The Graduate College
Doctoral Degrees
Doctoral Degrees
[link to Full Graduate Catalog]
[link to Program Listing, Alphabetically]
[link to Program Listing, by College]
Doctor of Audiology
A four-year post baccalaureate program in audiology will provide academic and practicum experiences leading to the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.). The program is designed to prepare practitioners in audiology and to meet the accreditation standards of the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Students who complete the program will meet the standards for certification of clinical competence by ASHA. The Au.D. program will consist of a minimum of 118 credit hours. Supervised clinical practice will be required during every term of full-time registration and will include at least four assignments to off-campus sites in addition to assignments in the Charles Van Riper Language, Speech and Hearing Clinic. At least two assignments to off-campus sites will be for full-time clinincal practice. A list of required courses is available from the department.
Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Economics
The Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Economics is designed to meet the needs of future high-level practicing economics, primarily in non-academic settings.
The Applied Economics Ph.D. program retains a core curriculum as is required by traditional Ph.D. programs in economics, but requires that students participate in a series of applied economics workshops and complete a one-year internship in a non-academic organization. Doctoral students intern with organizations such as city, county, or state government agencies; consulting or research firms and institutes; financial institutions; businesses; and hospitals. This internship is conducted under the aegis of an employee of the organization as well as a Department of Economics faculty member. The purpose of the this internship is to give students the incentive and opportunity to apply knowledge of economic theory and empirical methods to actual problems faced by organizations. The internship is also intended to provide the subject of the student's dissertation and therefore send the Department's graduates into the job market with a somewhat different orientation than that of graduates from traditional economics Ph.D. programs.
The Applied Economics Ph.D. program is designed to be completed within four years by a student entering with good undergraduate economic sand qualitative methods (mathematics and statistics) training or a Master of Arts in Economics.
Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences
The Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences at WMU offers a unique combination of traditional research experience, breadth of course work, and training in effective communication of scientific concepts. The program is specifically designed for students who wish to pursue careers in the biological sciences that require excellence in both teaching and research. In addition, the pedagogy requirements also provide excellent training for careers in government and industry.
Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry
The Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry with emphasis in environmental chemistry, is a research degree designed for persons intending to take a leadership role in teaching and/or research in applied areas of environmental chemistry. The program takes an innovative approach, using the skills and expertise provided by the traditional areas of chemical study as the foundation for addressing chemical processes occurring in the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The program is designed to offer flexibility so that a full-time student may complete the degree in four years and a non-traditional student may be accommodated around full-time employment. The educational goals of the program stress a well-rounded expertise in chemistry, as well as a literate acquaintance with another environmentally related discipline such as biological science, hydrogeology, or paper science. These educational goals provide scientific breadth not often found in traditional chemistry degrees. Combining formal education with a research endeavor encompassing a chemical discipline will provide students with a high quality education necessary to contribute to the resolution of the expected and unexpected environmental issues of the future.
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science
The Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science is designed to develop computer scientists with research expertise in computer science. Specific areas of emphasis include algorithmic complexity theory, artificial intelligence, computational chemistry, computational geometry, computer architecture, computer graphics, computer networking, computer system performance, cooperative problem solving, data warehousing and mining, distributed and mobile data bases, evolutionary computation, expert systems, fault-tolerant computing, formal specifications, graph algorithms, hardware and software co design, human-computer interaction and visualization, knowledge-based systems, language and automata theory, logic programming, mathematical and computer modeling, multimedia databases and systems, neural networks, parallel and sequential algorithms, pattern recognition and image processing, scientific computing and numeric analysis, simulation, and software engineering. The program also permits students to acquire expertise in closely related fields such as computer engineering and mathematics.
Students completing the program are typically well qualified for teaching and research positions with colleges and universities as well as with national and international industries and laboratories. The doctoral program is designed to allow a full-time students entering with a Master of Science in Computer Science to complete all degree requirements within three years.
Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology
The doctoral program in counseling psychology is based on a philosophy that theory, research and practice are interdependent and complementary dimensions of professional education in a scientist-practitioner training model. The educational curriculum and practical experiences of the program are designed to ensure competency in all three dimensions and to facilitate their integration in the development of a professional identity. Consistent with these goals, the curriculum in counseling psychology consists of course work and related experiences in four broad areas: 1) the science of psychology, 2) specialization in counseling psychology, 3) counseling and psychotherapy and 4) research. The program recognizes that counseling psychologists may be employed in a variety of professional settings such as academic departments, college and university counseling centers, mental health agencies, private practices, and business and industry. Consequently, the program provides broad-based training appropriate to accommodate the potentially diverse career interests of its graduates.
Training typically fulfills expectation for psychologist licensure/certification eligibility. The program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association and is designated as a doctoral program in psychology by the Council for National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education - Counseling and Leadership
The doctoral course work for this degree is designed to ensure that the student develops: 1) an advanced understanding of human behavior; 2) demonstrable expertise in counseling and psychotherapy with a wide variety of individuals, groups, couples and families; 3) a working knowledge of the full spectrum of the counseling, consulting, and supporting services in the community; 4) research skills; and 5) administrative, leadership and supervisory competencies relevant to the design, funding, organization, implementation, and evaluation of community mental health service delivery systems.
Upon completion of the Counseling and Leadership doctoral option, graduates should be prepared to assume leadership, administrative, and supervisory roles in mental health centers, substance abuse agencies, family counseling services, juvenile and youth consultation centers, rehabilitation clinics, outpatient and after care services, public and private school systems and other human services agencies which provide counseling, psychological and educational services for their clientele.
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education - Counselor Education and Supervision
Doctoral students pursuing this specialization are expected to demonstrate 1) a wide range of individual and group counseling skills; 2) a sound theoretical foundation in counseling; 3) teaching and supervision competencies; 4) an understanding of academic program development, curriculum and administration; 5) research skills, and 6) competencies associated with being an educational leader. Students are expected to involve themselves in appropriate activities of the Department, College, University, and of relevant professional associations. Graduates of the program are prepared to function productively and effectively as counselor educators and supervisors in colleges, universities, and in governmental and regulatory agencies.
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education - Student Affairs in Higher Education
The student affairs in higher education option has been developed to prepare individuals to administer college and university student personnel programs. Students completing the graduate program should be prepared to administer programs related to incorporating the services of 1) admissions; 2) housing and residential life; 3) academic and special advisement; 4) career development, planning, and placement; 5) financial aids; 6) records and registration; 7) international student advisement; 8) student activities and organizations; and 9) other student support systems. Students desirous of emphasizing course work related to counseling center positions should also consider the Counseling Psychology program, Department of Counseling Education and Counseling Psychology.
Competencies viewed as essential are 1) a broad understanding of the history of higher education and specifically the history, philosophy, and current practices within the arena described as student services; 2) the ability to articulate theories of student development and conceptualize the application of theoretical concepts to the administrative areas of student affairs; 3) a knowledge of organization models, budgetary systems, personnel practices, and administrative tools and techniques; 4) an understanding of methods and techniques related to assessment of student needs and program evaluation; 5) an awareness of the law and education as evidence in constitutional provisions, legislative enactments, and court decisions; and 6) an influencing strategies relevant to institutional decision-making processes and political realities.
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
Today's educational institutions are faced with many societal, economic, and technological pressures. These involve increased calls for organizational accountability at the same time there are limited resources. Forward-thinking leadership is necessary to appropriately address these challenges. Current and future leaders must have a better understanding of how collecting and assessing data from their various organizational components will in turn assist with program improvements. Such leaders need to make research and data analysis a more integral part of their workplace.
Recognizing the growing demand for strong leaders across all type of educational institutions, and the increasingly complex tasks faced by administrators and faculty within those institutions, four concentrations are offered within WMU's Ph.D. in Educational Leadership: 1) K-12; 2) Higher Education; 3) Career Technical Education; and 4) Organizational Analysis.
The Higher Education concentration within the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership is designed to serve higher educational faculty who have not yet obtained a terminal degree, as well as those working in student services or other administrative areas within universities, community colleges or other institutions focused on adult learning. The overall focus will be on leadership knowledge and development, applicable to both instructional and management aspects of higher education institutions.
The K-12 concentration within the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership is designed for persons who wish to develop leadership skills and serve as a superintendent or other central office administrator within a school district serving elementary and secondary students. Students completing this concentration may also receive one or more "endorsements" indicating that they would have met the state requirements for various K-12 administrative certificates (e.g., superintendent; central office).
The Career Technical Education (CTE) concentration within the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership is designed to enhance skills in administrative leadership, curriculum, or instruction for individuals involved in career technical education or related areas within adult, secondary, post-secondary, and four-year institutions.
The Organizational Analysis concentration within the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership is designed to develop and enhance leadership skills for those who find an institutional specialization unnecessary (i.e., not focused on K-12, or higher education institutions), with a special focus on organizational analysis skills.Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical & Computer Engineering
The Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering is designed to provide advanced electrical/computer engineering education and research. The program is designed to engage doctoral students in independent research in the field of electrical/computer engineering which will prepare them for R & D positions in the rapidly growing information and electronics sectors. Nationally many industries are now dealing with the design of consumer electronics and information systems, including the development of sophisticated hardware and software which support the Internet. The ECE faculty has expertise, which can make significant contributions to these growing industries by providing the supply of R & D engineers.
Doctor of Philosophy in English
The Doctor of Philosophy in English is designed to meet the needs of future scholars and writers, particularly those who intend to teach at undergraduate institutions. The program requires all candidates to have broad knowledge of English and American literature, acquaintance with non-traditional literature, practical and/or theoretical background in the teaching of English, and a specialization in one or more of the discipline's fields-literature, English language, creative writing, and pedagogy. Whatever their specialization, all candidates will receive essential experience in scholarship, teaching, and writing in the profession, and will develop the breadth required of teachers in relatively small English departments.
Applicants must take the Graduate Record Examinations, both the General test and the Subject Test in Literature in English, and forward their scores to the Department of English. On admission, students should consult with the advisor at the earliest opportunity concerning their program of study.
Doctor of Philosophy in Evaluation, Measurement, and Research
This program prepares graduates to serve in leadership roles in educational evaluation, testing, or research units in school and non-school settings, as well as in local, state, or federal government agencies and to serve in faculty positions in education, educational measurement, and research at institutions of higher education.
Doctor of Philosophy in Evaluation
The interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Evaluation is based on the concept that the best way to learn evaluation is by doing it and that the best way to develop "thought leaders" in a discipline is by exposing them to the best and brightest minds available. The program features: (1) practice-linked learning in a world-class center of excellence in evaluation, (2) access to 29 faculty members from 12 academic departments & The Evaluation Center, and (3) a fully tailored, challenging curriculum.
We believe this is the world's first truly interdisciplinary Evaluation Ph.D. program. Potential areas of specialization include (but are not limited to) agriculture, aviation, blind rehabilitation, business consulting, community development, conservation, consumer product testing, criminology, education, educational and psychological measurement, government, health services, industrial engineering, housing, human resources, international development, law, manufacturing, mental health, national defense, organizational change, philanthropy, psychological services, public policy, technology assessment, transportation, and welfare. The doctorate is offered by WMU's College of Arts & Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the College of Health & Human Services, in collaboration with The Evaluation Center.
Doctor of Philosophy in Geology
The Doctor of Philosophy in geology is a research degree designed for persons intending to take leadership roles in teaching and research and in applied areas of geology. Applicants will be expected to meet the entrance requirements of The Graduate College and to demonstrate that they have an interest in, and aptitude for, conducting high quality research.
As soon as possible after matriculation, students will be assigned a graduate advisor. After admission to candidacy the student will be assigned an individual doctoral research committee chairperson and two faculty sponsors. The composition of the committee will be based on the student's expressed interests. In special cases a third faculty sponsor from another institution or research facility may also be appointed to the doctoral research committee. These members of the Graduate Faculty will facilitate and guide the student's development within the academic and research program of the Department and University.
Doctor of Philosophy in History
The Doctor of Philosophy in History is designed to prepare students for careers in higher education, public and applied history, and historical administration in the fields of early and recent America, medieval and modern Europe, public history, and indigenous peoples of the Americas. Preparation extends beyond archival research techniques to include oral history and oral tradition, ethnohistory, archeology, material culture, museum studies, historic preservation, gender studies, and documentary editing. Students are provided with opportunities to teach in the undergraduate program under the direction of senior colleagues and receive training in additional professional skills.
Faculty research and instruction emphasize the social and cultural aspects of historical change. Resources include the Medieval Institute, the Institute of Cistercian Studies, the Rawlinson center for Anglo-Saxon and Manuscript Studies, the Kercher Center for Social Research, the Diether Haenicke Center for International Study, the Great Lakes Center for Maritime Studies, the Archives and Regional History Collection, and the holdings of the French Michilimackinac Translation Project.
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering
The Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering is designed to intensify the student's knowledge and comprehension in the various disciplines of the subject with emphasis on original research in a chosen area of specialty. It will assist individuals wishing to pursue a career as a research practitioner in industry and government or teaching and research careers in industrial engineering in colleges and universities. The program emphasizes breadth of knowledge and requires students to conduct a significant, focused field study, and to complete a dissertation research project.
Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Health Studies
The Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Health Studies is designed to meet the career advancement needs of working Health & Human Service professionals. Several recent national commissions, including the Pew Health Professionals Commission and the National Commission on Allied Health, have challenged higher educational institutions to respond to fundamental changes which are occurring in health care by designing more flexible curricula, removing disciplinary boundaries, and increasing research in allied health. The College of Health & Human Services has met this challenge by developing a unique student-centered curriculum, which focuses on an interdisciplinary core curriculum, strong research preparation, and the teaching of innovative pedagogy. In order to meet the needs of working professionals, the courses will be delivered through intensive weekend and summer on-campus sessions and distance learning modalities. Students will enter the program as a cohort once every two years and complete the didactic sequence in two years. Dissertation research should take a further one to two years.
Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics
The Department of Mathematics offers programs leading to Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics or Mathematics Education. Doctoral work in mathematics can be in pure mathematics or applied mathematics. The program is designed to give the student a broad but intensive background in a variety of fields of mathematics, with special emphasis on some selected areas in the which the student will be prepared for, and participate in, creative mathematical research. More specifically, the area of specialization may be chosen from among algebra, approximation theory, collegiate mathematics education, complex analysis, differential equations, graph theory, group theory, optimization theory and topological graph theory.
Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics Education
The Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics Education focuses in K-12 mathematics curricula, teaching and learning mathematics, and research and evaluation in mathematics education. Programs may focus on preparation for mathematics education faculty positions in colleges and universities, supervision and curriculum development positions in school systems, or evaluation positions in education-related institutions.
Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering
The Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering is designed to intensify the knowledge and comprehension of the student in the various disciplines of the subject, with emphasis on original research in a chosen area of specialty. A doctoral student acquires through the course work a broad knowledge and understanding of mathematics and two of the following core areas of mechanical engineering: thermodynamics and heat transfer; fluid mechanics; structural mechanics; materials; control systems; and dynamics and vibrations.
Doctor of Philosophy in Paper and Imaging Science and Engineering
The Doctor of Philosophy in Paper and Imaging Science and Engineering is designed to prepare engineers and scientists for performing advanced research or for teaching at the university level. The emphasis of the program is on paper making processes, paper coating, paper recycling, and imaging technologies.
This is a research-intensive degree, based on fundamental scientific and chemical engineering principles; the emphasis is on learning techniques for advanced research, the production of such advanced research, and the reporting of the research. Close supervision of the research will be maintained by the student's Dissertation Advisory Committee and particularly by the chair of that committee. Some formal course work, much of it possibly accepted from course work completed to achieve a master's degree, is required to prepare for and support an original research problem chosen by the student in consultation with the Dissertation Advisory Committee. However, the degree is awarded for the attainment of knowledge of the paper and imaging science and engineering disciplines and for original research; the degree is not awarded for accumulation of course credits. Thus, the key component of the program is the Dissertation Advisory Committee's careful and continuous mentoring of the student to develop necessary skills and knowledge to support advanced research.
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
The Department of Physics offers a program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Physics. The main objective of this program is to prepare students for careers in teaching and/or research in colleges and universities, or for research in industry. Research is an integral part of the program and may be performed in either experimental physics or theoretical physics. The area of specialization may be astrophysics, atomic physics, condensed matter physics, or nuclear physics. Special facilities available for research include a 6 MeV model EN tandem Van de Graaff accelerator. The graduate advisor in the department of Physics will counsel the student until a research advisor is selected. Afterwards the student will plan his/her doctoral program in consultation with the graduate advisor and his/her research advisor.
Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science
The Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science is designed to prepare students for careers in teaching, policy analysis and applied as well as academic research. The Ph.D. program provides basic training in American politics, political theory and philosophy, and research methods. Students are expected to specialize in one of three research areas: citizen politics; political development, democratization and sustainability; or public policy and policy processes. Students may enter with either a B.A. degree or an M.A. degree.
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
The Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology is designed to provide intensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis, Clinical Psychology, Experimental Analysis of Behavior, or School Psychology. The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree for persons intending to assume leadership roles in teaching, research, and service in a variety of professional and academic institutions.
In addition to meeting the entrance requirements of The Graduate College, applicants are expected to show evidence of interest in and aptitude for conducting research.
Graduate students receive a personal appointment of a doctoral committee chairperson and two faculty sponsors to facilitate the full development of the student's academic interests within the research programs of the Department and the University. The program is arranged to encourage active participation in the daily conduct of the Department's academic program and research activities.
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration
WMU hosts the only doctoral program in public administration in
Michigan. The mission of the Ph.D. program is to give students a deep
and pervasive knowledge of the history, theory, practice, and future of
the field of Public Administration. This inter-disciplinary program is
designed to encourage broad intellectual inquiry with a scholarly
perspective. The doctoral program is designed for those who have
experience in a supervisory or administrative position with a federal,
state, or local government or nonprofit agency, those wishing to teach
public administration in a college or university setting, and for those
individuals with a broad range of intellectual interests. The program
is structured to provide decision makers and future professors with a
more sophisticated understanding of the governing process. Most Ph.D.
courses are offered at the Battle Creek campus, but courses may also be
offered at WMU's Kalamazoo and Lansing Campuses. The application
deadline is April 30th of each year. Late applications will be
considered on a space-available basis. For complete program details
check out the Ph.D. Handbook at
http://www.wmich.edu/spaa/PhD_Handbook_2008.pdf
Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education
The Mallinson Institute for Science Education offers a graduate program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education. The program is designed for s
tudents who wish to obtain a strong background in science and to pursue research in science education. The program requires a minimum of seventy-two semester hours of graduate work in science and in science education. Appropriate course work at the master's level will count toward the seventy-two semester hours.
Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish
Students pursuing the Ph.D. in Spanish will study the culture of the Hispanic world in both broad and specific terms. The Spanish doctoral program is based upon the belief that advanced students ought to acquire the widest possible knowledge of Hispanic culture before they choose to limit their focus to selected portions of it in the doctoral dissertation. Students will be encouraged to develop a significant content base in the culture of Spain and Spanish America, from the beginnings to present day. They will be expected to understand the relationship between the myriad of specific components that have come to form Hispanic civilization and to appreciate them for their own esthetic and intellectual value, as well as for their particular contribution to the overall culture. Students are also expected to develop the methods and skills necessary to investigate and analyze language and literature and be able to express their findings in clear, consistent and complete terms. The goal of the Ph.D. program is, in sum, twofold: to lead students to comprehend and appreciate the breadth and uniqueness of Hispanic culture as it has evolved through time and across geography, and to enable students to formulate and express their own discoveries and conclusions regarding the enduring values and manifestations of that culture.
Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology
The Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology prepares students for careers in sociological research and teaching. Broad training in sociology is provided through a wide variety of courses and research experiences.
Guided individually by a doctoral committee, students are provided with core training in general sociology, theory and research methods. Beyond this, students concentrate in two areas of sociology that are selected from important and active areas, such as applied sociology, criminology, comparative sociology, gender and feminism, medical sociology, social psychology, and race and ethnic relations theory.
Course work in a cognate area complements knowledge gained in selected specialties and the discipline as a whole.
Doctor of Education in Special Education
The Doctor of Education in Special Education is designed to prepare an individual to serve as a college teacher in a special education program and as an administrator of educational programs for learners with disabilities.
Applicants are expected to satisfy all requirements for admission to the doctoral program specified by the Graduate College. Prospective students must also have acquired a minimum of two years of successful professional experience in serving persons with disabilities. Upon acceptance to the department, a Program Advisor will be designated to work with the student in developing the student's overall program. In addition to the prescribed course work, the student will complete an internship in college teaching and an internship in administration of programs in special education. During the last semester of course work, the student will be required to complete successfully a written comprehensive examination.
Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics
The Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics is designed to prepare students for careers in teaching and research in universities, in industry, or in government. It is expected that students, through courses and other experiences, will develop facility in theoretical statistics and in several applied statistics areas. Choices available in the cognate area allow the program to be designed to suit a variety of career interests.