Curriculum and Instruction, PhD
Program Description
(Curriculum Studies, Instructional Design and Educational Technology, Kinesiology, Literacy Studies, and Special Education)
The doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction is a progressive and evidence-based program that offers students the choice of five emphases: Curriculum Studies, Instructional Design and Educational Technology, Kinesiology, Literacy Studies, and Special Education. The 60- semester credit-hour program prepares graduates to teach at colleges and universities as professors, have careers as researchers and scholars, and fill other major educational positions. Required are 18 semester credit hours of core curriculum and instruction courses, 18 semester credit hours in research courses, 18 semester credit hours in chosen emphasis, and 6 semester credit hours allocated for the completion of the dissertation.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- Students will demonstrate mastery of the specific field of education they are specializing in as part of their program (i.e., Curriculum Studies, Information Design and Educational Technology, Kinesiology, Literacy Studies, and Special Education).
- Students will demonstrate mastery to conduct original research.
- Students will demonstrate mastery of Curriculum & Instruction.
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Students will disseminate their original scholarship through appropriate state/national/international conferences and professional publications.
For Additional Information
Website:
https://gradcollege.tamucc.edu/degrees/education/curriculum_and_instruction_phd.html
Campus Address:
Early Childhood Development Center, Room 2225
Phone (361)825-2446
Kathleen.lynch-davis@tamucc.edu
Mailing Address:
Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Sciences
College of Education and Human Development
6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5834
Corpus Christi, Texas 78412-5384
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet all conditions for graduate admission to the College of Education and Human Development, including a minimum grade point average of 3.00, as specified earlier in this catalog. Additional requirements for admission to the program are described below.
Admission requires approval by a Curriculum and Instruction admission committee. Criteria for admission include the following:
- a Graduate Record Examination score (GRE) taken within the last five years,
- a minimum of three years teaching experience or related experience.
- four professional or educational letters of recommendation submitted in Online Ph.D. Curriculum & Instruction Reference Form, and
- official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work indicating completion of a master's degree in a relevant field from a regionally accredited University.
After an applicant's required materials are received, an applicant will be invited for personal interviews and presentations. An admission committee will consider all qualifications, including professional and personal qualifications, in making admission decisions. The committee may admit persons with lower levels of the above indicators of academic history if professional and personal qualifications are unusually strong. For the Literacy Studies emphasis, individuals who do not have prior graduate work in Reading/Literacy will have course requirements in addition to the 60-hour requirement. If accepted into the program, these students will be required to take up to 15 additional hours besides those already required for the Literacy Studies emphasis in the doctoral program.
Program Requirements
The Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Curriculum and Instruction is awarded in recognition of the attainment of independent and comprehensive scholarship in the field. To qualify for the degree, the student must meet the following specific requirements.
- Residence: Three consecutive sessions (summer, fall, spring; fall, spring, summer; etc.) of 6 semester hours enrollment are required, to be completed during the course of the program. The ten year rule on recency of credit will apply.
- Coursework: Sixty semester hours of coursework are required, inclusive of dissertation courses. With departmental approval, up to 12 semester hours for the degree plan may be transferred from another regionally accredited University. The transfer credits must be post master's-level graduate coursework, must be less than ten years old at the time of conferral of the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi degree, and may not have been included on degree plans for any other degree. The student must have been enrolled as a terminal degree student when coursework was completed. Likewise, up to one-fourth of the credits for the degree plan may be transferred from post master's-level work taken at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The program faculty and the Graduate Dean must approve the transfer credits. The degree requires the following:
- 18 hours of core curriculum & instruction
- 18 hours in research tools
- Choose an emphasis (Minimum of 18 hours to be chosen with faculty advisor)
- Curriculum Studies
- Instructional Design and Educational Technology
- Kinesiology
- Literacy Studies
- Special Education
- A minimum of 6 hours of Dissertation in Progress (repeated as necessary)
- Candidacy/Comprehensive Examinations: Comprehensive examinations will be scheduled at such time as the student's advisor judges that the student is ready, but not before the student has completed all the required core curriculum and instruction emphases, and research tools courses. Admission to candidacy for the degree requires passing written comprehensive examination and when judged appropriate by program faculty, an oral examination.
- Dissertation and Final Examination: The dissertation is developed under the supervision of a dissertation advisor, who serves as chair of the dissertation committee. The committee is composed of at least four members including the chair. There will be a final oral examination that will focus on, but is not limited to, the dissertation work.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| EDCI 6302 | Curriculum & Instruction Seminar | 3 |
| EDCI 6303 | Issues in Curriculum and instruction | 3 |
| EDCI 6324 | Curriculum Theory ^ | 3 |
| EDCI 6336 | Culture, Language, and Cognition ^ | 3 |
| EDCI 6356 | Writing for Publications in Higher Education | 3 |
| EDCI 6392 | Critical Pedagogy | 3 |
| Research Tools | ||
| EDLD 6333 | Applied Statistics 1 | 3 |
| EDLD 6392 | Applied Statistics 2 | 3 |
| EDLD 6384 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| EDLD 6385 | Advanced Data Analysis in Qualitative Methods | 3 |
| EDCI 6335 | Curriculum Research Design | 3 |
| EDCI 6397 | Seminar On Dissertation Research | 3 |
| Emphasis | ||
| Select one of the following Emphasis: | 18 | |
| Curriculum Emphasis | ||
18 SCH - Required courses to be chosen in consultation with faculty advisor. | ||
| Instructional Design and Educational Technology Emphasis | ||
18 SCH - Required courses to be chosen in consultation with faculty advisor. | ||
| Kinesiology Emphasis | ||
18 SCH - Required courses to be chosen in consultation with faculty advisor. | ||
| Literacy Emphasis | ||
18 SCH - Required courses to be chosen in consultation with faculty advisor. | ||
| Special Education Emphasis | ||
18 SCH - Required courses to be chosen in consultation with faculty advisor. | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| EDCI 6398 | Dissertation in Progress | 6 |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- ^
Blended offering
Courses
Educational Curriculum & Instruction Courses
STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL A course emphasizing practical and varied strategies for instructional planning and presentations. Instruction will build upon the following topics, which will have been introduced in previous courses: the teaching-learning process, curriculum organization, use of instructional technology, instructional planning, and instructional and student evaluation. Each student will participate in field experiences. Enrollment limited to graduate students seeking initial certification.
S A course emphasizing the teaching of mathematics in Grades 1-8 using manipulatives in a problem- solving format. Instruction will build upon the following topics which will have been introduced in previous courses: the teaching-learning process, curriculum organization, use of instructional technology, instructional planning, and instructional and student evaluation. Each student will participate in field experiences. Enrollment limited to graduate students seeking initial teacher certification.
METHODS OF TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES A course emphasizing practical applications for the teaching of social studies in Grades 1-8. Instruction will build upon the following topics, which will have been introduced in previous courses: the teaching-learning process, curriculum organization, use of instructional technology, instructional planning, and instructional and student evaluation. Each student will participate in field experiences.
This course is designed to provide pre-service teachers with an understanding of the teaching of science in the elementary school setting. Students¿ prior knowledge from previous courses will be essential to their performance in this course, namely: technology in the classroom, lesson planning, curriculum organization, and student assessment. Participation in field experiences is a requirement of this course.
A course for elementary and middle school teachers who are trying to improve mathematics teaching and understanding through the development of communication skills and their use in the mathematics classroom.
This is a course for teachers who wish to investigate the connection between children’s literature and mathematics for the purpose of improving mathematics instruction. Teachers will work through activities based upon children’s books, and develop and share similar activities based upon children’s books of their choosing.
This course is designed for elementary and middle school teachers who wish to investigate the connections between children’s literature and science for the purpose of improving their science instruction. Teachers will participate in activities based on children’s trade books that have scientific themes, and develop and share similar experiences.
This is a course for K-12 teachers who wish to investigate the use of motivational and reinforcement activities as a part of the instructional program within mathematics. Emphases will be placed on the purposes for using such activities in the mathematics program, the various types of such activities that are available to the mathematics teacher, the sources for such activities in mathematics, and the need for having a variety of such activities within the mathematics program.
This is a course for teachers of K-12 who teach mathematics within the levels of kindergarten through algebra and wish to investigate mathematical errors for the purpose of diagnosing the cause and planning instruction for the purpose of remediation. Participating teachers will work through activities representing common mathematical errors made by students, maintain portfolios of samples of student errors, diagnose student errors, and learn teaching strategies for remediation of the problems that students are having.
The emphasis in this course is on interdisciplinary connections among mathematics, science, and communication and also on the application of subject-area knowledge to the world of work. Attention goes to relevant research, particularly research addressing effective innovations in teaching and learning. Networks will be created to support continued learning.
STRATEGIES OF SUCCESS FOR THE BEGINNING TEACHER This course is a field-based course in which beginning teachers are provided with the application of learning principles, classroom management techniques, communication skills, and teaching strategies that will reinforce their existing teaching skills. Enrollment is limited to certified teachers currently in teaching positions. This course is taken concurrently with EDCI 5397. This course may not be taken for graduate credit if the student has taken EDCI 5393, EDCI 5394 or EDCI 5395.
In this course, emphasis will be placed on issues related to air, water and waste reduction, and how these issues relate to the elementary classroom. Students will visit state agencies and industrial sites as a part of this course. This course is only offered during the summer.
In this course, emphasis will be placed on issues related to air, water and waste reduction, and how these issues relate to the secondary classroom. Students will visit state agencies and industrial sites as a part of this course. This course is only offered during the summer.
A course designed to emphasize methods of teaching the essential elements in mathematics for Grades 1‑5. An emphasis will be placed on the use of concrete manipulatives so that learning is accomplished with understanding.
Emphasis will be placed on modeling with concrete manipulatives, teaching for understanding, integrating mathematics into other areas of the curriculum, problem solving, diagnosis, and evaluation.
Characteristics and methods of identification of the Gifted and Talented. Various programmatic models including campus and district will be examined. Testing instruments and the concepts of differentiated curriculum will be analyzed.
This course will emphasize research-based strategies for increasing student achievement, models of successful instruction to help teachers/ administrators plan, and techniques for implementation of effective instructional techniques.
An examination of current learning theories in relation to the gifted and talented child.
Prerequisite: EDCI 5339.
Learning experiences in scope and sequence development, development of unit plans and lesson plans, and material selection and evaluation.
Prerequisite: EDCI 5339.
This course acquaints learners with a blend of instructional design, development, and production competencies that will contribute to their visual literacy. Instructional materials' design and development skills learned will be based on theoretical and research issues related to visual literacy.
Current issues in education; recent research bearing on teaching and organization of instructional programs in schools.
This course will help educators to understand testing and performance assessment, and to effectively use assessment to support student learning ultimately building student success. The course prepares educators to use assessment as a tool to help develop all students in their classroom across the developmental span from Kindergarten through high school. Educators will learn how to prepare valid assessment instruments that contribute to effective instruction and student learning by developing proven, sound, high-quality assessments for use in the classroom.
Reviewing and designing instructional programs; specific techniques for planning in various areas of the curriculum; concentration in area of student’s curricular specialty; specification of instructional objectives.
This is designed as the culminating course in the interdisciplinary curriculum and instruction master’s degree. Covered in the class are: historical and current trends in research, the critical examination of selected research studies, and a self analysis of personal and professional interests and needs. This course calls for students to integrate and use information from previous graduate classes with information presented in this class to develop, implement, and defend an action-based research project.
This course addresses contemporary issues in education. It may repeated when topics vary.
This course is a supervised classroom teaching field experience and seminar designed to assist the non-certified teacher with the application of various aspects of planning for teaching. Enrollment is limited to graduate students seeking initial teacher certification.
This course is a supervised classroom teaching field experience and seminar designed to assist the non-certified teacher with the application of classroom management techniques, and enhance existing teaching skills. Enrollment is limited to graduate students seeking initial teacher certification.
This course is provided for beginning teachers during their second year on a “Probationary Certificate.” Students are provided with the application of learning principles, communication skills, and teaching strategies that will reinforce their existing teaching skills. Enrollment is limited to teachers on a TEA “Probationary Certificate,” but currently in teaching positions This course is taken during the second semester of the second year on a “Probationary Certificate.”.
PRACTICUM I FOR THE BEGINNING TEACHER This course is a supervised classroom teaching field experience designed to enhance the individual teacher¿s existing teaching skills. Enrollment is limited to certified teachers currently in teaching positions. This course is taken concurrently with EDCI 5327. This course may not be taken for graduate credit if the student has taken EDCI 5393, EDCI 5394 or EDCI 5395.
PRACTICUM II AND SEMINAR FOR THE BEGINNING TEACHER Beginning teachers are provided with additional skills to enrich their classroom teaching proficiency through seminars and supervised classroom teaching. Enrollment is limited to certified teachers currently in teaching positions.
May be repeated when topics vary.
This course involves a supervised experience with a variety of children classified as gifted. Students will plan and implement a program designed for gifted children.
Prerequisite: EDCI 5339.
Ontological and epistemological perspectives on leadership; historical conceptions of leadership as revealed in the works of Greek and Roman writers of the classical period and in the works of later European writers such as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, and Weber.
This course orients curriculum and instruction doctoral students to the ways in which scholars situate themselves to become influential and productive members in academia and/or their respective disciplinary environments. Class sessions focus on the use of knowledge bases; high quality professional development experiences; the critical analysis of research in education and related disciplines; and the identification of researchable questions in the field of curriculum and instruction.
This course will prepare the doctoral student in curriculum and instruction to understand, appreciate, and evaluate a variety of curricular strategies with attention paid to a continuum of philosophies and strategies in the area of curriculum development and the impact of those on instruction.
An analysis of theoretical structures underlying curriculum development, implementation and evaluation.
This course focuses on the design of research studies, including experimental and quasi-experimental designs, other quantitatively-based designs, qualitatively-oriented designs, and mixed model designs.
The focus is on cultural, linguistic, and pedagogical rationales for adapting curricula and materials to meet the needs of diverse students. By adopting various theoretical, methodological, and cultural frames of reference, course participants recognize capabilities in all learners.
This course addresses topics in writing for publication in higher education including the writing process, composition, organization, collaboration, and the identification of forums for dissemination of research and scholarship.
This course addresses contemporary issues in education. Topics vary. It may be repeated when topics vary.
Taking a historical perspective on the purposes and practices of schooling, this course covers major patterns in curriculum through the years in a national and global context. Also addressed are historiography and the history of educational research.
Attention goes to a set of philosophical positions and educational practices known as “critical pedagogy” and also to critiques and inquiries associated with this line of scholarship that address issues of difference and disadvantage. The course considers historical patterns as well as current manifestations in such areas as race, gender, and politics.
This course is designed to assist students in writing a research proposal (introduction, review of literature, methods) that may become the basis for a doctoral dissertation.
Prerequisite: (EDCI 6335).
Doctoral candidates conduct an approved study under the supervision of a dissertation advisor and committee.
May be repeated when topics vary.