General qualifications for admission to the Ph.D. Programs at Memorial University of Newfoundland are set out in the University Calendar under School of Graduate Studies, General Regulation Qualifications for Admission, Ph.D. Program.

In addition, the following admission requirements apply:

1. an 'A' standing in a Master's Degree in Education or in an equivalent Master's Degree from an accredited university;

2. evidence of scholarly work, such as a master's thesis, directed research project, or qualifying research paper;

3. normally, completion of two years of professional experience in an educational setting;

4. an interview may be required.

Each student will have a supervisory committee comprised of a minimum of three members, at least two of whom shall be members of the Faculty of Education. The thesis Supervisor shall be a faculty member in the Faculty of Education, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

1. Courses

   Students are required to successfully complete four courses on the doctoral program.

   1. Education 701A/B - Doctoral Seminar in Education: Area of Specialization

      Education 702A/B - Advanced Educational Research

      Students register for the 'A' portion of the above-noted courses in the Fall semester of their program of study and the corresponding 'B' portion of the course in the following Winter semester. A grade of NC (No Grade Expected) will be assigned to the 'A' portion of each of these courses. Students must register for the 'A' portion of the above-noted courses in the first Fall semester of their program of study and the corresponding 'B' portion of the course in the following Winter semester. A grade of NC (No Grade Expected) will be assigned to the 'A' portion of each of these courses.

   2. Students will also be required to complete two available graduate courses related to their program focus and specialty, based on the advice of the student's supervisory committee.

   3. Normally, no more than four courses may be undertaken on a student's program.

   4. Education 7003-30 - Special Topics (offered as required)

2. Comprehensive Examination

   The student shall undertake a written and an oral comprehensive examination, which will follow General Regulation Comprehensive Examinations, Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination which sets out the procedures for the comprehensive examination.

   1. A student in a Ph.D. program in Education shall normally take the examination no later than the end of the seventh semester in the program. The student will have completed required courses prior to taking the Comprehensive Examination. In preparation for the Comprehensive Examination, the doctoral student, with the guidance of the student's Supervisor, will undertake study of the sub-disciplines/areas of concentration identified by the student and supervisory committee and approved by the Doctoral Committee. Normally, these will include the student's area of concentration and two additional sub-disciplines/areas of concentration.

   2. Such study of sub-disciplines will normally include but not be limited to developing a reading list of important historical and current publications within the sub-disciplines, identifying emerging research emphases within the sub-disciplines, and writing scholarly review papers of these publications.

   3. In preparation for the written comprehensive examination, the doctoral student and the supervisory committee will agree on the topics to be examined. The examination will be written over a three-week period.

   4. Normally, the oral comprehensive examination will occur within six weeks of the written examination, which if judged to be successful by the Comprehensive Examination Committee, will form the basis of an oral comprehensive examination.

   5. The procedure for scheduling the Comprehensive Examination shall be initiated by the student's Supervisor who will notify, in writing, the Dean of Education of the student's readiness. The date of both the written examination and the oral examination will be determined by the Dean of Education. The student will receive a written notice of the scheduled date for both examinations from the Dean of Education.

   6. The Comprehensive Examination Committee shall be appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies in accordance with School of Graduate Studies General Regulation Comprehensive Examination, Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination on the recommendation of the Dean, Faculty of Education. There will be six members of the Comprehensive Examination Committee as follows:

      • Dean of Education or delegate (Chair)
      • Chair of the Doctoral Committee of the Faculty Council of Education
      • Student's Supervisor
      • Second member of student's supervisory committee
      • Dean of School of Graduate Studies or delegate (non-voting)
      • Member of the Faculty of Education or educational community selected by the Dean of Education.

      In the event that the Chair of the Doctoral Committee is the student's Supervisor, the Dean of Education shall appoint an additional member.

3. Ph.D. Thesis Regulations

   1. The student must submit a thesis proposal based on the student's own research interest to all members of the Supervisory Committee for critical evaluation. Normally, the proposal must be approved prior to the eighth semester of the program. The Chairperson of the Supervisory Committee will inform the student within one month of its acceptance, rejection or acceptance with recommended changes.

   2. If the proposal is not acceptable, the student will normally be permitted a second attempt. The revised proposal must be submitted and deemed acceptable by the Supervisory Committee within a semester. Failure to resubmit within this time period will lead to termination of the student's program.

   3. The thesis shall give evidence of the student's ability to carry out independent and original research, develop the necessary theoretical and methodological framework and analyses, and present the findings in a scholarly manner.

   4. Each student will be required to present a seminar on the student's thesis research to the Faculty.

   5. Ph.D. program will conclude with the examination and oral defence of the completed thesis in accordance with the appropriate sections of the General Regulation Theses and Reports, Evaluation of Ph.D. Theses governing the School of Graduate Studies.

• 701A/B Doctoral Seminar in Education: Area of Specialization (credit may not be obtained for 701A/B and the former 7001)
• 702A/B Advanced Educational Research (credit may not be obtained for 702A/B and the former 7002)
• 7003-30 Special Topics