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Notes

The program is principally delivered in the online mode.

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Program focus

This program is a professional and research doctorate directed at helping students to acquire and practise research knowledge and skills as they design, conduct and report doctoral level research about current and real world questions and topics. In doing so, the program provides students with maximum support and training to collect and analyse data and create new knowledge and understanding, and also to pursue new career opportunities.

Career opportunities

Career opportunities for future program graduates are likely to match the current positions held by existing program graduates, including leading positions in educational and professional contexts such as school principals, school district directors, education system directors, directors of technical and vocational colleges, heads of educational facilities and services across a variety of sectors, directs of training and development facilities, university academics, educational counsellors, educational trainers and consultants, and campus and centre managers.

Program objectives

On successful completion of the Doctor of Education program, students should be able to:

• contribute to the advancement of knowledge relating to professional practice and leadership in education

• exhibit competence and commitment in pursuing personal goals of advanced scholarship in relation to their areas of specialisation

• apply knowledge and skills acquired through research training

• integrate empirical, methodological and theoretical knowledge in ways that engage current educational issues

• articulate the local, provincial, national, regional and global dimensions of the work and identities of contemporary educators, trainers and developers

• demonstrate the capacity to add value to, and to help to sustain, contemporary learning communities

• develop and extend a commitment to lifelong education and to fulfilling their own lives and those of others.

Program aims

The aim of this program is to provide experienced professionals in education, training and development with doctoral level coursework and research opportunities that will engage educational issues that are relevant and meaningful to them, help to sustain their communities and help to fulfil their lives.

Admission requirements

To be considered eligible for admission to the Doctor of Education, applicants must:

• have completed a Masters with a ‘credit’ average or an undergraduate Honours (I or IIa) degree, or equivalent qualification in Education or a cognate field relevant to the proposed area of study from a recognised university

• have a documented record of normally three years full-time equivalent of professional or teaching experience in a field relevant to the proposed area of study and be currently or recently employed in professional practice.

• provide evidence of English language proficiency (minimum IELTS 6.5 or equivalent) - international students only

Admission to all graduate programs is highly competitive owing to limited enrolment capacities. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

How to apply

Applications for should be made directly to USQ.

If you are applying for the Doctor of Education program you must submit either a Doctor of Education Application Addendum or a Preliminary Research Project Outline located in the .

Doctor of Education Application Addendum

Please consider the following five areas which are strategic to successful doctoral study. For each area provide a response which best reflects your views at this point in time. An indication of the approximate number of words is provided. Your response constitutes an important part of your application for admission to the Doctor of Education program. Please attach the completed pages to your application for admission.

Area 1: The features of your vocational background which provide you with a foundation for doctoral study and research relating to professional leadership in education (150 words).

Area 2: The features of the USQ professional doctorate that appear to suit your particular needs in undertaking doctoral study (75 words).

Area 3: The ways you consider that the development of your capabilities as a professional educational leader and researcher in the Doctor of Education program might contribute to your future career (150 words).

Area 4: The key factors that will enable you to study successfully at the doctorate level for the next five years and any possible difficulties you might have (100 words).

Area 5: The research topic that you are most likely to be working on (though it is appreciated that your research focus may change) and a critique of the current literature in the field to outline some of the issues involved (800-1000 words).

In support of your responses you may also wish to include an abstract from previous master’s thesis work and a copy of an academic article that you may have published in the past four years.

International students

This program is offered to international students. An international student is a person who is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen and not an Australian permanent resident. Please refer to for information about entry requirements, visa arrangements and how to apply.

Program fees

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .
Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.
Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Research training scheme (RTS)

All Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and New Zealand citizens commencing a higher degree research program will have their tuition fees paid for by the Australian Federal Government under the Research Training Scheme (RTS). The RTS place entitles a student to a maximum period of four years exemption full time or 8 years part time on tuition fees for a Doctorate program and 2 years exemption full time or 4 years part time for Masters by Research programs. As part of the enrolment process students are required to submit proof of citizenship and transcripts of all previous academic study. It is with this documentation that USQ can determine the eligibility for RTS. Students who are eligible for RTS are:

• those who have not consumed any RTS previously

• those who have already utilised RTS and have successfully completed a research program. Once a student completes a higher degree research program full entitlements of RTS are restored.

Program structure

The Doctor of Education is a 24-unit program. The program structure comprises three sections.

Program completion requirements

To be awarded a Doctorate of Education, a student must normally have completed all designated research courses–that is, dissertation - or folio-type courses–and all designated coursework courses, such as research methods and, if relevant, elective courses. Students are normally required to undertake:

• two 2-unit coursework courses from the Doctor of Education program: and

• two 1-unit coursework courses: and

and will have the opportunity to undertake:

• two 1-unit elective courses at postgraduate level from the Faculty of Education or another Faculty at the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland or another recognised university.

Dissertation

If students take the two electives, their dissertation will constitute 16 units (67% of program; 60,000 words); if they do not take the two electives, their dissertation will constitute 18 units (75% of program; 70,000 words.) Student workload will be between 2,640 hours and 2,970 hours of effort.

Folio

Folios provide alternatives conducive to the needs of those engaged in professional practice in education, and give students the possibility of presenting their research work using a range of representation genres. These may include creative work, professional development packages or curriculum and/or teaching resources linked by a common and conceptually framed theme. Student workload will be equivalent to that of the dissertation.

If students take the two electives, their folio will constitute 16 units (67% of program; a student workload equivalent to that of the dissertation at 2,640 hours of effort); if they do not take the two electives, their folio will constitute 18 units (75% of program; a student workload equivalent to that of the dissertation at 2, 970 hours of effort.)

Required time limits

Full-time enrolment normally requires three years of study. (The ¾«¶«´«Ã½app acknowledges that minimum completion periods may be waived in the case of exceptional progress.) Part-time enrolment normally requires six years of study.

Core courses

The core courses in the Doctor of Education program are:

• EDU8601 Advanced Studies in Professional Practice (2 units)

• EDU8602 Advanced Studies in Specialisation (2 units)

• EDR8000 Foundations of Contemporary Educational Research Methods (1 unit)

• EDR8001 Effective and Ethical Educational Research (1 unit)

• An externally examined research dissertation or folio (16 units if students also take two 1-unit electives; 18 units if students take no electives).

Major studies

Specialisations cover a wide range of areas and, depending upon the availability of research supervision, and are listed on the Faculty of Education, Research homepage :

Elective courses

Students have the option of including in their Doctor of Education program two 1-unit electives, normally at postgraduate level, from the Faculty of Education or another faculty at the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland or another recognised university. The intention of this option, based on a student design curriculum focus, is to give students the opportunity to customise their doctoral learning journey by completing courses that enhance their methodological knowledge and that add value to their dissertation/folio. Normally students will need to receive the prior approval of the program coordinator before enrolling in the elective courses.

Coursework

The coursework component of the Doctor of Education program is constituted by the core courses in the program:

• EDU8601 Advanced Studies in Professional Practice (2 units)

• EDU8602 Advanced Studies in Specialisation (2 units)

• EDR8000 Foundations of Contemporary Educational Research Methods (1 unit)

• EDR8001 Effective and Ethical Educational Research (1 unit)

and if applicable two 1-unit electives.

Research

The research component of the Doctor of Education is constituted by the successful completion of an externally examined dissertation or folio that equals 16 units if students also complete two 1-unit electives or 18 units if students complete no electives in the program.

IT requirements

Students must have reliable and ready access to e-mail and the Internet. Broadband would be a significant advantage. See for more information.

Other program requirements

Students must normally complete successfully all coursework courses before progressing to the research dissertation or folio.

Exit points

Students who complete the coursework component of the Doctor of Education program and who are not able to complete the research component of the program will be able to transfer up to 8 credit points to an appropriate postgraduate qualification in the Faculty of Education at the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland (see the programs listed under articulation).

Exemptions

Students who complete EDR8000 Foundations of Contemporary Educational Research Methods and/or EDR8001 Effective and Ethical Research (or equivalent courses in Education or a cognitive field relevant to the proposed area of study) during their Masters program may be granted advanced standing in the Doctor of Education program. Normally no other exemptions will be granted in this program. NB: Normally students will not be permitted to acquire advanced standing in the program on the basis of having completed two 1-unit courses in previous studies and will therefore not be exempted from the electives in the Doctor of Education program; instead it is intended that students exercising the option of including electives in their program will complete those electives during the program).

Enrolment

Students who enrol in the Doctor of Education on either a full-time or a part-time basis. It is expected that full-time students will have recent professional experience on which to draw during the program. International on-campus students must be enrolled full-time,

Recommended enrolment pattern

Notes

At the time of submission of the dissertation/folio for external examination, all coursework courses and electives (if applicable) must have been completed satisfactorily.