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Jun 21, 2025
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Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog
STEM Education, PhD
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Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy in STEM Education
Graduate Program Coordinator: Debra Szostak, Life Sciences Building 092 (631) 632-9750
Program Website
The Institute for STEM Education (I-STEM) provides graduate education leading to a PhD in STEM Education for those who wish to work as
- university or college STEM educators, directing STEM teacher education programs, working closely with schools and school systems on local, state, and national STEM projects.
- university research or policy specialists, with the bulk of their time spent on guiding research on various aspects of STEM instruction.
- directors and supervisors in K-12 school systems, covering the design and implementation of STEM programs at local, county and state levels; and,
- classroom teachers with improved knowledge of STEM education theory and practice.
A carefully sequenced series of STEM education core courses and research experiences, coupled with exposure to STEM education events at state and national levels, provide the backbone of the program. Students are introduced to current STEM education research areas. As part of the coursework students are required to complete research projects, write, and submit articles for publication, make presentations at STEM education conferences and learn to use computer and library research resources.
Beyond the STEM education core coursework, students take courses in statistics and research methodologies, complete breadth and depth requirements in STEM content areas and undertake independent research under the guidance of advisors in STEM education and in their STEM cognate discipline. The program is open to part-time students from the region, who should complete the program in approximately five to six years.
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Course Requirements (5 of the following courses - 15 credits)
Statistics and Research Methodology Courses (3 courses - 9 credits, which may include the following)
STEM Content Breadth and Depth Courses (up to 4 courses -12 credits)
The courses to be taken depend upon the type of master’s degree that the entering student holds. Students holding a master’s degree in a specific scientific discipline will be required to complete graduate courses in other STEM disciplines. Students holding master’s degrees in education will be required to complete graduate coursework in their scientific field. The required breadth and depth courses are determined by transcript review by the Graduate Program Director upon acceptance into the program. Independent Research (Minimally - 18 credits to include 12 credits of CSM 699 or CSM 700)
Qualifying examination
Students will complete a qualifying examination upon the completion of all the STEM education core courses. The qualifying examination will have three components: - Paper 1 - a common examination question for all students based on a topic from the STEM education core courses.
- Paper 2 - an individualized examination question, written by the student’s advisor, based upon a student’s dissertation research area.
- An oral presentation and defense of the two papers
Research Proposal
Students are required to prepare and defend a dissertation proposal based on their proposed research. The students will present a formal written dissertation proposal that includes details of the research questions, a complete literature review, the methods chosen to answer the research questions and details of how the collected data will be analyzed. The proposal will be presented and defended in an oral hearing before the dissertation committee. If appropriate, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to conduct the research will be secured. On satisfactory completion of the dissertation proposal, a recommendation for advancement towards candidacy will be forwarded to the Graduate School. Advancement to Candidacy
When the above requirements have been satisfactorily completed, a recommendation for advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. will be forwarded to the Graduate School. Dissertation
The dissertation research outlined in the thesis proposal will be supervised by the committee, which will normally include both STEM education and STEM faculty. Dissertation Defense
The dissertation defense, which completes the requirement for the Ph.D. consists of a public seminar presentation of the dissertation work followed by an oral examination before the dissertation examining committee. Teaching Experience
A semester of a practicum in teaching will be required in addition to the completion of the STEM Teacher Education core course. This may include making seminar presentations, assisting in laboratories, STEM teacher professional development, and leading discussion sessions. Formal and informal feedback on a candidate’s teaching will be provided by program faculty. Residence Requirement
For full-time students, the University requires at least two consecutive semesters of full-time graduate study. |
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