Curriculum and Instruction
Note: The discipline-specific requirements listed here are in addition to the requirements listed in Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Application Procedure and Minimum Criteria for Admission and Minimum Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Academic Regulations and Degree Requirements earlier in this section.
Discipline-Specific Admission RequirementsApplicants who designate curriculum and instruction as their coordinating unit will be expected to have a grade-point average of at least 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale), covering all college work taken prior to the bachelor's degree, or a GPA of at least 3.5, covering all post-baccalaureate work completed to date.If the discipline is selected as the coordinating unit and the dissertation research will have a primary orientation in curriculum and instruction, the student must obtain the agreement of a member of the doctoral faculty in curriculum and instruction to serve as research adviser before the student can be admitted. The applicant must provide the following supplementary documentation:
Alternate Admission CriteriaAn applicant whose admissions profile does not satisfy the Ph.D. general criteria but whose aggregate GRE score on all three sections is at least 1300 may be considered for recommendation for admission with curriculum and instruction as either the coordinating-unit discipline or as a co-discipline. In addition to written recommendations, an autobiographical sketch, writing samples and written agreement from a curriculum and instruction doctoral faculty member to serve on the applicant's supervisory committee, an applicant wishing to be considered under alternate admission criteria must submit a letter stating why he or she feels his or her credentials are equal to the 1500 aggregate GRE criterion.Provisional Admission Criteria Applicants with aggregate GRE scores below 1300 may be considered for admission on a provisional basis. Provisional acceptance criteria for doctoral study with curriculum and instruction as the coordinating-unit discipline include:
Provisional acceptance criteria for doctoral study with curriculum and instruction as the co-discipline include: a) a GPA that meets the general guidelines for the program, b) a separate letter of justification from a doctoral faculty member in curriculum and instruction and c) a writing sample of choice. A suggested limitation is one provisional student with curriculum and instruction as a co-discipline per doctoral faculty member. Additionally, all students so accepted, whether with curriculum and instruction as the coordinating-unit discipline or a co-discipline, must submit a plan of study to include 12 semester hours of coursework. The plan must be approved by the student's coordinating-unit discipline faculty adviser and, if curriculum and instruction is the co-discipline, the proposed co-disciplinary study adviser. Students would be expected to maintain a B or better GPA, at the 5500- or 5600-level courses. These courses need to be taken within a two-year time frame to maintain the provisional status. Once these, or other possible stated provisions, have been met, the provisional student automatically will be reclassified to doctoral student status in the discipline.
Qualifying Requirements for Full AdmissionAll students must have completed 12 hours of 5500- or 5600-level courses at UMKC with grades of B or better in each course to be eligible for full-admission status.Students admitted under alternate or provisional criteria will be notified upon acceptance of any coursework deficiencies they must satisfy or other preparation they must undertake prior to full admission.
Suggested Compatible Co-disciplinesUrban leadership and policy studies in education, music education, chemistry, psychology, history, mathematics, physics and public affairs and administration.
Core Program RequirementsPh.D. study in curriculum and instruction prepares students with diverse academic and professional backgrounds to meet equally diverse career and scholarly goals. Moreover, rather than being a homogeneous field with a relatively uniform approach to Ph.D. study, curriculum and instruction encompasses several separate specialized areas, each with its own requirements and expectations regarding doctoral work. Hence, students accepted for the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program with curriculum and instruction as their co-discipline may have backgrounds in one of the educational fields represented in the School of Education, in one of the disciplines represented in the College of Arts and Sciences, or in a professional field such as criminology, computer science or law. Students accepted with curriculum and instruction as their coordinating-unit discipline would typically have prior academic training and experience in curriculum and instruction. Advisers would tend to be specialists in reading education, physical education, special education, educational psychology, mathematics education, science education or curriculum and instruction.The doctoral student in curriculum and instruction may be preparing for teaching and research in higher education, for a curricular or supervisory position in a public school district or for work in a government agency, private foundation or an educational training role in business and industry. Consequently, a single set of minimum standards cannot possibly fit all Ph.D. programs for which curriculum and instruction is the coordinating or co-disciplinary unit. Instead, sensitivity to individual student needs and goals, as well as regard for the different approaches to doctoral study represented in the several fields within curriculum and instruction, require flexibility and diversity in program planning. Within the context described, a minimum of 24 hours in curriculum and instruction is required of students with curriculum and instruction as their coordinating-unit discipline and a minimum of 12-15 hours in curriculum and instruction is expected of students selecting curriculum and instruction as their co-discipline. In no case will a program be drawn up or approved that contains only coursework previously completed. Additional requirements may be set by the student's doctoral supervisory committee on the basis of the individual's program goals, previous academic preparation and relevant prior experiences.
Comprehensive Examination GuidelinesThe student may obtain discipline-specific information on comprehensive examination guidelines from his or her research adviser.
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