicant to the Graduate coordinator who forwards it to the Graduate School.

Program Requirements

The faculty program committee initially consisting of four faculty members, including a primary sponsor supervises program development, comprehensive examination, the dissertation proposal and the dissertation research. A fifth faculty member is required at the dissertation stage of the program. The Advisory Committee approves the program of study, which should reflect the following structure

All students enrolled in the Individually Designed Ed.D. program are required to complete a minimum of 90 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate. Up to 45 credit hours may be accepted from the student's master degree and post master if the student's doctoral committee finds the credits relevant to the student's program of study. In the case of master's programs totalling more than 30 hours, a total of 45 may be accepted. Because the Individually Designed Ed.D. allows the student to combine areas of study, it is expected that most students' programs will go beyond the minimum of 90 credit hours. Graduate School regulations allow four years to complete coursework and an additional four years to complete the dissertation.

Core courses. Consistent with the requirements for existing doctoral concentrations in the College, students in the Individually Designed Ed.D. are required to complete a 21-credit common core of courses

Nine credit hours are in educational foundations:

EDH 500, Social Context of Education
EDH 662, Philosophy of Education
EPT 522, Advanced Educational Psychology

Twelve credit hours are in research methodology:

EDS 571, Qualitative Research
(EDS 520, Educational Measurement, is a prerequisite for all Ed.D. concentrations)
EDS 521, Statistical Methods of Education
EDG 595, Educational Research
EDS 697, Advanced Educational Research I
Competency in SPSS

Additional research courses may be needed, as dictated by the nature of the dissertation topic.

Specializations (including field research). Students in the Individually Designed Ed.D. program typically will combine study in at least two areas of specialization. In this case, students must complete a minimum of 15 post-masters graduate level credit hours in each area of specialization. Students in the Individually Designed Ed.D. program are encouraged to include credits for independent studies and research under the supervision of a faculty member or team of interested faculty.

Electives. Students are encouraged to add electives to their program that are outside their specialization but related to their overall program.

Dissertation Credits. A minimum of six to nine dissertation credits are normally required.

Comprehensive Examination. The comprehensive examination is typically taken at the completion of all course work. The doctoral committee develops and administers the comprehensive examination, which may be written, oral or both. The examination assesses the student's proficiency with regard to the chosen areas of concentration and, further, the student's readiness to begin work on the dissertation. The final decision regarding the student's success on the comprehensive examination rests with the doctoral committee.

Dissertation Proposal. Dissertation research may begin upon formal approval of the dissertation proposal by the committee, which occurs after a public defense of the proposal.

Dissertation. A culminating research project advancing knowledge in the area of the student’s specialization completed under the supervision of the faculty advisory committee.

Residency. The minimum residence requirement for Ed.D. programs is met by registering for courses or thesis research through the University of Maine for four semesters beyond the baccalaureate degree. Students entering doctoral programs with a Master’s degree must register for at least two semesters of course work or research.

Other Requirements: Policies concerning the dissertation and the oral defense are identical to current policy regarding the College’s doctoral programs, as reported in the Constitution of the Graduate School.