FAQ for Graduate Programs

We offer an Ed.D., Ph.D. and D.A.T.

The courses that one takes may be similar between options, but the research topic and scope can vary quite a bit.

• The Ed.D. being appropriate for action and applied type research in education and educational leadership
• The Ph.D. research project needs strong theoretical ties and strong potential for generalizability
• The D.A.T. involves clinical practice and research specific for athletic training professionals

The list of courses taken is partly prescribed, but has room for flexibility. After a person is admitted, they meet with their assigned advisor to work up a study plan.

Our Doctoral Handbook for the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences outlines the various programs of study and associated degrees available.

For more information, visit our Doctoral Degree Overview page.

Depends. 

For the doctoral degrees, it is possible, but not as clear cut.

To be completely online, it is dependent on:

• Number of credits we are able to garner from the students Master’s degree (usually 30 credits)
• Study plan that is worked up
  • This is unique for each doctoral student, and developed by both the student and their major professor. 
• Electives chosen by the student
  • When identifying those it will be necessary to locate online courses if the student wants it to be solely online.
• Details worked out with the student’s major professor

The faculty members can work with students from a distance. EHHS does a significant amount of work online, as well as working across multiple locations. EHHS faculty are well versed in distance communications and how to make that happen. The assignment of major professor happens at the time of admission, but reaching out to individual faculty in the program and sharing your interest in their program and research areas is encouraged at the doctoral level.

We have communication, video conferencing options that make this fairly easy. Currently EHHS uses ZOOM meeting software to facilitate some of this distance work. 

We admit students once a year, and the deadline for those applications is Feb. 1.

Candidates may be informed of their status 5 - 7 weeks past that date.

View the Doctoral Handbook, it will provide examples of our programs of study.

The application process is done through Graduate Admissions. Once all the application material is collected, they forward to EHHS for review.

For more information, visit:

• Graduate Admissions
• FAQ-Graduate Admissions  

GRE scores are no longer required for an Education doctorate (since Fall 2018).

Yes, sometimes and sometimes.

Each program of study for a doctoral student is unique and determined in consultation with their Major Professor. Thus, all of these options are possible, although many — perhaps all, will be online courses.

Refer to Student Financial Aid Services webpage.

Yes. 

There are two main types of assistantships that could be available with the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.

Teaching Assistantships

In terms of graduate teaching assistantships, we do provide a number of those each year and they require 20 hours of work per week, and usually this occurs on the Moscow campus. Doctoral students can have a Graduate Teaching Assistantship for up to 4 years.

Teaching Assistantships are managed by the Department Chairs. Talk with the department chair of the area of interest.

• Curriculum and Instruction
• Leadership and Counseling
• Movement Sciences

Reach out to faculty members with similar interests as yours, letting them know you are interested in the doctoral program, that you are currently working on your application and wish to set up a visit discussing potential common interests. They may direct you to another faculty member whose interest may better align with yours.

Research Assistantships

Research Assistantships are available through grants. You need a faculty member who has an awarded grant and an interest to hire a Research Assistant (RA). You will need to work with that person to figure out the details.

It strengthens your application if you have a connection with a faculty member who has a research agenda associated with your area of research interest. Particularly if they are interested in working as your Major Professor and Dissertation Chair. Although helpful, this is not required.

Our College is composed of three departments. Below are the profile pages for each of our faculty members by department.

• Curriculum and Instruction
• Leadership and Counseling
• Movement Sciences

Current EHHS practice is to require re-admission for any candidate who has been absent for more than two years.

The first step is to have the student re-admit (re-apply) to the graduate program.

» Re-admit page

At this point, the student will:

• be assigned an advisor
• begin the process of figuring out the rest of the program
• be asked to address the factor(s) that contributed to inactivity
• identify how and why the outcome would be different if re-admitted

There is a chance of counting previous credits. To Know more about the credit requirement rules, view the catalog.

Please note in that policy that there are “time limits” which indicate that a maximum of 30 credits may be more than 8 years old when the degree is conferred (not when re-applying) providing that program department head agrees that the student is current in the subjects concerned.

Graduation must occur no later than 5 years after the student passed the prelim or general exams. Support from the program faculty & department head may allow some flexibility, but requires the student to have a faculty advocate and someone willing to serve as their major professor.

No. However, the GRE is no longer required for an Education doctorate (since Fall 2018). 

Possibly. However, the GRE is no longer required for an Education doctorate (since Fall 2018).

Official GRE score reports are no longer available when more than 5 years old.

When given the scores are just outside the official time window, in order to satisfy the GRE requirement using the now unofficial past score report, it may be acceptable based on the approval of faculty within the program (who may take into account GPA scores and other supporting information as a deciding factor).

When you are ready to apply, let us know your area of research interest and we can help facilitate the request to the program faculty. If you have already been in contact with a faculty member with whom you may work with as a doctoral student, then it would be of value to see if they would sponsor and bring forward this request to the program faculty for review.

Again, this is largely not applicable because GRE scores are no longer necessary to be admitted to an Education doctoral program.

Yes.

We have many part-time doctoral students. Many working in education or government positions.

This requires one to be a good manager of their time.

Depends. 

In general there is no instructional requirement. However, if the student were also completing a certification along with the doctoral program, then that might be a factor.

When planned (which would be created with the major professor within the program of study), it is likely capable of occurring in Boise, or at the U of I Boise Center.

No.

There is no residency requirement, however, the doctoral student may be asked to be physically present for some key events such as the preliminary exam, dissertation proposal and dissertation defense, based on consultation with the major professor and doctoral committee members.

Depends.

The program does not lead to a specific certification or teaching endorsement. However, it certainly could open these doors, depending upon the context of the job you apply for. There is a good deal of competition for any University-level faculty position, but also varies based on field.