Education (PhD) – Mathematics Education

Track Description

The Mathematics Education track in the Education PhD program is designed to prepare mathematics educators for various career options, including training educators, teaching postsecondary mathematics, and conducting research in mathematics education.

Doctoral students in the track engage in undergraduate teaching, participate in research activities with faculty, experience internships, and interact with the nationally acclaimed Lockheed Martin/UCF Teaching Academy for Mathematics and Science.

Curriculum

The Mathematics Education track in the Education PhD program requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the master’s degree. Students must complete 24 credit hours of core courses, 9 credit hours of specialization courses, 12 credit hours of electives, 3 credit hours of internship, and 24 credit hours of dissertation. All students must also complete the candidacy examination.

Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master’s Degree

Required Courses: 33 Credit Hours

Core: 24 Credit Hours

• IDS 7501 - Issues and Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
• IDS 7500 - Seminar in Educational Research 1-3 Credit Hours
• (variable credit, repeated for a total of 6 credit hours)
• EDF 7475 - Qualitative Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7403 - Quantitative Foundations of Educational Research 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7463 - Analysis of Survey, Record, and Other Qualitative Data 3 Credit Hours
• IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design 3 Credit Hours or one of the approved research electives from group A:
• EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education 3 Credit Hours or one of the approved research electives from group B:

Group A

• EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
• SPA 7495 - Doctoral Seminar II: Spoken and Written Language Disorders 3 Credit Hours (Communication Sciences Track students only)

Group B

• IDS 7938 - Research Cluster Seminar 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education 3 Credit Hours
• EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
• SPA 7495 - Doctoral Seminar II: Spoken and Written Language Disorders 3 Credit Hours (Communication Sciences Track students only)

Specialization: 9 Credit Hours

• MAE 7640 - History of Mathematics Education 3 Credit Hours
• MAE 7795 - Seminar on Research in Mathematics Education 3 Credit Hours

Elective Courses: 12 Credit Hours

• Course work in elementary mathematics education 3 Credit Hours
• Course work in secondary mathematics education 3 Credit Hours
• Course work in mathematics or mathematics education 6 Credit Hours

Dissertation: 24 Credit Hours

Doctoral students must present a prospectus for the dissertation to the doctoral adviser, prepare a proposal and present it to the dissertation committee, and defend the final research submission with the dissertation committee.

• MAE 7980 - Dissertation Research 24 Credit Hours minimum

Internship: 3 Credit Hours

• MAE 7945 - Internship in Mathematics Education 3 Credit Hours minimum

Candidacy

To enter candidacy for the PhD, students must have an overall 3.0 GPA on all graduate work included in the planned program and pass all required examinations. Examinations will be scheduled by the student and major adviser. The associate dean for graduate studies and research must be notified of the date and location of the exam 30 days in advance. Students must be enrolled in the university during the semester an examination is taken.

The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours:

• Completion of all course work, except for dissertation hours.
• Successful completion of the candidacy examination.
• The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars.
• Submission of an approved program of study.

Candidacy Examinations

All PhD candidates will be required to complete two examinations.

Please note that there may be variations in length of exam time and content based on the respective requirements of each track.

• Research in the Specialization—8-hour written examination.
• Specialization—3-hour oral examination.

Independent Learning

The dissertation satisfies the independent learning requirement.

Application Requirements

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

• One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
• A master’s degree in a closely related field and master’s level competency in educational research and statistics.
• Official, competitive GRE score taken within the last five years.
  • NOTE: The GRE has been removed as an admission requirement for this graduate program for applicants applying Spring 2021 through the Fall 2021 term. This is a temporary measure in response to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Goal statement.
• Résumé.
• Applicants to this program, except those that have earned or will earn a Masters or Doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. institution recognized by UCF, who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.

Application Deadlines

Financials

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowships

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

Institution Codes
GRE: 5233
GMAT: RZT-HT-58
TOEFL: 5233
ETS PPI: 5233