This program has temporarily suspended admission effective Fall 2020.
The Social Science Education track in the Education PhD program is designed to prepare social science educators for successful careers in research and teaching.
The program assists students in providing options to careers in preparing social science teachers, teaching post-secondary social science (history, political science, economics, etc.), and conducting research activities in social science education. Doctoral students in the track engage in research activities with an interdisciplinary faculty, experience internships, and interact with various social science educators and social science experts. Throughout this program, students are mentored by experienced and successful university social science education faculty. Based on the students' previous graduate course work, students may be required to complete additional graduate social science education (SSE) courses and/or graduate content courses beyond the minimum requirements.
The Social Science Education track in the Education PhD program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree. Students must complete 24 credit hours of core courses, 18 credit hours of specialization courses, 3 credit hours of internship, and 15 credit hours of dissertation. All students must also complete the candidacy examination.
Total Credit Hours Required: 60 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree
Track Prerequisites
A master's degree in a closely related field.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
42 Total Credits
Core
24 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- IDS7500 - Seminar in Educational Research (1 - 99)
- Complete the following:
- IDS7501 - Issues and Research in Education (3)
- EDF7475 - Qualitative Research in Education (3)
- EDF7403 - Quantitative Foundations of Educational Research (3)
- EDF7463 - Analysis of Survey, Record, and Other Qualitative Data (3)
- IDS7502 - Case Studies in Research Design (3)
- EDF7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education (3)
- IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design may be substituted for one of the approved research electives from group A listed in the Program Details section below. EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education may be substituted for one of the approved research electives from group B listed in the Program Details section below.
Specialization
18 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- SSE7740 - History of Social Studies Education (3)
- SSE7796 - Research in Social Science Education Seminar (3)
- SSE7797 - Content and Program Analysis in Social Science Education (3)
- SSE7700 - Critical Issues in Social Studies Teacher Education (3)
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: Social Science Education (SSE) Electives 6 Credit Hours; must be approved by adviser
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: SSE 7980 - Dissertation Research 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.
Internship
3 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- SSE7947 - Internship in Social Science Education (3)
Candidacy
0 Total Credits
- 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. - Successful defense of the written dissertation proposal. - The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. - Submission of an approved program of study.
Candidacy Examinations
0 Total Credits
- All PhD candidates will be required to complete two examinations. Please note there may be variations in length of exam time and content based upon the respective requirements of each track. - Research in the Specialization—8-hour written examination. - Specialization—3-hour oral examination.
Grand Total Credits: 60
Application Requirements
Financial Information
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.
Fellowship Information
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.
