Degree Requirements

General Course Requirements (one course usually earns 3 credits)

The program is designed to accommodate the diverse interests of its students. With the advice of the DGS, and after the first year with that of their advisers, students design plans for interdisciplinary study appropriate for their intellectual and professional goals.

Typically students complete:

After 18 hours of study, and in consultation with the adviser, each student should prepare a one-page plan of study for the remainder of his or her coursework. This plan should identify the classes in which the student intends to enroll and to outline why these courses are appropriate for the student's intellectual and professional goals. Upon completion, this plan must be submitted to the DGS for review and approval. 

General Timeline for Completion for Full-Time Study

Year 1

Take childhood studies courses from a variety of perspectives.

Fall semester, consult regularly with the DGS or adviser.

By end of second semester, choose an adviser who will supervise the M.A. paper.

Year 2

Beginning of third semester, submit one-page (single-spaced) plan of study.

End of third semester, all required courses should be completed.

Beginning of third or fourth semester (depending on when graduation is anticipated), indicate intention to submit a final M.A. paper and take the oral exam (to be scheduled on one day each semester, TBA).

Advising

By the spring of the first year, students should identify a faculty member who will serve as her or his adviser and with whom he or she will consult concerning the major paper. 

M.A. Paper and Defense

The M.A. paper and its defense serve as the final requirements that must be satisfied prior to graduation. Ordinarily, the M.A. paper has its origins in a paper submitted for a graduate course in childhood studies. A student revises and enlarges this paper, and then submits it to his or her adviser for preliminary approval. Once a version acceptable to the adviser is completed, the student is approved for the oral examination. Oral examination dates are ordinarily scheduled in early May and late December of each year. The oral exam will be one hour in length and will be attended by the childhood studies faculty. The exam will consist of questions from the faculty about the student's coursework and the submitted paper. At the conclusion of the exam, the faculty will determine if the oral exam and paper have satisfactorily met the standards of competence in childhood studies and will inform the student immediately of its decision. 

If a majority of the faculty decides that the M.A. candidate has not met these standards, the student will be able to revise the paper and take another oral exam. This second submission of the M.A. paper and second oral exam must occur by the end of the semester following the original exam. No student may retake the exam more than once. If the student does not pass the second oral exam or does not take the second oral exam within the required time frame, he or she will not earn the M.A. degree. Upon passing the M.A. paper and oral exam, the student will be recommended to the graduate faculty for the M.A. degree.

Doctor of Philosophy Program

All students in the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) program follow the program of study below, with most completing the courses in two or three years. Although the program is intended for full-time students, part-time students are accepted into the program (see definition of part-time doctoral study below). Most classes will be offered in the late afternoon and early evening. Please consult the Graduate Student Handbook for a full description of program requirements and expectations: http://childhood.camden.rutgers.edu.

General Overview

A student must devote a minimum of two-and-a-half years of full-time study beyond the bachelor's degree for the Ph.D. Full-time study for a semester is represented by a minimum of 9 credits of coursework or research. The minimum requirement for the Ph.D. degree is 60 credits, of which at least 15 credits must be devoted to research. If any of the work is conducted on a part-time basis, the minimum calendar time required will, of course, be longer.

Students are expected to maintain, at minimum, a B (3.0) average throughout the program of study. In the event that a student's cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0, a meeting with the DGS will be arranged to discuss the reasons behind the performance and what steps, if any, need to be taken to bring the student in line with the requirement.

If a student enters the doctoral program with a master's degree or other graduate credit, up to 20 credits may be put toward satisfying the course/credit requirements of the Department of Childhood Studies pending approval of the DGS and the dean of the graduate school. No student can finalize transfer of outside credits toward the Ph.D. degree until after passing the Second Year Review. Students requesting transfer credits must provide syllabi from the courses they wish to be considered, in addition to the materials required by the Graduate School. See the "Principles Guiding the Acceptance of Transfer Credits" section below for details.

Definition of Part-Time Doctoral Study

Beginning with the fall 2010 entering class, all students in the doctoral program must carry a minimum of 6 credits (normally, two courses) per academic semester, not counting Summer Sessions. Exceptions to the 6-credit minimum may be granted on a temporary basis in extraordinary circumstances. Students seeking exceptions must petition the DGS in writing, describing the reasons for and expected duration of the exception. This petition must be received prior to the semester for which the request is to take effect.

Nonmatriculation Policy for Prospective Doctoral Students

Students will not be admitted to the doctoral program on a nonmatriculation basis. The department will accept a maximum of 3 credits taken at Rutgers–Camden on a nonmatriculation basis. No specific course requirement (proseminar sequence, methods requirements, focused coursework) will be allowed to be counted toward the Ph.D. degree if taken as a nonmatriculated student.

Required courses in research methodology                       9 credits

Required proseminar sequence                                         6 credits

Course requirement for children in context                        6 credits

Thesis/Research credits                                                  15 credits

                                                                                       (minimum)

Electives and focused coursework in childhood studies  24 credits

Year 2

(September) Second Year Review for students with 18 or more resident credits (faculty approval required to continue studies).

End of second year: All required courses should be completed. Secure an adviser by end of spring semester.

Year 3

Complete coursework.

Assemble preliminary examination/dissertation committee.

Year 4

Take preliminary examination/complete dissertation proposal hearing.

General Description of Course Requirements 

Proseminar

Each entering doctoral student is required to take the two-semester proseminar (6 credits) in his or her first year of study. The proseminar introduces beginning doctoral students to the history, theories, research, and controversies of childhood studies and to the department's faculty and their research. While gaining an overview of the central issues and learning a common language, students in the proseminar begin to locate their own interests more precisely within the field of childhood studies. The proseminar must be taken as a sequence beginning in the fall semester; spring semester admissions are not allowed.

 

Research Methods  

Within the 45 credits of coursework (i.e., 21 credits of required courses and 24 credits of electives), students must complete at least three courses in research methods (9 credits). In order to provide a useful background for understanding constructively the field's wide-ranging literature and to develop competency in a variety of research methods appropriate to the study of children and childhoods, one course will normally be quantitative, another qualitative, and a third in literary or historical methods. It is highly recommended that students take these courses with departmental faculty, when possible, but may take relevant courses in quantitative or nonquantitative methods elsewhere on campus. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with the DGS if in doubt whether a specific course will satisfy the research methods requirement or not.

 

Children in Context

To provide for a solid footing for interdisciplinary research, all students are required to complete at least two courses that examine children in context (6 credits). Typically, students fulfill this requirement by enrolling in two or more of the following four classes: Child Growth and Development, Children and Childhood in Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Youth Identities, History of Childhood, or Literary and Cultural Constructions of Childhood. Other seminars may be substituted for the above with permission of the DGS. The overriding concern behind this requirement is to encourage students to take courses offered in a variety of disciplines.

 

Focused Coursework in Childhood Studies

In the spring of the second year of study, and in consultation with her or his adviser or the DGS, each student begins to craft a long-range plan for her or his course of study with a focus on developing the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge that will provide the foundation for the doctoral dissertation.

 

Independent Study/Directed Reading

It is sometimes advantageous for students to undertake an independent study under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member if a student's specific interest cannot be satisfied by regularly offered courses. After obtaining preliminary approval from the faculty member with whom the student desires to work independently, the student, in consultation with the faculty member, devises a plan for the course, including the number of meetings and a brief description of any written work or other activities that will take place (e.g., travel to a research site) over the course of the independent study. Doctoral students are allowed up to two independent study courses on their degree plans (6 credits). 

 

In order to register for an independent study course, the student must fill out a form, obtainable from the Department of Childhood Studies, that outlines the purpose of the course and is signed by the faculty supervisor. A relevant bibliography of potential readings should be attached. It is required that the student plan and propose the course in advance of the semester in which it is to be taken.