Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Education

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The Ph.D. in Engineering Education program is a terminal degree program that is designed to meet the changing needs of researchers, scholars, and scientists in academia, industry, and the government with an interest in engineering education. The primary goal of this program is therefore to prepare students for careers in research and/or academics by providing an environment that closely reflects the realities and expectations encountered by today’s academicians, professional scientists, and research engineers. The program offers a highly flexible inter and multidisciplinary curricular structure, allowing specialization in any (or multiple) of the traditional or emerging areas of Engineering Education. Graduates emerge with a strong foundation in research methodologies, technical expertise, and the ability to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios, making them valuable assets to academic institutions, industry organizations, and government agencies.

The Ph.D. in Engineering Education has the following program goals:

Candidates will obtain a solid foundation of engineering education research methods and apply these methods to addressing research questions relevant to real-world engineering problems
Students will learn the skills of oral technical communications and effective teaching for disseminating and imparting knowledge both in academic and non-academic settings
Students will learn the skills of professional writing for disseminating engineering education knowledge, and preparing effective grant applications for seeking external funding from a variety of sponsors that fund Engineering Education Research
Students will learn how to identify unsolved problems in engineering education, formulate research questions, create a study using appropriate education research methods, analyze results and draw conclusions

Program Requirements

The Rowan University Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Education program requires the completion of coursework, research requirements, dissertation, and dissertation defense.
For a student who possesses a bachelor’s degree, a minimum of 72 semester hours of graduate-level coursework will be required.
For a student who possesses a master’s degree in a related field, a minimum of 42 semester hours (credits) of graduate-level coursework beyond the master’s degree will be required. Up to 30 of the credits earned in pursuit of the master’s degree may be transferable.
Students who do not possess a master’s degree in engineering are required to complete 30 semester hours of engineering disciplinary graduate level coursework. As part of meeting this requirement, students are strongly encouraged to complete a disciplinary MS degree in one of the other engineering departments at Rowan

Required Engineering Education Core Courses: 15 s.h.

XEED 01650 - Engineering Education Fundamentals Credits: 3
XEED 01660 - Research Design in Engineering Education Credits: 3
CASE 90812 - Qualitative Research Methods in Education Credits: 3
XEED 01601 - Effective Teaching in Academic, Corporate and Government Settings Credits: 3
CASE 90810 - Quantitative Research Methods in Education Credits: 3

Approved Graduate Engineering Education Elective Courses 6 s.h.

Engineering Education Electives (minimum 6 s.h.). Students will take a minimum of 6 s.h. of engineering education electives. The following list represents a broad range of options that can be taken with the approval of the student’s dissertation advisor and graduate coordinator. Courses outside of this list may be taken towards the minimum 6 s.h. with approval of the Experiential Engineering Education graduate committee and the student’s advisor. Additional engineering education electives may be selected (beyond 6 s.h.) based on the discretion of the PhD advisor in order to obtain more specialization in the desired field of study.

CASE 90710 - Power & Privilege: The Social Construction of Difference Credits: 3
CASE 90800 - Current Issues & Research in Access, Success, & Equity in Education Credits: 3
CASE 90811 - Multivariate Research Methods in Education Credits: 3
CASE 90814 - Advanced Qualitative Research Methods in Education Credits: 3
CASE 90816 - Mixed Methods Research Methods in Education Credits: 3
CASE 90833 - Public Policy & Analysis in Postsecondary Education Credits: 3
CASE 90835 - Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks in Higher Education Credits: 3
EDST 24504 - Action Research in Education Credits: 3
EDTC 33550 - Learning through Gamification Credits: 3
EDTC 33580 - Introduction to Educational Technology Credits: 3
HGS 70507 - Introduction to Holocaust and Genocide Education Credits: 3
HGS 70527 - Colloquium in Holocaust and Genocide Studies Credits: 3
HGS 70537 - Holocaust and Genocide Education Program Evaluation and Creation Credits: 3
ENGR 01591 - Independent Graduate Study in Engineering Credits: 0 to 4
HIED 06617 - Diversity in Higher Education Credits: 3
HIED 06618 - Procedures and Evaluation in Research Credits: 3

Total Required Credits for the Program: 72 s.h.*

*Minimum of 72 credits of graduate-level work beyond a bachelor’s degree, or 42 credits of graduate-level work beyond a master’s degree in a related field are required. Of these 72 total credits, 42 must come from the following:

Engineering Education Core Courses (15 credits)
Engineering Education Elective Courses (minimum 6 credits)
Doctoral Research (at least 12 credits up to a maximum of 21 credits)
At least 21 course credits must be obtained from graduate only classes (600-level classes, or 500-level classes with no corresponding 400-level equivalent offered at the same time).
A maximum of 21 credits will come from “Research.” Up to 9 Research credits may come from ENGR 01599. Students who complete their Master’s degree with thesis elsewhere may be considered to have taken 9 credits of ENGR 01599. All remaining Research credits must come from ENGR 01799.

Graduation/Exit/Thesis Requirements

Complete a minimum of 72 credits of graduate level work beyond bachelor’s degree OR minimum of 42 credits of graduate level work beyond master’s degree

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits of engineering disciplinary graduate level coursework. As part of meeting these requirements, students are strongly encouraged to complete a disciplinary MS degree in one of the other engineering departments at Rowan
And at least 21 additional credits must come from graduate only courses (500 level courses with no concurrent 400-level students in class, or 600-level courses) as stipulated in the Engineering Education coursework list.
And at least 12 additional credits need to be dissertation research OR minimum of 42 credits of graduate level work beyond Master’s degree (assumes that all MS degree credits are relevant to a graduate level engineering program).
At least 21 credits must come from graduate only courses (500 level courses with no concurrent 400-level students in class, or 600-level courses) as stipulated in the Engineering Education coursework list.
And At least 12 credits need to be research-based coursework
Completion of all the University’s standard Ethical & Responsible Conduct of Research training (including human subject training when applicable)
Regular attendance and participation in (0-credit) graduate seminars
Successful completion of a Ph.D. Qualifier examination*
Successful completion of a Ph.D. Candidacy (proposal) examination*
Successful completion of the Career Preparation & Readiness Experience that consists of teaching, grant writing, and publishing*
Successful completion of a Ph.D. dissertation defense* Acceptance of the Ph.D. dissertation by the School of Graduate Studies*

*The specific details, nature and scope of these examinations (e.g., format of the exam) and requirements (e.g. number of journal publications, conference publications, patents, number of teaching assignments) will be determined by the student’s Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering committee and/or department policies for student’s home department as aligned with the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering policies.

Minimum Required Grades and Cumulative GPA

The Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Education is a Category 2 program.

For details regarding satisfactory academic progress and graduation requirements, please visit Academic Program Policy Categories

Program Coordinator Contact Information
Experiential Engineering Education
Cheryl Bodnar
Engineering Hall
856.256.5398
bodnar@rowan.edu