Ph.D. in History, Philosophy, and Policy in Education – Specialization in Educational Policy and Law
Residential Program—This program must be completed with a majority of non-online credit hours.
Degree Requirements (90 cr.)
Major Requirements (39-42 cr.)
Core Courses (18 cr.)
- EDUC-A 608 Legal and Ethical Perspectives on Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 631 Microeconomic Applications to Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 605 Educational Policy and Reform (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 620 Education Policy Analysis (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 622 Education Policy in Practice (3 cr.)
- SPEA-P 562 Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
Select two courses from the following (6 cr.):
- EDUC-C 654 Higher Education in the United States (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 504 History of American Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 510 Foundations of Educational Inquiry (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 525 Anthropology of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 530 Philosophy of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 540 Sociology of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 560 Education and Change in Societies (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 637 Topical Seminar (3 cr.)
Concentration (9-12 cr.)
Concentration requirement provides students with an understanding of the contexts and institutions that make and are affected by education policy. Students can select from four concentrations. Individual concentrations must have integrity and be accompanied by a justification on the e-POS.
Education Law Concentration
Students take the following four courses:
- EDUC-A 615 Advanced School Law (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 675 Leadership and Law in Special Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 710 Research in Education Law (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 705 Legal Aspects of Higher Education (3 cr.)
Educational Leadership Concentration
Select four courses from the following:
- EDUC-A 500 Introduction to Educational Leadership (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 560 Political Perspectives of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 600 Problems in Educational Leadership (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 629 Continuous School Improvement and Data-Informed Decision-Making (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 635 Public School Budgeting and Accounting (3 cr.)
- EDUC A-639 Advanced School Districting Budget, Operations, and Facilities (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 653 The Organizational Context of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 670 Topical Seminar in Educational Leadership (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 671 Planning and Change in Educational Organizations (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 677 Governance and Ethics (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 720 Workshop on Select Problems in Educational Leadership (3 cr.)
Higher Education Concentration
- EDUC-C 655 Higher Education and Public Policy (3 cr.)
Select three courses from the following:
- EDUC-C 654 Higher Education in the United States (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 661 Foundations of Institutional Research (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 664 Higher Education Organization and Administration (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 680 History of Higher Education and Philanthropy (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 695 Academic Problems in Higher Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 750 Topical Seminar (3 cr.)
International and Comparative Education Concentration
- EDUC-H 551 Comparative Education I (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 552 Comparative Education 2 (3 cr.)
Select two courses from the following (6 cr.):
- EDUC-H 637 Topical Seminar (3 cr.)
May be taken more than once
Pre-Approved Substitutions
As part of their policy context concentrations, students may include one of the following courses even though its originating program is different from their chosen concentration:
- EDUC-A 653 The Organizational Context of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 655 Higher Education and Public Policy (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H/V 551 Comparative Education I (3 cr.)
Inquiry in the Major (6 cr.)
Inquiry in the Major consists of independent and directed research completed prior to completion of the student’s dissertation proposal.
Linkage course
Students enroll in their linkage course to make explicit connections between their broad research interests and the literature.
Select one course from the following:
- EDUC-A 754 Seminar in Research in Educational Leadership (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 788 Seminar in Research in Higher Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 504 History of American Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 525 Anthropology of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 530 Philosophy of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 540 Sociology of Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 601 Historical Inquiry in Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-V 552 Comparative Education 2 (3 cr.)
The course taken to fulfill the linkage course requirement may not duplicate any course taken to fulfill other requirements of the major.
Early Inquiry/Independent Research
Select one course from the following:
- EDUC-A 590 Independent Study in Educational Leadership (3 cr.)
- EDUC-H 590 Independent Study or Research in History, Philosophy, and Comparative Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 678 Institutional Research Capstone (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 690 Independent Study in Higher Education (3 cr.)
- EDUC-C 750 Topical Seminar (3 cr.)
Or any other course approved by your advisor that enables you to plan and execute the early inquiry project.
Inquiry Requirements (12 cr.)
The course taken to fulfill the linkage course requirement may not duplicate any course taken to fulfill other requirements of the major.
Core Inquiry Course (3 cr.)
- EDUC-Y 521 Methodological Approaches to Educational Inquiry (3 cr.)
Other Inquiry Courses (9 cr.)
With input from their dissertation chair, students select no fewer than 9 credits of applicable research methods coursework.
Minor Requirements (12 cr.)
The concepts and strategies of policy study are drawn from the full range of social sciences, humanities, and professional studies. Fields most likely to be chosen for the minor include sociology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, political science, business, law, history, geographic area studies, and public and environmental affairs. Students are strongly encouraged to take minors outside the School of Education; however, minors may also come from within the School of Education. All minors must have the approval of the advisor.
However, an interdisciplinary or individualized minor is also possible. Interdisciplinary or individualized minors require a written description of the minor's underlying theme along with a rationale for each course's contribution to that theme through the ePOS and a Request for Individualized Minor eDoc. This eDoc should be submitted and approved by the Graduate School Bloomington prior to enrolling in the minor courses.
Elective Requirements (6 cr.)
Students enroll in 9 credits of elective coursework designed to support the multidisciplinary nature of educational policy research and the potentially broad range of students' research interests and career goals. The program allows students to tailor their electives in consultation with their Advisory Committee Chair.
Courses in policy-relevant fields selected in consultation with the Advisory Committee.
May be used for a second minor.
Dissertation Requirements (15 cr.)
- EDUC-A 795 Dissertation Proposal Preparation (3 cr.) / EDUC-C 795 Dissertation Proposal Preparation (3 cr.) / EDUC-H 795 Dissertation Proposal Preparation (3 cr.)
- EDUC-A 799 Doctoral Thesis in Educational Leadership (12 cr.) / EDUC-C 799 Doctoral Thesis in Higher Education (12 cr.) / EDUC-H 799 Doctoral Thesis in The History or Philosophy of Education (12 cr.)