Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Research
with Specialization in Educational Technology

Louisiana State University

Mission

 

The Doctoral Program in Educational Technology is designed to prepare educational technology scholars and leaders, who will guide the practice of educational technology innovation and adoption at state, district, and university levels, conduct high quality empirical research, and make original theoretical contributions to the field.

Program Description

Doctoral students in Educational Technology are expected to develop comprehensive knowledge in three interrelated areas of educational technology and specialization in two.  The three interrelated areas are conceptual, practical, and empirical. 

Conceptual:  The conceptual area of the program addresses both the foundation knowledge and advanced work for theory development. Foundation knowledge includes cognitive theories and instructional design models. Advanced work includes the development of original theoretical contributions such as new instructional model development based on sound understanding of relevant theories, practices, and empirical research. Students will also be encouraged to develop expertise in related theories and pedagogy such as curriculum theories, collaborative learning, and science education models, and make unique cross-field theoretical contributions.

Practical:  This area prepares students to develop skills in designing, developing, and implementing educational technology initiatives in specific settings and contexts. Based on interests, students will develop knowledge and skills in specific areas such as educational technology integration in K-12 settings, higher education technology program management, educational technology in specific content or specialty areas, and technology and information literacy development. To help develop contextualized knowledge and skills, students will have opportunities to engage in pertinent service learning projects and internships.

Empirical: In addition to traditional classroom research and statistics courses, doctoral students will participate in faculty research projects or advanced-level doctoral students’ research for which they will receive 1-3 credit hours for a minimum of two consecutive semesters before starting on their dissertation work.  The purpose is for students to gain empirical research experience and skills by working with mentors on real research projects.

 

 Pre-requisites

Students who have not completed a master’s level educational technology program may be asked to complete several courses to build background knowledge and skills before starting the doctoral program. The specific pre-requisite course requirements will be decided in discussion with each student’s advising committee.

Career Opportunities

The program prepares technology leaders and change agents in a variety of educational institutions and organizations including: public and private schools, community colleges, universities, government agencies, and business organizations. Upon completion of the program, graduates may serve as

•  University professor in educational technology programs or related fields
•   Instructional designer or director at university or college faculty development centers
•  Instructional designer or training director at business organizations
•  Educational technology specialist, supervisor, or administrator at government agencies such as state department of education and educational technology centers.
  

Entrance Requirements

• Obtain a score of 1000 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Pending space availability, applications with a score of 400 on both the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) will be considered.
• Have at least three letters of recommendation sent to the Department of Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice.
• Have three years of successful teaching or training related experiences.
• Be interviewed by two faculty members of the program to discuss the qualities important to a successful graduate of the program. If the applicant's location prior to enrollment makes this unfeasible, the meeting may be deferred until after course work begins. Have interest in scholarly academic pursuits, beyond course requirements, that would result in:
  • (a) manuscripts written for publication in professional journals,
    (b) paper prepared for presentation at conferences, or
    (c) course development or multimedia software development.
• Have research interests that are compatible with the research interests of faculty.
• Be responsible for checking to see that all credentials, applications, references, test scores, and other appropriate data are on file.
• Submit TOEFL examination results for all candidates with English as a second language.

Application Procedures

1. Fill out the Graduate School Application Form on the Graduate School web site at http://gradlsu.gs.lsu.edu/ You may apply on-line or return the form to:
   
   The Graduate School
   David Boyd Hall
   Louisiana State University
   Baton Rouge, LA 70803
   
   
2. Have your GRE scores (and TOEFL scores if an International Student) as well as undergraduate and graduate university transcripts sent to the LSU Graduate School. After the Graduate School has received and processed these materials, your file will be forwarded to the Department.
   
   
3. Have three letters of recommendation sent to:
   
   Department of Educational Theory, Policy, & Practice
   223 Peabody
   Louisiana State University
   Baton Rouge, LA 70803
   
   Ask your referees to indicate clearly in their letters the program that you're applying for.
   
   
4. The graduate school will process and forward your application materials to the department. Once we receive all your application materials and recommendation letters, program faculty members will review your materials and contact you for an interview and completion of a writing sample.
   
   If you are accepted, you will receive a letter of acceptance from the department. A temporary advisor will be assigned to you at that time. All future programmatic correspondence should be directed to that professor. After the coursework phase begins, the student is expected to choose a permanent advisor (It may or may not be the temporary advisor). Choosing an advisor is an important decision of the student. There will be ample time to confer with faculty about professional goals, research interests and other matters of common concern. Students should base the selection of the advisor on the outcomes of these conferences.
   

Program Coursework and Suggested Sequence

Prerequisite: Master’s level course as a pre-requisite for the doctoral program. Specific pre-requisites are decided in consultation with the advisor on an individual basis.

* New course, which may appear as ELRC7890 on PAWS for spring 2007.

All specialty area courses and electives must be chosen in consultation with the advisor.