Graduation Information

Students must meet the expectations of the University regarding adequate progress toward the degree. Specifically:

1. Doctoral students are expected to maintain a 3.25 minimum GPA for all graduate coursework.
2. Students may not enroll for more than one semester before full admission is granted.
3. Students must complete and submit an approved degree plan by the time 24 credits are completed.
4. Students are expected to consistently enroll and complete coursework in their area of study, making satisfactory progress toward attainment of the degree.
5. During the final semester of coursework students are expected to register for and complete the preliminary examination, which addresses both core knowledge and the student's area of concentration. Upon successful completion of the preliminary examination, the student is admitted to candidacy and proceeds to undertake his/her dissertation research.
6. Once students have begun taking dissertation research (MSE 7640), they must enroll in at least one credit hour of dissertation research each semester until the dissertation is completed.
7. At least two-thirds of the credits counted toward the degree must be at the 7000 level.
8. All students will, in consultation with their advisor and or supervisory committee, complete an annual evaluation of progress toward degree completion. Students are expected to maintain satisfactory progress toward degree attainment.

Additional Graduation Requirements

A major goal of the Ph.D. in Mathematics and Science Education is to produce graduates who are prepared to successfully pursue teaching and research careers in academia. To ensure that these students are prepared, they will be required to:

1. make at least two research presentations at regional, national or international meetings as lead or co-author;
2. be lead author or make significant contribution as co-author of two articles published, in press, or under review in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals;
3. in collaboration with an MTSU faculty member serving as principal investigator, make a significant contribution to the development of at least one external grant proposal; and
4. complete the MSE 7800 Teaching Internship in a K-12 setting if they lack K-12 teaching experience.