Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Professions

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Ph.D. International Education

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REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
Ph.D. IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Program Code: INTE

I. Departmental Doctoral Seminars (6 credits)

First-year doctoral students are required to take a two semester seminar sequence that explores current research on topics related to globalization and educational policy. Each seminar is co-taught by two different pairs of scholars, representing different disciplines. Meeting weekly in a regular time slot, these seminars also require students to attend colloquia sponsored by the Department of the Humanities and the Social Sciences. The colloquia feature presentations by Steinhardt faculty, advanced graduate students, and visiting scholars from other institutions. 

 II. Foundations in International Education (12 credits)

 Students who have taken these courses for the MA in International Education at NYU are exempt from this requirement.  All other students must take the following courses in International Education:

III. International Education Doctoral Seminars (12 credits)

Students are required to take the following doctoral seminars during their first two years of study.  These seminars are co-taught by two members of the International Education Program faculty, and they are offered in alternate years.  The purpose of these seminars is to help students develop a dissertation topic and a dissertation proposal.

 IV. Specialization in International Education (8-12 credits)

Each student will specialize in one of the following areas of concentration. Listed below are recommended courses:

Global Education

Focus is on universities, colleges, schools, publishing houses, and educational agencies that design, develop and implement global education programs for students and educators in international and/or multicultural settings.

International Development Education

Focus is on government agencies, private voluntary organizations and foundations that provide educational assistance to less developed countries to achieve sustainable economic growth and human progress.

Cross Cultural Exchange and Training

Focus is on public and private educational and cultural organizations that sponsor and conduct international cultural and educational exchanges and cross cultural training.

V. Area Studies (8-12 credits)

Each student must develop a concentration in a cultural area of the world. Most of these courses are offered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Area studies available at the University include the following: African Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, the Near East, Eastern Europe, and West European Studies. Students must choose one area to study. There are a number of Affiliated Faculty in the Program who can assist you in developing your area studies concentration. Listed below are examples of courses offered over the past several years. You should also read through the most recent NYU course catalog for more listings. Students may fulfill this requirement through summer study abroad programs, which in recent years have been offered in Abu Dhabi, Argentina, China, South Africa, Belgium, France, Italy, and the Czech Republic. When registering for a course in another school of the University, you must obtain permission from the Department or the course instructor.

African and African-Caribbean Studies

Asian Studies

Latin American Studies

The Near East

Eastern Europe

West European Studies

VI. Readings and Dissertation Proposal Seminars (0-12credits)

Students may elect to take these seminars in preparing for their comprehensive examinations, and writing the dissertation proposal. These seminars are taken after students have completed most of their coursework, and are conducted as independent studies with the student's dissertation chair. They can be taken for credit multiple times.

VII. Candidacy Examination

After completing most of their course work, students should file for the candidacy examination. The candidacy examination has two parts -- a three-hour written comprehensive and a two-hour oral session. The written part focuses on the basic literature covering modernization theory, cultural identity, nationalism, globalization, and socialization. The oral examination focuses on the major field of specialization in International Education (Global Education, International Development Education, or Cross Cultural Exchange and Training) and the area studies concentration.  Students must also demonstrate competence in one of the following academic disciplines: anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, politics, or sociology. Students can use electives in their specialized field of international education and in their area studies concentration to satisfy this requirement. The oral examination is conducted by three professors, at least one of whom must be a specialist in the area studies concentration of the student. Prior to taking the examination each student must submit for approval a list of books for each part of the examination.

VIII. Specialized Research Methods (6-12 credits)

Students should develop competence in the research methods that they will use in their dissertation research.  They should consult their advisor or dissertation chair in determining what methodological courses they need. Listed below are recommended courses offered by the Department of the Humanities and the Social Sciences.  Students may also elect courses offered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and some of these courses may satisfy the area studies concentration as well.

Quantitative Analysis
( use of formal models, game theory, statistical analysis, surveys, hypotheses and hypothesis testing, experimental and non-experimental designs, case studies, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, comparative studies)

Qualitative Analysis
(historical analysis, philosophical inquiry, grounded theory, in-depth interviews, oral history, content analysis, participant observation, archival research, and ethnographic analysis)

IX. Non-credit Specialization Requirement

All students are required to pass a language examination related to the area studies in which she/he is concentrating.

X. Dissertation Committee

When a student has successfully completed the candidacy examination and has chosen a topic for research she/he will form a sponsoring committee by inviting three faculty members to supervise the writing of the dissertation. The chairperson must be selected from the full time faculty of the International Education program unless there is a compelling reason for another choice. At least one committee member must come from outside the International Education Program. In most cases at least one of the members of the committee is a specialist in the country or region in which the student has conducted his research. While preparing the dissertation students must enroll in a 1 credit course, E51.3004, Dissertation Seminar III, to maintain matriculation; credits accumulated in this seminar do not count towards the completion of the degree.

XV. Final Oral Defense

After submitting the dissertation each student will defend the document before an examining commission of five faculty including the three sponsoring professors and two outside readers. The defense may include general areas of knowledge in the student's field of specialization as well as specific questions on the dissertation itself.

Total Credits

In general most students will be required to take at least 54 credits above the masters degree to fulfill the course work for the degree. In certain cases, the course requirements may be lowered if the student has taken the M.A. in International Education at NYU, or relevant graduate courses at other institutions within the last ten years, which have not been counted toward another degree.