While doctoral leadership programs have widely adopted Improvement Science (IS) as a signature pedagogy, few studies have examined how to best equip doctoral students with the knowledge and research skills they need to utilize IS in practice. More specifically, research is needed to determine the most effective and meaningful pedagogy for…

This article utilizes the qualitative methodology of autoethnography for examining how doctoral programs create intellectual war zones for African American students through oppressive institutional socialization. Theoretically grounded in critical race theory, I utilize my counternarrative as an African American graduate student to describe the…

Teaching in higher education is often not addressed in doctoral education, even though many doctoral graduates will eventually teach. This article describes a biweekly teaching workshop, presents pitfalls and challenges that beginning instructors face, and advocates pedagogical training for doctoral students. Led by a well-known social work…

Course content in graduate school is especially important in terms of helping students make progress toward a doctorate. However, content is merely one aspect of developing successful students. This article highlights the value of creating an affirming learning environment by discussing one graduate class on Qualitative Policy Research. The…

The nontraditional doctorate is a relatively recent development in the long history of the doctoral degree. Understanding what makes a doctoral degree "nontraditional" requires describing its key features in relation to those of the traditional doctorate and embedding this analysis in a historical context. In this article, the author provides a…

Professional doctorates have been established in the allied health professions by clinicians seeking the highest levels of independent practice. Allied health professional doctorates include nursing practice (DNP), occupational therapy (OTD), psychology (PsyD), social work (DSW), and marriage and family therapy (DMFT). Lessons learned from the…

Doctoral programmes and education do not necessarily pay enough attention to the professional development of the student. Doctoral students may struggle with an unclear conception of who they can and want to become as a result of their doctoral studies. This paper describes an event that aimed to provide doctoral students with opportunities to…

An introductory leadership course in an Ed.D. program in Child and Youth Studies, a redesigned early and middle childhood program at Nova University (Florida), is described. The course's purposes are first, to enable professionals to understand the impact of demographic, social, economic, political, and technological transitions on the…

This article discusses efforts at Ohio State (1972-1975) to revamp the doctoral program in teacher education. An outcome of those efforts was the course described in this article. Rationales for inclusion of inquiry and the study of research in teacher education are given. Course content, materials and strategies are outlined. (IAH)

The availability and characteristics of graduate programs in educational administration offered by universities in African and Caribbean countries belonging to the Commonwealth are summarized in this paper. The programs reviewed are offered by universities in the West Indies, Guyana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria. The paper notes that…

Describes four research courses developed by the instructional systems faculty at the University of Florida which are designed to prepare doctoral students to plan and conduct high quality instructional systems research. Goals of each course are described, as well as course procedures and products, and evaluation methods. (MBR)

Describes an informal seminar aimed at preparing the best undergraduate psychology students for graduate school. Discusses the rationale and the format, including meeting objectives and the student selection process. Considers student outcomes and feedback and the shortcomings of the seminar. (CMK)

This paper proposes a framework for evaluating the doctoral curriculum. Noting that much previous research and evaluation in doctoral education have focused on the outputs of the degree or the supervisory process, the paper identifies the content of the training students receive in particular fields of study, the doctoral curriculum, as in need of…

An effort to build a curricular framework for doctoral study at the University of Texas-Pan American, using themes and standards proposed by the Council of Chief State School Officers and others, is described. A small faculty group undertook to simultaneously develop a curricular sequence of course topics while initiating a new doctoral program…

Describes the development of a course for preparing doctoral French language students for the teaching profession, covering such topics as the diversity of teaching assistant training, graduate student attitudes and prior knowledge of instructional theory, academic credit, and the use of authentic material. (CB)