Doctor of Education in Health Education

• Examinations

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Health Education is a professional degree that prepares students for leadership positions in public schools or colleges and universities where the primary emphasis is teaching.

Program Foundation

The Texas A&M University Ed.D. program in Health Education is designed to assure that graduates are fully competent scholars. The following key concepts provide the philosophical foundation of the Ed.D. Health Education:

·         The Ed.D. program requires interaction with an accomplished group of professional health educators (the graduate faculty), and the study of a unique body of knowledge (the health education/health promotion literature).

·         The Ed.D. program is based on a set of core responsibilities and competencies set forth by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (A Competency-Based Framework for Graduate-Level Health Educators, 1999).

·         The Ed.D. program is a practitioner-oriented degree, but requires competence as a researcher.

·         The Ed.D. program facilitates the development of a competitive scholastic and professional portfolio by students.

Expectations

All coursework and structured educational experiences of the Ed.D. program are designed to provide students the opportunity to develop skills and competencies as health education and health promotion professionals. Ed.D. students are expected to:

·         Work closely with faculty who are actively engaged in teaching health education.

·         Work closely with faculty who are actively engaged in health education research and service projects.

·         Become skilled, independent, ethical teachers of health education.

·         Publish in Health Education journals and become professionally involved in Health Education professional associations.

The Course of Study

Each Ed.D. student's course of study is individually designed on the basis of his or her career objectives and the competencies associated with the professional role to which he or she aspires. It contains a minimum of 75 semester hours beyond the masters degree, including the following components:

·         a set of courses designed to enhance understanding of the profession and practice of health education (the Health Education Core);

·         a set of courses designed to enhance understanding of the procedures and applications of research in the field of health education (The Statistics/Research Requirement);

·         one supporting field of 12 semester hours; and

·         a Record of Study involving 15 semester hours of credit.

For students who have no experience as a teacher, a Teaching Internship of 3 hours is required.

The Ed.D. in Health Education Course of Study (post masters)

Examinations

Each Ed.D. degree candidate is required to take a departmentally prepared written qualifying examination prior to the completion of 30 hours of doctoral work. Continuation in the program and/or any additional required study is dependent on the results of this qualifying examination. A positive vote by all members of the Graduate Advisory Committee with at most one dissension is required to pass a student on his or her exam.

In addition, each candidate must successfully complete an oral and written preliminary examination prior to admission to candidacy and a final examination upon completion of the Record of Study. Both of these examinations conform to the requirements for the PhD preliminary examination and final examination.

Record of Study

The EdD student is required to produce a major research document called a Record of Study. The Record of Study may involve such topics as (1) a field study on a problem of major proportions in time or extent; (2) a curriculum development project validated through pilot and field testing; or (3) action research on a curricular, instructional, supervisory, or administrative problem based on empirical data. The Ed.D. student must have primary responsibility for the design and development of the research, and the Record of Study must be the original work of the candidate.

The Record of Study explains and supports the activities undertaken in the project and supports its conclusions with adequate investigations, empirical data and a comprehensive bibliography. Procedures used are described in sufficient detail for other health education professionals to apply or extend the procedures. All Records of Study are characterized by accuracy of observation and measurement, thoroughness of analysis and synthesis, and accuracy and completeness of presentation.

The student must successfully defend the Record of Study and receive approval from his or her Graduate Advisory Committee and the head of the Department of Health and Kinesiology.