Program Admission

Applicants must have:

1. A Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university
2. A Graduate School application with the following materials:
   1. Cover letter (500-1000 words) describing the applicant’s rationale for pursuing the degree program, the applicant’s research and career interests, and the names of faculty members the applicant would like to work with.
   2. Official transcripts from each college or university attended.
   3. Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative, and writing) taken within the last five years.

   4. Two professional letters of recommendation discussing the applicant’s academic background and aptitude for graduate work, specifying in detail the applicant’s capabilities for doctoral study, future performance, and scholarship. At least one letter from a college/university professor is preferred.

   5. Academic writing sample that adheres to current APA formatting
   6. Paid application fee
   7. Non-native speakers of English must supply results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 550 on the paper, 210 on the computer-based, or 79 on the Internet-based exam is needed.
3. An interview with IDT faculty members. This interview will only be scheduled if the Graduate School application is complete.

Applicant files will be evaluated prior to full admission to the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership. All application information must be received by February 15.

The above criteria represent the minimum acceptable admission requirements. Depending on the applicant’s educational background, the graduate committee may require additional coursework to prepare the applicant for doctoral studies.

Program Requirements

A minimum total of 60 post-masters, doctoral level credit hours must be completed—inclusive of coursework, a comprehensive examination, and a dissertation in practice. The cohort-based program is designed for students to complete all requirements in three years.

Cohort and Continuous Enrollment Policy. A doctoral student is accepted into a cohort, is expected to maintain continuous enrollment in the Summer, Fall, and Spring of each year, and is expected to complete courses in the order outlined and at the time indicated on their degree program course rotation. Most courses are only offered once a year. Failure to adhere to the cohort’s course rotation may result in a one-year program delay and/or the need to reapply and receive program readmittance.

A doctoral student must take six hours of dissertation (9000 level course). The student must maintain continuous enrollment (Fall, Spring, and Summer) in a three-credit hour dissertation course until the dissertation is completed, unless a leave of absence for extenuating circumstances is permitted by IDT doctoral coordinator and doctoral advisor .  

Program Grade Policy. A doctoral student in the IDT concentration must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 (“B”). Grades of “C+,” “C,” “C-,” “D,” “F,” or “U” will not apply toward the degree but will be computed in the GPA. No more than 9 hours of “B” or “B-” will be applied towards meeting degree requirements. 

Grades earned at another university will not be computed in the cumulative GPA.

The overall GPA required for graduation, computed on all graduate level courses completed (whether or not they are listed on the candidacy form), must also be a minimum of 3.0.

Course Repetition Policy.  A doctoral student in the IDT concentration may repeat a course to earn a higher grade only if the earned grade was a “U” or a “B” (3.0) or lower. No course may be repeated more than once to improve the grade. Only the grade earned in the second attempt will be included in the computation of the cumulative grade point average. A maximum of two courses may be repeated during the student’s doctoral career to improve a grade.

Course Transfer Policy. Course credit from another institution does not transfer automatically towards the doctoral degree. Doctoral course credit completed at another institution may be accepted, with the following provisions, (a) doctoral advisor approval, (b) comparable course content and objective to a degree required course, (c) course completion date is no more than 3 years from the degree start date, (e) a grade of a B+ or higher was earned in the course. No research or analysis course will be considered for transfer. Only 12 credit hours may be transferred toward the completion of the degree.

Termination Policy.  A doctoral student may be terminated from the program after (a) earning two course grade of a “C+” or below (e.g., “C,” “C-,” “D,” “F,” “U,” or “I”) in any degree related course, (b) having a GPA below 3.0 (“B”) for two consecutive semesters, (c) plagiarizing on any assignment or professional work, or (d) receiving a dispositions warning for a second time. Moreover, the comprehensive exam, proposal defense, or final dissertation defense may only be attempted twice each.  Failure to successfully pass a second attempt of the comprehensive exam, proposal defense, or dissertation defense will result in dismissal from the program. A student taking more than 3 years to complete the program may be required to submit a plan for degree completion to the doctoral advisor and doctoral program coordinator. Failure to adhere to the plan may also result in program dismissal.  

Procedures for termination as directed by the graduate school will be followed.

Additional Information

The program website, https://www.memphis.edu/idt/, provides additional information regarding course descriptions, schedules, policies, and so forth.