Purpose Students completing the Doctor of Education Degree (Ed.D.) in Adult, Higher, and Community Education increase their competencies to work effectively with a variety of stakeholders in multiple settings, including educational, community-based, social, governmental, business, religious, industrial, and other contexts. Knowledge, competencies, attitudes and values regarding teaching, learning, evaluating, planning, program development, leadership, policy, and research are emphasized.
General Requirements The doctoral program in Adult, Higher, and Community Education includes a minimum of 90 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the bachelor's degree. At least 48 of the 90 hours, and at least half of required hours in the research requirement, the major, and the cognate must be completed at Ball State. The current University Graduate Catalogue describes the requirements in more detail.
Degree Requirements Students will earn 15 semester hours of credit in the foundation courses, 17 semester hours in research courses, a concentration of 18 semester hours in either Adult and Community Education or Higher Education, and a single cognate of 24 hours or two cognates of 15 hours each. Completion of the dissertation earns 10 semester hours. Students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.
Foundational (Core) Courses (15 hrs)
| EDAC 631: Adult & Community Education |
3 hrs |
| EDHI 610: Issues in Higher Education |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 655: Continuing Education for Professionals |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 697: The Grant Process and Research |
3 hrs |
| And at least one of the following courses: |
|
EDAC 700: Advanced Seminar in Adult and
Community Education |
3 hrs
|
| EDHI 700: Seminar in Higher Education |
3 hrs |
Research Requirements (17 hours) Credit Hrs
| EDPSY 640: Methodology of Educational and Psychological Research |
3 hrs |
| EDPSY 641: Statistical Methods and Educational Psychological Research |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 710: Research Seminar in Adult, Higher, and Community Education |
3 hrs |
| ID 705: Research Colloquium |
2 hrs |
Plus six more hours of research courses. Students are encouraged
to take a mixture of quantitative and qualitative courses, such as: |
|
| EDCUR 660: Ethnographic Research in Education |
3 hrs |
| EDCUR 671: Evaluation of Educational Programs |
3 hrs |
Adult and Community Education Concentration (18 hours or 24 hours) Students are strongly encouraged to complete courses marked by asterisks. Directed electives, chosen from this list, are to be determined between the student and doctoral committee. Up to six credits from the Higher Education Concentration can be used in the Adult and Community Education Concentration.
Courses
Students are strongly encouraged to complete courses marked by asterisks. Directed electives, chosen from this list, are to be determined between the student and doctoral committee. Up to six credits from the Higher Education Concentration can be used in the Adult and Community Education Concentration.
| EDAC 629: Psychology of Adult Adjustment |
3 hrs |
EDAC 632: Organizing Adult and Community
Education Programs |
3 hrs
|
| *EDAC 634: The Adult as a Learner |
3 hrs |
| *EDAC 635: Strategies for Teaching Adults |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 638: Program Planning in Community and Adult Education |
3 hrs |
EDAC 644: Collaborative Learning in Adult, Higher,
and Community Education |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 646: Working with Volunteers in Community Agencies |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 648: The Community Educator |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 681: Managing Community Education |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 698:Seminar in Adult and Community Education |
3-6 hrs |
| EDAC 699: Internship in Adult and Community Education |
2-4 hrs |
| *EDAC 780: Advanced Seminar in Managing Lifelong Education |
3 hrs |
| EDCUR 660: Ethnographic Research in Education |
3 hrs |
| EDCUR 671: Evaluation of Educational Programs |
3 hrs |
EDCUR 675: Evaluation of Educational Personnel to
Strengthen Curriculum |
3 hrs
|
| EDCUR 680: Staff Development to Strengthen Curriculum |
3hrs |
EDCUR 700:Seminar in Curriculum and Staff Development
and Evaluation |
3 hrs
|
| EDFON 610: Women, Gender, and Education |
3 hrs |
| EDFON 660: Comparative Education |
3 hrs |
Higher Education Concentration (18 hrs or 24 hrs)
Students are strongly encouraged to complete courses marked by asterisks. Directed electives, chosen from this list, are to be determined between the student and doctoral committee. Up to six credits from the Adult and Community Education Concentration can be used in the Higher Education Concentration.
Courses
| EDHI 600: Introduction to Student Affairs Administration |
3 hrs |
*EDHI 601: Theories of College Student Development:
Higher Education Application |
3 hrs
|
| *EDHI 602: The American College Student |
3 hrs |
| EDHI 609: Preparing for the Professoriate Teaching in Higher Education |
3 hrs |
| EDHI 611: Teaching and Curriculum Issues in Higher Education |
3 hrs |
| *EDHI 613: Administration and Finance in Higher Education |
3 hrs |
| *DHI 640: The Community College |
3 hrs |
| EDHI 698: Principles and Practices of Student Affairs Administration |
3 hrs |
| EDHI 659: Independent Study in Higher Education |
1-3 hrs |
| EDHI 699: Internship |
3 hrs |
| EDFON 610: Women, Gender, and Education |
3 hrs |
| EDFON 660: Comparative Education |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 698: Seminar in Adult and Community Education |
3-6 hrs |
| EDCUR 660 : Ethnographic Research in Education |
3 hrs |
| EDAC 646: Working with Volunteers in Community Agencies |
3 hrs |
| EDCUR 671: Evaluation of Educational Programs |
3 hrs |
Cognate Requirements (24 or 30 hrs)
Students will complete two cognates (minors) of 15 hours or more, or one cognate of 24 hours or more. Nine hours of each 15-hour cognate must be completed at Ball State; or 12 hours of a 24-hour cognate must be completed at Ball State. Cognates are available in all areas in which Ball State offers graduate degrees. The Graduate Catalogue lists cognate areas. A student whose concentration is Adult and Community Education can use Higher Education as a cognate, or whose concentration is Higher Education can use Adult and Community Education as a cognate. Other cognates in the Department of Educational Studies are: Curriculum; History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Education; Teacher Education; and Executive Development for Public Service. The faculty member on the student's doctoral committee who represents the cognate area, cooperatively with the student, sets the expectations for the cognate courses and the cognate examination.
Dissertation (10 hrs) By completing the dissertation students earn the final 10 credits for the doctoral degree. A student may not register for dissertation hours until all coursework has been completed, the doctoral comprehensive exams have been passed, and the student's committee has approved the dissertation proposal.
Total Hours Earned May Vary Students may find it necessary to earn more than the minimum of 90 hours to meet all program requirements and meet their own individual requirements. Often students earn 100 or more graduate hours beyond the bachelors degree.
Transfer Credits At least 48 of the 90 total hours, and at least half of required hours in the research requirement, the major, and the cognate must be completed at Ball State. Because of these secondary restrictions, most students cannot transfer all 48 possible transfer credits. Courses earned while in a previously completed degree (usually a Masters degree) can be transferred into the doctoral program regardless of time. Courses taken that were not a part of a previously completed degree must have been earned within five years of the completion date of the doctoral degree. The current University Graduate Catalogue describes the transfer requirements in more detail.
Residence Requirements Students meet the residence requirements by earning a total of 15 semester hours of credit in two consecutive semesters. Summer semester can be one of those semesters. The residency requirement must be met after admission to the doctoral program. If previous graduate work was earned at Ball State prior to being admitted to the doctoral program it will not count toward the residency requirement.
Meeting Times Classes meet in the evenings, weekends or other times convenient to groups of students to reduce conflicts with typical scheduled work hours. A few courses are offered by distance learning, primarily over the internet.
Time to Complete the Degree All requirements for completion of the doctoral degree are to be completed within seven years from the time of enrollment in the first course after the student has been admitted. After admission the student has two years to begin courses. The director of the doctoral program serves as a student's adviser until the student establishes a doctoral committee. It is possible to complete up to nine hours in one registration as a non-degree student. A limit of 9 hours of credit earned as a non-degree student can be counted toward program requirements if the student is subsequently admitted to the program.
Graduate Assistantships Policy (PDF)