Coordinator:
Carolyn Maher (848-932-0802; email: carolyn.maher@gse.rutgers.edu)
Program Description: The doctoral program in mathematics education is designed to provide students with broad competencies in 1) fundamental problems in mathematics education; 2) current issues in mathematics education; 3) content of mathematics; 4) existing research in mathematics education; 5) human cognitive development, particularly as it relates to learning mathematics; and 6) research methods that may be used either in general mathematics education research or in the evaluation of particular programs in schools. Graduates of the program are expected to be competent in the content of mathematics and to be knowledgeable about the psychology of learning, student diversity, and the social, cultural, and political milieu in which education takes place.
The program is appropriate for individuals who plan to pursue careers as college or university faculty in mathematics education, two-year college faculty in mathematics, or as classroom teachers, curriculum developers, supervisors, and instructional leaders in schools or other educational organizations. The student body is comprised of individuals in many of these types of positions, and the program is flexible enough to be sensitive to a diversity of academic needs and interests.
Some students come to the program with substantial backgrounds in mathematics and relatively sparse backgrounds in education. Others present the reverse situation. Still others come with relatively balanced previous preparation. It is an objective of the mathematics education program to maintain the balance where it exists or provide it if it does not. This objective is one of the bases for the differentiation of programs from student to student. Another is the difference in academic interests and career goals among students.
When an applicant is accepted into the doctoral program, he or she is assigned an academic adviser who meets with the student to develop a proposed program that uses the outline below as a guide. This proposed degree program indicates the specific courses the student intends to take (including appropriate courses from other units of the university), the credits that are being transferred from other institutions (if any), anticipated dates of residency, etc. (Forms are available in the department office and electronic versions are available.) The proposed degree program must be filed within the first 18 credits of coursework and must be approved by the student's academic adviser, the department chair, and the associate dean. Although the proposed degree program may be modified, it provides a blueprint for study and encourages students to think early on about the directions they wish to pursue and the preparation they need in order to carry out their dissertations.
Students may change their academic advisers if and when they identify faculty members whose interests are more consistent with their own. Please note, however, that the proposed degree program should be developed with the academic adviser with whom the student will be continuing to work. It should also be noted that the academic adviser is not necessarily the faculty member who serves as the student's dissertation adviser.
Education Requirements:
I. Foundations of Education
(9 credits from at least three of the following four areas)
A. learning in a content area other than mathematics education
B. policy and leadership
C. social and philosophical foundations
D. psychological foundations
II. Mathematics Education and Mathematics (30 credits, including courses in mathematics and mathematics education at or above the 300 level)
Required courses include:
A. 15:254:540 Introduction to Mathematics Education (3)
16:300:563 Video Data Methodology (3)
16:300:661 Seminar in Mathematics Education Research (3)
B. 15:254:644 Mathematics Education Practicum (9) (The practicum laboratory/fieldwork experience is designed to prepare students for prethesis research.)
III. Research Methodology
(9 credits, including 3 each in quantitative and qualitative methods and 6 in mathematics education, of which 3, beyond the required courses listed, can count toward the 30 credits noted above)
Qualifying Examination: Students will pass an examination evaluated by a faculty committee consisting of at least two members, at least one of whom is involved in the student's program of study. The qualifying exam has four components: 1) a research component to be completed at home over a specified time; 2) a three-hour mathematics exam; (3) a three-hour mathematics education exam; and 4) a literature review in the field of anticipated research.
Dissertation Candidacy: Students will be admitted to dissertation candidacy by the faculty after successfully completing the above requirements.
Dissertation (24 credits): 15:250:701 Dissertation Study: Learning and Teaching (BA). After admission to candidacy, the candidate will propose and complete a doctoral dissertation in the area of concentration. Dissertations can be either basic or applied research. Alternative formats, such as published papers and CDs and/or videotapes with accompanying papers, will be piloted and evaluated as potential dissertation projects.
The dissertation committee will consist of at least three members approved by the department chair and the mathematics education program. At least two committee members, including the chair of the dissertation committee, will be members of the Graduate School of Education faculty, and at least one committee member will be a member of the mathematics education program. At least one committee member will be from outside the Department of Learning and Teaching.
Summary of Credits:
Foundations of education 9 credits
Mathematics and mathematics education 30 credits
Research methodology 9 credits
Dissertation study 24 credits
TOTAL 72 credits
Please Note:
1. Admissions: Highly qualified students who demonstrate potential for outstanding leadership in the practice and/or research in mathematics education will be admitted.
Successful applicants must have:
a. a baccalaureate (or the equivalent) in pure or applied mathematics;
b. an undergraduate and (if applicable) graduate GPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0);
c. strong performance on the Graduate Record Examination, and (if international) a TOEFL score indicating strong English language proficiency;
d. a personal statement reflecting prior experience or interest in educational leadership or research that contributes to effective educational practice; and
e. three letters of recommendation from former professors, employers, or school personnel attesting to potential for research and leadership.
2. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 during doctoral coursework and dissertation research courses.
3. Students may petition the faculty to transfer up to 18 graduate credit hours of coursework taken elsewhere to meet partially the requirements for this degree.
4. The proposed program for the degree will be approved by the mathematics education program adviser and the chair of the Department of Learning and Teaching.
5. Time limits: Students have seven years from the time of admission to complete coursework and qualifying examinations, and a total of 10 years to complete all requirements.
