¾«¶«´«Ã½app

Notes

The program is principally delivered in the online mode.

Contact us

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.

Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 10. Graduates at this level will have systematic and critical understanding of a complex field of learning and specialised research skills for the advancement of learning and/or for professional practice.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

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

• meet applicable English entry requirements.

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

Domestic and International Applicants from a non-English speaking background are required to satisfy .

If you do not meet the English language requirements you may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, Applicants may be admitted to an Award Program.

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)

Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and New Zealand citizens commencing a higher degree research program may have their tuition fees paid for by the Australian Federal Government under the Research Training Scheme (RTS). A RTS place entitles a student to a maximum period of 4 years full-time fees or 8 years part-time fees on tuition fees for a Doctorate program and 2 years full-time fees or 4 years part-time fees 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 eligibility for RTS. Students who are eligible for RTS are:

• those who have not consumed a full RTS allocation previously;

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

If a student's RTS entitlement expires before they have completed their program they will be required to pay full tuition fees. As there may be limited RTS places available, some students may be required to pay fees for all or part of their program. The Office of Research Graduate Studies will advise students of their eligibility for an RTS place.

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 USQ courses or courses from 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:

• (2 units)

• (2 units)

• (1 unit)

• (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 depending upon the availability of research supervision.

Elective courses

Students have the option of including in their Doctor of Education program two 1-unit electives, normally at postgraduate level, from education courses or other USQ courses, or courses from 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 Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts 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:

• (2 units)

• (2 units)

• (1 unit)

• (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).

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 education qualification at the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland (see the programs listed under articulation).

Credit

Students who complete and/or (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 credit 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 enrol in the Doctor of Education on either a full-time or a part-time basis. ,

Recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

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.