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Doctoral Program in International Education
The specialization in International Education provides
educators with the opportunity to study the role of education in the context
of Asia, Africa, and Latin America and other developing areas. The specialization
places an emphasis on nonformal, popular education, but accommodates those
with a focus on formal education as well. Courses and co-curricular activities
also bring an international dimension to education in the United States. Degree
students can develop focuses in adult and community education, teacher education,
adult literacy, and gender issues in development. All students are expected
to become aware of social justice issues in education and to understand participatory
and popular education approaches to education. Graduates are expected to have
developed an in-depth awareness of cultural differences; the ability to apply
critical theory and pedagogy in both schools and communities in domestic and
international settings; and practical skills in training, project development,
research, and evaluation. The combination of academic courses, a participatory
community structure, and active involvement in applied projects and research
activities combine to provide the curriculum of the specialization. For more
information, see www.umass.edu/cie.
Admissions Criteria
The doctoral program leading to an Ed.D. degree is provided for professionals
with extensive relevant international field experience (a minimum of two years,
but often much more). Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate a professional
commitment to working in education in developing countries, a commitment to
issues of social justice, and career goals congruent with the program. For
additional information regarding the admissions process, click here.
Requirements
After admission, a doctoral candidate together with a faculty guidance committee
formulates an individualized study plan which balances academic work with relevant
experience. This plan typically includes work at three interrelated levels:
the theoretical, such as the study of the relationship between education and
socio-economic or political change; the practical, where skills are developed
in planning, curriculum and materials development, training and management,
evaluation and research; and the contextual, which focuses on content areas
such as literacy, health, or agriculture and the implications of different
socio-cultural settings.
The doctoral program requires 42 credits beyond the Masters and successful
completion of a dissertation. Normally four to six semesters are devoted to
courses and study on campus. A minimum of at least two consecutive semesters
in residence as a full-time doctoral student is required by the graduate school.
Course work is followed by a comprehensive examination, the form and content
of which is related to the individual's program of study and is established
in consultation with a faculty committee. After successful completion of the
comprehensives, the candidate writes a dissertation proposal. When that is
approved, the candidate may leave campus to conduct research, sometimes in
the context of employment. An oral defense on campus is required upon completion
of the dissertation.
Examples of recent dissertations include: (See
for example)
- Accelerated Learning as an Alternative Approach to Education: Possibilities
and Challenges faced by CHOLEN, and NGO Program in Bangladesh (2007)
- Reinventing Indigenous Knowledge: A Crucial Factor for an IPM-Based Sustainable
Agricultural Development (2006)
- The Convergence of the Global and the Local: What Teachers Bring to their
Classrooms After a Fulbright Experience in Kenya and Tanzania (2005)
- Decentralization by an Efficient Information System: Enabling Efficient
Decisions for Basic Education in Malawi. (2005)
- Education in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Towards Liberation or Equity?
(2005)
- Literacy and Numeracy Practices of market Women in Quetzaltenango, guatemala
(2005)
- Indications of Positive Peacebuilding in Education: A Basic Needs Approach
(2004)
- Nonformal Education in Francophone West Africa: A Case Study of the Senegalese
Experience of community-Based Schools. (2004)
- Organize or Die: Exploring the Political and Organizational Activities
of the Tanzania Teacher Union. (2004)
- Education for Rural Development in Cote d'Ivoire: School Based Cooperatives
as a Vehicle for a Successful Transition of Primary School Leavers/Dropouts
from School to Real Life (2002)
- Determining Support for New Teachers in Namibian Schools (2002)
Courses in International Education
Concentration contact
Core Faculty
David R. Evans (Professor), Alfred S. Hartwell (Adjunct
Professor), Joan Cohen-Mitchell (Lecuter), Jacqueline
Mosselson (Assistant Professor), Gretchen Rossman (Professor), Cristine
Smith (Assistant
Professor).
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