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Program objectives

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

• Apply advanced research principles and practices applicable to professional educational contexts,

• Critically interpret and apply knowledge derived from published research in the context of their professional practice,

• Select and apply appropriate research methods to collect, analyse, and interpret data in the context of their professional practice,

• Critically reflect on change processes and leadership implications in educational organisations as it applies to their practice, and

• Communicate their understanding of published research and the results of their own research using methods appropriate to the context of their professional practice.

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Program aims

The aim of this program is to advance the knowledge and skills of experienced professional educators to equip them for leading research-informed organisational change and to engage them in making significant and original contributions to knowledge in the context of professional practice.

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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 .

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Admission requirements

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

• possess a Masters degree with a GPA equivalent to at least 5.0 on the USQ grade scale, or a Bachelor degree with Honours (First Class or Second Class (2a)), or equivalent qualification in Education or a cognate field from a recognised university, and

• have a documented record of normally three years full-time equivalent of teaching or other professional experience in Education or a cognate field and current or recent employment in relevant professional practice.

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

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

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, you may be admitted to an award program.

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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 an exemption on tuition fees for a maximum period of 4 years full-time or 8 years part-time for a Doctorate program and 2 years full-time or 4 years part-time for a Masters by Research program. 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 a student's eligibility for a RTS place. Students who are eligible for RTS are:

• those who have not consumed a RTS allocation previously;

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

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Program structure

The Doctor of Education is a 24-unit program comprising 6 units of coursework followed by 18 units of research.

The coursework has two components:

1. two 1-unit research methods courses: RSH8000 Introduction to Research and RSH8001 Research Methods, and

2. two 2-unit courses specific to the Doctor of Education program: EDU8601 Advanced Studies in Professional Practice and EDU8602 Advanced Studies in Specialisation.

The research will result in preparation of a submission for external examination:

Students who commenced in the program prior to 2016 will prepare and submit a thesis or folio.

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

• 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 thesis.

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

Students commencing in the program from 2016 will prepare and submit a research portfolio.

• The research portfolio will demonstrate how the candidate has made a significant and original contribution to knowledge in the context of professional practice. It will include evidence of the candidate’s ability to apply a substantial body of knowledge to investigate professional practice, develop research-based practices or products, and communicate their contributions to new knowledge to relevant audiences. Portfolios will be predominantly text but students may negotiate with the program team to include other media where appropriate. A portfolio will be equivalent to 45000 to 65000 words.

• A Doctor of Education portfolio will normally comprise five (5) components, as outlined below, to be developed around two (2) research-based professional artefacts developed in the context of the candidate’s professional practice. Each artefact will entail development and/or evaluation of a practice or product for implementation in the professional context and will include intellectually rigorous evidence of the application of research and/or scholarship. Where a medium other than text is used the artefact will be supported by an exegesis. Each artefact will also be described and contextualised within relevant literature and prior work in a scholarly paper prepared for public dissemination. The artefacts and papers will be contextualised within the portfolio by an evidence-based exposition of personal, professional and scholarly development during the period of candidature. Students will enrol in EDU8900 Doctoral Portfolio Plan to develop and present details of their proposed portfolio for confirmation prior to commencing the research course sequence by enrolling in EDR9000 Thesis/Folio Part-time and/or EDR9001 Thesis/Folio Full-time for a total of 16 units as appropriate.

• The portfolio will normally be structured as follows:

  Part	Product	Description	Word length
  1	Exposition	The exposition will introduce the portfolio and systematically present research-based evidence of the contribution(s) to knowledge made by the candidate in the context of professional practice.	10000 - 15000
  2a	Professional artefact	The professional artefact will result from development of a research-based practice or product for the professional work-place. Examples might include design and implementation of new programs, evaluation of existing activities, preparation of strategic plans or reports, or development of media such as a video or website. Where the artefact is not text-based it will be supported by an exegesis.	10000 - 15000
  2b	Scholarly paper	The paper will be prepared for dissemination in an appropriate professional forum and will contextualise the project in relation to relevant research.	7000 - 10000
  3a	Professional artefact	A second artefact as for 2a	10000 - 15000
  3b	Scholarly paper	A second paper as for 2b	7000 - 10000

  
  

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Program completion requirements

The award of the Doctor of Education requires the successful completion of:

• all required coursework (6 units), and

• external examination of a research portfolio representing work completed in the balance of the program.

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Required time limits

Candidates will normally complete the program within six years of part-time study and have a maximum of eight years (part-time) to complete this program.

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Major studies

Candidates for the Doctor of Education may undertake research in a variety of specialised topics subject to the availability of research supervision. Supervision is typically available for topics related to specialisations offered in the Master of Education. For further information about supervision see the .

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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.

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Other program requirements

Students must normally successfully complete all coursework with a GPA of at least 5.0 before proceeding to the confirmation process and progressing to the research portfolio.

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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 the Master of Education program at the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland and, subject to meeting relevant requirements, exit with a Graduate Certificate of Education, Graduate Diploma of Education, or Master of Education. Students who proceed to the research sequence and complete the first research project may be able to exit with a Master of Education under the general pathway.

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Credit

Students who have completed and/or (or equivalent research preparation courses) may be granted exemption for those courses according to the . Normally no other credit will be granted in this program.

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Enrolment

Students enrol in the Doctor of Education on a part-time basis.

Recommended enrolment pattern

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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.