UofC • This Is Now

Location

Education Tower, Room 940

Faculty number

(403) 220-5675

Fax

(403) 282-3005

E-mail address

gder@ucalgary.ca

Web page URL

http://www.educ.ucalgary.ca/gder

This portion of the calendar provides information about graduate programs offered by the Graduate Division of Educational Research (GDER). Programs offered by the Division of Applied Psychology (APSY) appear elsewhere in this calendar.

The Graduate Division of Educational Research offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Education (EdD), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), and Master of Education (MEd) degrees in ten areas of specialization, as noted below. The Doctor of Philosophy degree program is normally intended to prepare scholars for careers in research and teaching. The Doctor of Education degree program is normally intended for practising professionals in education-related situations. The Master of Arts and Master of Science are equivalent thesis-based research degrees that prepare students for further research. The Master of Education is a course-based professional degree.

Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies

The Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies specialization is offered for distance students at the Master's level (MEd) and to on-campus students at the Master's and doctoral levels (PhD, EdD, MSc). The degree programs are for experienced professionals, from a number of disciplines and professions, interested in providing leadership and innovation in community-based practice. Some of the fields of practice include return to work, case management, community support and care services, policy development and systems change, and specific target populations such as community mental health, acquired brain injury, and developmental disabilities.

There are three components to the MEd in this specialization: Fundamentals, Leadership and Innovation, and Specialization. Each component consists of four half (3 unit) courses, for a total requirement of twelve half courses. Students will generally take fundamental courses in preparation for Leadership courses, but the Specialization options can be done at any time during the program. Contact the GDER Office at (403) 220-5675 or gder@ucalgary.ca.

Students wishing to charter as Counselling Psychologists should apply to the Division of Applied Psychology.

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

The specialization offers the opportunity to develop and integrate understandings, within a general curriculum framework, in a variety of fields of study, for example: Curriculum Studies, Gifted education, French education, Language and Literacy education, Mathematics, Science and Environmental education. This includes the study of subject matter, courses, programs, purposes and practices used to teach and learn in formal and informal educational settings. This specialization supports a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research methods and inquiry. (PhD, EdD, MSc, MA, MEd)

Educational Contexts

This interdisciplinary approach to education includes philosophy; sociology; comparative, global and cultural education; gender studies; and history. Educational Contexts serves students specializing in these areas while also complementing the programs of students in all the specializations of GDER. Such interdisciplinary inquiry asks, for example: How do culture, spirituality, social class, gender, and ethnicity influence the perceptions, policies and practices of education as a process and as an institution? How does the language we use and the mental models we construct in order to interpret our world influence the way we make decisions and work with others? How do our histories and philosophies affect how we deal with the world and understand our own selves? Master's and doctoral projects in the Educational Contexts specialization are based on sound research methodology from the chosen field, and are often interdisciplinary in nature. (PhD, EdD, MA, MEd)

Educational Leadership

This specialization draws upon the social sciences and humanities to prepare researchers and practitioners for the analysis and resolution of issues and problems related to educational policy and the direction and management of schools, school systems, other institutions, and governmental bodies concerned with public and private education. This specialization prepares graduates for administrative and research-related careers with an understanding of organizational change in the field of educational leadership. (PhD, EdD, MA, MEd)

Educational Technology

This specialization is addressed to two audiences:

(a)Teachers who are interested in the application of technology in the classroom or who are interested in technology leadership positions;

(b)Those who are interested in instructional development in settings outside elementary/secondary schools, e.g., instructional developers in colleges, institutes of technology and universities, military/industrial trainers, health educators, and private training consultants.

Students in this specialization have the opportunity to investigate a broad spectrum of instructional design and development techniques as they apply to newer technologies and to explore new directions in instructional design and development as they emerge in the literature. (PhD, EdD, MSc, MA, MEd)

Higher Education Administration

This specialization offers learners insight into local, national and international scholarly communities and graduates will understand issues in higher education administration, analyze ethical and legal issues in administration, appreciate links between theory and practice, and gain career-enhancing executive preparation. (EdD - Distance Delivery)

Interpretive Studies in Education

Within the Interpretive Studies in Education specialization, education may be understood broadly as a highly complex, contested and living human enterprise. Graduate level research in this specialization involves examining how aspects of education are symbolically and existentially experienced in the world. This entails attending to the different meanings of teaching as practice and learning as experience, and to how and under what conditions-historical, cultural, linguistic, social and political-those meanings have come to be. Graduate work in Interpretive Studies in Education involves engaging in interpretive forms of inquiry, such as hermeneutics, phenomenology, feminist theory, critical theory, narrative theory, post-structuralism, historical inquiry, semiotics and cultural studies, so as to achieve a deeper, more critical understanding of teaching, learning and educational work more generally. (PhD, EdD, MSc, MA, MEd)

Second Language Teaching

Though this specialization, graduate students will have the opportunity to upgrade their pedagogical and academic skills in teaching and learning a second language. The coursework will also provide support to graduate students hoping to do research in the field of teaching and learning a second language. In addition to these possibilities, students will be able to pursue topics relevant and in some cases necessary to teach in the contemporary educational climate, with courses in cultural diversity, multilingual and bilingual education, technology and second language teaching and learning. A third population that would benefit from this specialization are those seeking a new career direction, such as administrators in an educational setting that involves second language studies. (PhD, EdD, MA, MEd)

Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)

This specialization is addressed to:

(a)University graduates intent on establishing new career directions;

(b)Individuals seeking to upgrade their professional qualifications to meet international and professional standards.

This area of specialization, within a Master of Education program, focuses directly on the development of professional expertise at both the national and international levels in the field of ESL teaching. This area of specialization also offers PhD, EdD, and MA degrees.

Workplace and Adult Learning

There are two routes in the Workplace and Adult Learning specialization:

(a)The course-based Master's program (MEd) is an online program designed to provide practitioners with the knowledge and skills to take a leadership role in working with adults in a variety of contexts.

(b)Thesis-based degrees (MA, EdD, PhD) in this specialization are commonly interdisciplinary in focus, e.g., adult learning theory, marketing higher education, learning in the workplace. These degrees are normally pursued on campus.

GDER Distance Delivery

The Graduate Division of Educational Research offers distance delivery graduate programs via the internet and audioconferencing modes to local, regional, national, and international communities. Programs normally lead to the Master of Education (MEd) in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies; Curriculum, Teaching and Learning; Educational Contexts; Educational Leadership; Educational Technology; Second Language Teaching; Teaching English as a Second Language; and Workplace and Adult Learning. The thesis-based Doctor of Education (EdD) is offered in direct response to the needs of working professionals in a variety of settings, including administrators, program directors, and deans in colleges and institutes of technology. Contact: GDER Distance Delivery at distance@ucalgary.ca or (403) 220-4394 or toll free 1-877-623-0292.

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, the Graduate Division of Educational Research requires:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

(a)A thesis-based Master's degree in an appropriate field. Outstanding applicants holding Master's degrees without thesis may be considered.

(b)A minimum grade point average of 3.50 on a four-point scale in a Master's degree program

(c)A written statement indicating the applicant's reasons for wishing to pursue a graduate program in the Graduate Division of Educational Research

(d)Where appropriate, candidates will be expected to have, or to obtain, relevant practical experience in their areas of specialization

(e)For applicants required to prove proficiency in English, a TOEFL score of 580 (written test), 237 (computer-based test) or 93 (internet-based test)

Doctor of Education (EdD)

(a)A course or thesis-based Master's degree in an appropriate field

(b)A minimum grade point average of 3.50 on a four-point scale in a Master's degree program

(c)A written statement indicating the applicant's reasons for wishing to pursue a graduate program in the Graduate Division of Educational Research

(d)Candidates will be expected to have, or obtain, relevant practical experience in their area of specialization

(e)For applicants required to prove proficiency in English, a TOEFL score of 580 (written test), 237 (computer-based test) or 93 (internet-based test)

Admission Portfolio for Doctoral Applicants

Applicants to the Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Education programs are encouraged to submit an Admission Portfolio containing examples of their work. The purpose of the Admission Portfolio is to give applicants the opportunity to provide additional documentation that demonstrates their suitability and qualification for doctoral studies. The Admission Portfolio is particularly relevant for Doctor of Philosophy program applicants who do not hold a thesis-based Master's degree.

The Doctoral Admission Portfolios must include a Table of Contents and an Executive Summary that outlines the contents of the Portfolio.

The Doctoral Admission Portfolio may contain the following:

·Thesis (if applicable)

·Reports

·Research grants or scholarships

·Articles

·Curriculum documents

·Non-print materials, e.g., multimedia

·Relevant prior learning (see below)

·Personal statement documenting research skills and interests (for PhD applicants)

·Personal statement documenting research and professional skills and interests (for EdD applicants)

Relevant Prior Learning Considerations

·Personal continuing education/training

·Results in these continuing education efforts

·Experience in a field related to the aspired degree

·Management of people, resources, finances, situations

·Increasing or varying responsible positions in organizations related to the aspired degree

·Work-related products, e.g. reports, programs of learning or training, handbooks, videos, manuals, workshops, seminars

·Evidence of personal growth in knowledge, understanding, management skills, and intellectual resources

·Evidence of innovation

·Evidence of leadership, co-ordination

Master's Programs

General

(a)A written statement indicating the applicant's reasons for wishing to pursue a graduate program in the Graduate Division of Educational Research

(b)For students required to prove proficiency in English, a TOEFL score of 580 (written test) or 237 (computer-based test), or 93 (internet-based test)

Curriculum, Teachingand Learning Specialization

(a)Normally, an acceptable teaching certificate and teaching experience

Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Specialization

(a)Three years of experience in a field of practice in community rehabilitation

(b)A written statement and professional profile of past education and work experience

Teaching English as a Second Language

(a)A professional resume

(b)A telephone or face-to-face interview

(c)A dossier of relevant work for evaluation for those seeking prior learning assessment

(d)Evidence of at least 200 hours of instructional experience, preferably in ESL

(e)Demonstration of an introductory level of linguistics knowledge equivalent to two half-courses in linguistics. Applicants who do not possess satisfactory linguistics knowledge will be directed to pertinent courses in phonetics, phonology and syntax in the Department of Linguistics.

(f)Applicants are not required to hold a degree in Education, but preference will be given to students with strong preparation in Education, linguistics, language or another relevant area.

Program

Application Deadline

Admission Date

MEd - Distance Delivery

(a)Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies

15 August

January

(b)Curriculum, Teaching and Learning; Educational Contexts; Educational Leadership; Educational Technology; Second Language Teaching; Teaching English as a Second Language; Workplace and Adult Learning

1 February

15 August

July or September

January

EdD - Distance Delivery

Educational Leadership; Higher Education Administration

1 February

July

MEd - On-Campus

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning; Educational Contexts; Educational Leadership; Educational Technology; Interpretive Studies in Education; Second Language Teaching; Teaching English as a Second Language

1 February

July or September

Thesis-Based On-Campus Degrees: PhD, EdD, MSc, MA

1 February

July or September

The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma, or for courses taken to bring grade point average to a required level for admission.

For the most current program information, visit our website.

In addition to the requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Faculty of Education requires:

Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Education

(a)A minimum of one and one-half full-course equivalents, including Educational Research 700 (a full course) the first year of program. The remaining required half-course is normally a course in research methods suited to the student's area of research;

(b)Additional graduate courses or seminars as determined by the supervisor in consultation with the student. The number of courses required for program completion must be approved by the Associate Dean of the Division and be finalized no later than the beginning of the second year of program.

Master of Arts, Master of Science

(a)One full-course equivalent in research methods

(b)One full-course equivalent in the student's area of specialization

(c)Additional graduate courses or seminars as determined by the supervisor in consultation with the student. The number of courses required for program completion must be approved by the Associate Dean of the Division and be finalized no later than the beginning of the second year of program.

Master of Education

This degree may be done on a full-time or part-time basis on campus, or online through GDER's Distance Delivery or Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies.

(a)A minimum of six full courses

(b)One full-course equivalent in research methods

(c)Two full-course equivalents in the student's area of specialization

(d)Additional graduate courses or seminars as determined by the supervisor in consultation with the student and approved by the Associate Dean of the Division

(e)One of three possible Master of Education exit documents-exit examination, portfolio or a professionally derived project-determined by the supervisor in consultation with the student and approved by the Associate Dean of the Division

(f)As part of the preparation of the Master of Education exit document, and prior to its evaluation by an examining committee, students must present an early version of their Master of Education exit document to their peers. This should be an open, interactive, face-to-face or technologically mediated forum, normally in the final term of a student's program. Although not an examination per se, the public presentation is a requirement for convocation.

None

The Division does not normally accept undergraduate courses for credit toward graduate degrees.

Expected completion time for full-time students is two years in thesis-based Master's programs, three years in course-based programs and four years in doctoral programs. Maximum completion time is four years for thesis-based Master's programs, and six years for course-based Master's programs and doctoral programs.

Students in thesis-based programs are assigned an interim supervisor upon admission. Students in the Master of Education course-based program are assigned an interim advisor upon admission. Students must normally have a permanent supervisor/advisor before the beginning of their second year of program.

Final thesis oral examinations are open.

Doctoral thesis proposals must be approved before the candidacy examination.

None

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this calendar.

Students applying for scholarships must submit their applications to the Division by February 1.

For information about Graduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas, and Continuing Professional Development opportunities, please visit our website.

Current faculty members and their areas of interest can be found at http://www.educ.ucalgary.ca/research/academic/homepages.html