92-98 credits
Designed to meet the needs of advanced graduate students who seek leadership roles in education and are dedicated to advancing the profession through their advanced research skills, teaching, and service. The program includes an intensive, in-depth study of education and various professional experiences through fellowship assignments.
Admission requirements
Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School. An applicant must also hold a master’s degree from an accredited college or university with a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.2 on a scale of 4.0; have achieved acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); submit an autobiography, philosophy of education, and five references; have two or more years of successful teaching or appropriate professional experience; and be recommended by the Advanced Graduate Studies Committee of the Department of Elementary Education.
Degree requirements
General guidelines include 92-98 graduate credits, at least 48 of which ordinarily will be completed at Ball State University. The program also requires a major of 40 credits, including 10 credits for the dissertation; cognate fields of either two 15-credit (minimum) cognates or one 24-credit (minimum) cognate. The 15-credit cognates must include a minimum of 9 Ball State University credits, and the 24-credit cognate must include a minimum of 12 Ball State University credits; research competence of 12 to 15 graduate credits in one of the following: foreign language, statistical methods, computer science, or research techniques; and two consecutive semesters of residence (15 credits within one academic year), which are expected to begin within two years of acceptance to the program.
Teachers College requirements
(or another approved course)
Humanistic studies
One course from
| EDFO 631 | Philosophy of Education | 3 |
| EDFO 641 | History of American Education | 3 |
| EDFO 651 | Educational Sociology | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Behavioral studies
One course from
Area of specialization
(Elementary, Early Childhood, Reading)
Doctoral seminar (2 semesters)
Dissertation
| DISS 799 | Doctoral Dissertation | 1 TO 24 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10 |
Research cognate
Total Credit Hours: 92-98