DEVELOPING A Doctoral Study Plan

The Doctoral Study Plan should include the following:

Students prepare a written plan, which identifies the domain of doctoral study to be undertaken and the manner in which such a study will be completed. We expect that the study or work can be organized or divided into different areas of study which are not necessarily disciplines in the traditional sense but are necessary for mastery of the domain. The doctoral study plan should consist of five sections: 1) a narrative personal statement, 2) the definition of the domain of study, 3) a discussion of the sociocultural factors that will be addressed in the coursework, plus 4) a bibliography, and 5) several attachments. The Doctoral Study Plan is submitted, by the end of the third semester, to the Advanced Graduate Council for approval.

The Doctoral Study Plan should be written using APA style (except in the rare instance that the student's field requires another established style) and should include the following:

Section 1 - A Narrative Personal Statement (5 pages) that summarizes how personal and professional experiences have provided a foundation for and contributed to the student's preparation for the academic goals and objectives in the proposed doctoral study. This section should also reflect the development of the student's thinking since entering the doctoral program. The purpose of this section is to provide a context for the issues or questions or learning goals that have emerged rather than being a duplication of the personal statement submitted for admission to the program.

Section 2 - A Clear Definition of the Domain of Study (approximately 10 pages).

1. List issues, questions or learning goals for this study.
2. Identify the areas of study that will help address the questions, issues or goals. Under each area of study include the following:
   • A discussion of how some of the basic literature and research within each area of study relates to the study questions, issues or goals.
   • A list of courses as well as institutes, internships, and independent studies. Briefly discuss how each connects to the areas of study.
3. The four required courses, the Interdisciplinary Seminars and the research courses, do not need to be described within the areas of study. While the Interdisciplinary Seminars may give insights into the domain they were designed to assist all students in delineating their doctoral studies.

In addition, we expect all students to develop research skills. Research does not have to be described as an area of study. Students may wish to discuss research questions that may emerge from their study. In the context of those research questions students may wish to discuss additional studies to hone skills in specific research methodologies that they may use in their thesis work.

Section 3 - A discussion of the sociocultural factors that impact on educational studies and the student's profession. A description of how the student plans to develop knowledge further in his or her studies, following the Sociocultural Perspective Standard.

Section 4 - A bibliography of books, journals and other references that form a preliminary foundation for the work in APA style. It may also be necessary to provide references for citations within the Doctoral Study Plan.

Section 5 – Eight attachments:

• A chronological timeline of courses by semester. List course number, title, number of credits, school, and professor. Please include the four required courses.
• A second listing of courses by area of study. List course number, title, number of credits, school, and professor. Include a section for "required courses."
• Transcripts with a description of credit equivalency, other supporting documents and rationales for requested transfer courses.
• A description of how any non-doctoral level courses will be or have been upgraded to be included in the doctoral study. At Lesley all 5000 and most 6000 level courses are considered master's degree level courses and not appropriate for doctoral study.
• A list of proposed doctoral study committee members - two Lesley core faculty members and one off-campus committee member.
• Curriculum vitae for all committee members who are not core Lesley faculty.
• Student's curriculum vita or resume
• Protection of Human Research Subjects – Certification of Completion of Training

Guidelines for Developing a Doctoral Study Plan

1. It's a plan, not a dissertation proposal
   
   The Doctoral Study Plan is written near the beginning of the student's period of study. The plan is not a dissertation proposal. While it may contain broad questions that a student would like to be able to answer through doctoral study, it does not have to contain a discussion of the particular question(s) that will form the focus of the final research project.
   
   The Doctoral Study Plan must be submitted to the Advanced Graduate Council for approval by the end of the student's third semester of study within the program.
   
   Note: A student who completes 18 credits in the first year and who intends to transfer in post-master's credits should have the doctoral study plan completed in his/her first year. The three-semester time limit for the doctoral study plan may be misleading if a student intends to complete a large number of credits before the end of the 3^rd semester. The AGC has determined that "credits are the better measure of timeliness in the submission of Doctoral Study Plans and specifically elective credits." AGC, November 1998.
2. Explicitly state the domain of study
   
   The Doctoral Study Plan should explicitly state the domain of educational studies for mastery at the doctoral level. In broad terms, educational studies is defined at Lesley University as an interdisciplinary area of inquiry that includes the examination of the individual and social processes of learning and teaching in institutional and social contexts. Study also involves integrating the study of cognition, learning, and human development with the study of institutions, organizations and cultures. The student must refine this definition to fit his/her particular interests in a Doctoral Study Plan.
3. Consider doing the residency in the first year
   
   To fulfill the residency requirement, many students register for the two required courses each semester in the first year and add a third courses each semester for a total of 9 credits each semester.
4. We recommend first year independent study
   
   We recommend students take a 3 credit Independent Study with the Senior Advisor in the fall or spring semester of the first year on a topic close to the domain of study or one of the anticipated areas of study. This helps to establish the Senior Advisor/student relationship.
5. Electives require approval in Doctoral Study Plan
   
   All electives taken prior to the approval of the Doctoral Study Plan should be designed with content close to the student's major area of study.
6. Record the number of credits with all courses
   
   The number of credits per course should be listed in addition to the assigned course numbers and course titles. (Credits earned at institutions that use a quarter system do not have the same value as credits earned at institutions that use a semester system. Please attach credit equivalency information- usually found on the back of the transcript - to verify the value of any credits earned outside Lesley University. A standard conversion is: 1-quarter credit equals .66 semester credits. Lesley University does not transfer partial credits.)
7. Inappropriate courses
   
   5000 level courses at Lesley University are not acceptable for doctoral level study. 6000 level courses are only acceptable if an appropriate rationale is provided (see below).
8. Rationale for 6000 level course
   
   For any course taken at Lesley that is not clearly at the doctoral level (7000 to 9000), and for which the student wishes to receive credit toward the doctoral degree, the following needs to be provided:
   • A rationale indicating why the course is appropriate for this specific study plan;
   • What additional work will be included to make it a doctoral level course; and
   • Documentation of the type of evaluation standards used to make the course an appropriate doctoral level experience for the student. (Typically, a student will place such a course activity within an independent study course contract [EAGSR 7999] and specify within the contract the additional work or evaluation standard that will be applied to make the course appropriate for doctoral study.)
9. Elective Suggestions
   
   The doctoral program has developed or identified a number of elective courses to meet common needs of doctoral students.
   • Program Evaluation, offered through the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, is often taken early in the doctoral study phase to supplement the required research courses.
   • Issues in Research is best scheduled near the end of a student's coursework and is intended to help students begin to think about their research question for the dissertation.
   • Adult Development and Learning is offered in the Spring semester
   • Qualitative Research Methods II or Quantitative Research Methods II is recommended for students who need more in-depth knowledge in preparation for their chosen research.
   
   It is important to note that doctoral students may need academic experiences that are not at the doctoral level in some areas to provide a foundation for further study. While these studies are encouraged if necessary and should be included in the doctoral plan, they cannot be counted as part of the 45 post master's degree requirements.
10. Transfer Credits
    
    For courses taken at other institutions, verification of the doctoral level of the course should be provided since numbering systems at academic institutions vary considerably.
11. Doctoral Study Committee Members
    
    Proposed Doctoral Committee members must agree to serve before the plan is submitted to the Advanced Graduate Council.
    
    The Committee is formally appointed when the plan is approved. Soon after the plan is approved, the Doctoral Study Committee meets with the student to discuss the study plan in detail

SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE STANDARD

Traditionally, doctoral programs have required the study of language. The intent of this requirement was to insure that students had access to knowledge important for their field of study that required the ability to read or speak another language. While this idea is still relevant, we believe that language skills are part of a broader arena of skills and knowledge that all students working toward a Ph.D. in Educational Studies should address.

In the study of teaching and learning in a variety of contexts, we must now recognize the implications of diverse groups of individuals who are defined by different social and cultural identities. In this context, language is an important factor in identifying social cultural groups. However, it is not the only factor. For example, country of origin, race, gender and professional roles may be associated with different types of sociocultural groupings.

All students must meet a sociocultural perspective standard by demonstrating in their doctoral study plan that sociocultural factors that impact on their professional work and/or domain of educational studies will be addressed by appropriate study.

Meeting the standard may include the study of language. A student may wish to argue that the study of a second language allows access to new knowledge relevant to their doctoral study, or is necessary for their professional role as an educator or human service provider.

We recognize that gaining fluency in a language is beyond the scope of the Doctoral Program. However, we will consider study that begins or improves the ability to communicate in a second language as appropriate ways to meet the sociocultural perspective standard.

Meeting the standard may also include study that allows analysis and reflection on how particular social and cultural dimensions of human life, such as race or gender, may affect a particular focus on educational studies.

The narrative of the doctoral study plan should provide a rationale and discussion of how the sociocultural perspective standard will be met within the context of the overall study plan.

RESEARCH ETHICS

Human Subjects Protection Training

The principles of protection of human participants in research were established in the Belmont Report in 1979, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and summarizing the basic ethical principals in the Federal Regulations on Human Subjects (Title 45, Part 46, 45CFR46). This report identified three principles of ethical conduct of research with human subjects: respect, beneficence, and justice. These principles form the foundation for conducting research including guidelines for obtaining informed consent, respect for privacy and confidentiality, and risk/benefit assessment.

The Lesley University Human Subjects Policy states that "It is expected that all researchers will fulfill their obligations to protect the rights of human subjects. Research that includes human subjects may be subject to review by the IRB (1992, page 1)."

All doctoral students are required to participate in training on the protection of human research participants. Doctoral students will be asked to verify this training by submitting a copy of the Certificate of Completion of Training with the doctoral study plan.

The National Institute of Health has a computer based training option available 24 hours a day at no cost. Upon completion of the self-guided study and test a certificate can be printed. Student may access this website at:

http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp

Additional Resources on the Web

• Lesley Human Subjects Research & Institutional Review Board Policies
   http://www.lesley.edu/provost/content/extras/core_handbook.pdf
• Belmont Report:
  http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.htm
• Code of Federal Regulations – Title 45
  http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm

Human Subjects in Research Policy

We realize students will be undertaking research in Phase III as part of the dissertation requirements. In the design of dissertation research in Phase III all students must consider the rights of their human subject participants and determine if the research is exempt from additional review.

Any student engaging in pilot study or research at any other phase of doctoral study must consider if that research is subject to human subject review.

The Dissertation Committee approves the dissertation prospectus and can help the student determine if she or he requires the approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research at Lesley University before proceeding with data collection. The student and his/her committee members will be asked to sign off on a Review of Research form to be submitted with the dissertation prospectus.

"It is expected that all researchers will fulfill their obligations to protect the rights of human subjects. Research that includes human subjects may be subject to review by the IRB (1992, Human Subjects Policy, page 1)." See the current policy (approved December 1992) for the list of instances requiring review board approval and which research is exempt from review. (See Lesley Human Subject Policy on the web at:

http://www.lesley.edu/provost/content/extras/core_handbook.pdf)

Effective January 1, 2004, each student must attach a doctoral program "Review of Research" form, signed by the committee, prior to data collection signifying that the research is exempt from further review or requires further review. In cases where the Doctoral Study Committee or Dissertation Committee members request additional help in reviewing the dissertation proposal for human subject protection, each student will complete the Lesley University human subjects research proposal and submit it to the Provost's office. The IRB committee will convene and will review the request. Notification of the IRB decision will be sent in writing to the student.