Being a Doctoral Student

This chapter continues to address the doctoral student perspective in terms of participation in multiple communities of practice both local, virtual/online, and as represented in professional groups. The chapter finishes with encouragement to balance one's participations in communities by identifying the ideal level of participation to meet career goals and the practical considerations that hone the list to a more practical and achievable level.

Implementing a Doctoral Program as Director of a Doctoral Specialization Program

This chapter discusses the issues and responsibilities of the faculty member that serves as the director of a specific doctoral program specialization within her/his education department. The program director is often charged with administrative tasks as well as managing the labyrinth that is supporting the people involved in the program. The proposed framework guides the discussion of how to shepherd both the doctoral faculty as well as the doctoral students.

Advising, Mentoring, and the Residency Requirement

This chapter begins the discussion of the important features of a doctoral program that typically do not fall within the structure of coursework. Advising and mentoring are critical features of any doctoral program. There should be ongoing discussions of career choices, interests, and the development of the doctoral student as a professional within the specialized field. Special attention is paid to the historical development of the residency requirement, which is typical of most current doctoral programs in education. The original intent of the residency is compared to some current forms of the residency requirement.

Coursework in Scholarly Habits of Research Methodology and Dissemination

This chapter parallels the previous chapter in format but uses the same three programs to examine the coursework specific to research methodology and dissemination. This includes methodology for both quantitative and qualitative research, with each program having their own balance between quantitative or qualitative emphasis. Dissemination includes the format for writing research reports, making scholarly presentations, and the development of manuscripts for publication.

Features of Doctoral Programs in America and Their Historical Roots

This chapter continues to discuss developments in the history of doctoral program, including the initial Ph.D. degree in education and the move towards the new Educational Doctorate degree (Ed.D.). The chapter moves to more recent history of Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs in America and the consistent movement towards specialization. A renewed focus on standardization is illustrated by discussing some of the developments in the specialized field of mathematics education over the last 20 years. The chapter finishes by listing the basic components that are typical of most doctoral programs in education in America. These common features are the focus of the next several chapters.

Higher Education and the Move From Bachelor's Degrees to Graduate Programs

This chapter explains relevant parts of the historical development of American universities. It begins with the development of graduate studies in European institutions and explains selected parts of this history that are relevant to the doctorate in contemporary American universities. Details of the development of American colleges and universities are presented focusing on the nature of the doctoral degrees in American universities, the founding of the American Association of Universities (AAU), and the AAU's influence on the movement towards standardization of the doctorate.

Implementing a Doctoral Program in the Role of Professor

This chapter discusses some of the roles of the doctoral faculty. As seen through the four aspects of the proposed framework, this includes roles in coursework, advising, mentoring, encouraging professional experiences, and service on doctoral committees. Although these topics were introduced in earlier chapters, this chapter examines them from the perspective of the doctoral faculty member.

A Proposed Framework for Designing a Doctoral Program

This chapter expands on the original framework introduced in Chapter 1 with the purpose of developing a robust framework for developing and assessing doctoral programs in education. In addition to communities of practice and the basic elements of the doctoral program, the proposed framework adds both student goals and adaptive expertise to create a four-part framework.

Understanding the Nature of Academia and Doctoral Programs

This chapter lays the foundation for the book by describing two parts of the proposed framework for the examination of doctoral programs in education. Communities of practice is defined for the purposes of this framework and examples are given to help the reader further understand the underlying concepts. The history of graduate programs is set forth as another fundamental tool for understanding doctoral programs. This leads into Chapter 2, which focuses on that history.

Being a Doctoral Student

This chapter offers advice on job seeking focused on work the doctoral student should do while still in the doctoral program. This includes periodically assessing long-term career goals, which sometimes change during the program. Given the career goals at any point in the program, a curriculum vitae should be developed that helps both assess progress towards the goals as well as having the CV ready if and when seeking a new job. An example of a CV is included.