Doctorate
Science education is one of the areas of concentration under the large umbrella of Curriculum & Instruction. Persons interested in a doctoral program in science education must choose one of the following two doctoral degrees:
- Education Doctor (Ed. D.) – The Ed.D. is awarded by the College of Education and is “practitioner” oriented. The main goal of the Ed. D. is to develop specialized practitioner skills with research addressing localized practitioner problems. Persons choosing the Ed. D. are often interested in continuing to be K-12 teachers, curriculum specialists, directors, administrators, and are usually not interested in a career in academia.
- Philosophy Doctor (Ph.D.) – As with a Ph. D. in any other field, the Ph. D. in Curriculum & Instruction with a concentration in Science Education is awarded by the Wayne State University’s Graduate School and is more theory oriented. The research in the Ph.D. typically addresses theoretical problems and is best for persons interested in a career in academia.
Please note both programs require the same number of credit hours and have similar qualifying exam and dissertation requirements. The main difference in the two degrees is the research focus.
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