Prospective Students

• How do I apply for admission to a doctoral program in the Department of
  Curriculum and Instruction at UNLV?
  After you have read the available information on the four programs that we offer http://ci.unlv.edu/doctoral and you have decided which one you wish to pursue, review the Entrance Requirements section of your program of interest. You can use this section as a checklist for all the documentation that needs to accompany your application.
  Then, fill out the application provided here and send it to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (address is provided on the application form).
  IMPORTANT NOTE: Applying for admission to a doctoral program in the Department of C&I is a two-part process. You must fulfill the requirements outlined by the department and the requirements set forth by the Graduate College as well. If you are an international student, you must also contact the Office of International Students and Scholars.
  If you have any questions at any time during the application process, please call the C&I Office of Doctoral Studies 702-895-1308. We are here to assist you!
• What is the application deadline?
  Deadline: February 15th of the year admission is sought.
  *Admission is effective the Fall semester of the application year.
  **We highly recommend sending in all required documentation to (1) the department of C&I, (2) the Graduate College, and (3) international students only: the Office of International Students and Scholars, prior to February 1st.
• What is the “residency requirement”?
  Every doctoral program in the department of C&I has a residency requirement, which is different from Residency for the purposes of tuition (please see http://www.unlv.edu/Colleges/Extended_Ed/Admissions.htm). For the latter, if it is determined that you are a Nevada Resident, you will not need to pay out-of-state tuition.
  The residency requirement for each of our doctoral programs is described in more detail in the Minimum Completion Requirements section of each program http://ci.unlv.edu/doctoral. After reading this information, if you have further questions, please call the C&I Office of Doctoral Studies (702-895-1308).
• How do I check the status of my application?
  You are always welcome to call our offices to make sure the documentation you have sent has arrived. We will also be in touch with you by e-mail, so please make sure you provide your e-mail address on all application forms you send us.
  C&I Office of Doctoral Studies: 702-895-1308
  UNLV Graduate College: 702-895-3320
  Office of International Students and Scholars: 702-895-0143

Current Students

• Where do I find the forms I need to submit?
  Links to forms for doctoral students can be found on the Form Compleition Chart page.
• What classes are required for my program?
  Please consult the Program of Study section for your particular program and revisit the Doctoral Program Comparison Chart.
• The annual review is due on February 15th. What is the procedure for its completion?
  It is required that all doctoral students in the department of C&I complete their Annual Review by February 15th. Failure to complete the Annual Review leads to being placed on academic probation.
  Here are the steps for the completion of the Annual Review:
  1. Complete the Annual Review Form.
  2. After completing and submitting this form online, print a copy of it. Also print an updated Vita and a recent unofficial transcript. You can obtain your unofficial transcript through UNLV's online registration link.
  3.a. Schedule a meeting with your chair, or your entire committee if you wish, to evaluate your progress in the program. Take the Annual Review form, your Vita and the unofficial transcript to this meeting. After your chair has reviewed and discussed your progress, he/she will sign your Annual Review form.
  3.b. Students in the Ph.D. in Teacher Education program must also update their electronic portfolios. They are required to meet with their entire committee, not only their chair, to present their electronic portfolio. This is in addition to all of the above. Detailed information about the electronic portfolio is provided here.
  4. All students must submit the signed Annual Review form, the updated Vita, and the unofficial transcript to the C&I Office of Doctoral Studies: CEB 343A, by February 15th.
  If you have any questions about this process, please contact the C&I Office of Doctoral Studies at 702-895-1308.
• Which classes apply toward my area of emphasis?
  Each doctoral program has coursework required for completion (see Doctoral Program Comparison Chart). Certain areas of emphasis have additional required coursework, which you can find below.
  Cultural and International Studies in Education Emphasis Required Coursework
  1. CIG 7XX Introduction to Cultural Studies
  2. CIG 771 Comparative Studies of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum
  3. CIG 7XX Critical Pedagogy and Critical Literacy

  Science Emphasis Required Coursework

  1. CIG 761 Theoretical Foundations of Education
  2. CIG 784 Theory and Research in School Science
  3. CIG 7XX course is being developed

  Teacher Education Emphasis Required Coursework

  1. Take 3 of the 5 listed courses.
  2. CIG 706 Mentoring Strategies to Improve Teaching
  3. CIG 716 Reading and Conference
  4. CIG 762 Instructional Strategies and Learning to Teach in Higher Education
  5. CIG 763 Teaching and Learning to Teach
  6. CIG 764 Models of Teaching

  Technology Emphasis Required Coursework

  1. CIT 770 Advanced Seminar in Educational Technology Research
  2. CIT 778 Instructional Design
  3. CIT 782 Distance Education Issues and Trends

  For information on electives that align with your area of emphasis, you can speak with your advisor, other faculty members, and fellow students, and you can also consult the UNLV Graduate Catalog.

• Where can I get web space to post my electronic portfolio?
  You have 100MB of free web space available through UNLV. Login to your WebCampus C&I Doctoral Studies for detailed information on obtaining this space.
  Taskstream is another available option to post your e-portfolio online. It has been used by the Teacher Education students in the past and it has been popular among them for the convenient template embedded.
  There are numerous other e-portfolio templates available online. The computer lab technicians in CEB 211 can assist you in building your e-portfolio and making it available online.
• Procedures for completing the comprehensive examination were updated in the Fall of 2006. What are the updates?
  Comprehensive Examination Procedures - updated Fall 2006
  The responsibility for initiating the comprehensive examination process lies with the doctoral students. Students must communicate to the chair/co-chairs of their committee when they are ready to sit for the exam at least two (2) months before their intended date. Students must be in their last semester of coursework and have the consent of their chair/co-chairs to be eligible to sit for the comprehensive exam. It is highly recommended that students be enrolled in no more than six (6) semester hours while preparing for the exam. For examples of comprehensive exam questions, please notify a Coordinator for Doctoral Studies.
  Doctoral comprehensive exams will be held Fall and Spring semesters. A Coordinator for Doctoral Studies will approve the dates for each semester.
  Doctoral students have the option of writing their comprehensive examinations off campus at the discretion of their committee. In consultation with their program chair and committee, students will decide which question(s) will be written on campus and off campus. All of the exam work should be completed independently, not in consultation with others or with one’s committee.
  On campus comprehensive examination questions will be conducted over the span of not more than 5 working days. Students will write on one (1) question each day and have up to four (4) hours per day in which to write the exam. Students will be allowed to use a word processor and be permitted to bring a 1-page listing of the major citations which may be used in their responses.
  Off campus comprehensive examination questions will be negotiated thorough an agreement with the program chair and committee on the exact nature of the questions and/or the length of time needed to complete it. Specifically, this negotiation might entail whether the resulting product might be considered publishable, the length of time allowed for each question, etc. Thus, this negotiation allows the doctoral committee to adjust their expectations for the student through the product that will be provided.
  While the examination questions will be unique for each student, C&I doctoral students will usually write one (1) question related to the emphasis area, one (1) question related to the cognate, and one (1) question related to educational research. After the student’s committee has approved the three questions, all questions must be presented to a coordinator of doctoral studies, Dr. Odell, prior to completing the examination. Responses to examination questions will be evaluated based on the presentation of ideas, the organization of ideas, the quality of the writing, and the extent to which questions have been answered.
  All committee members will read within 10 working days the three (3) completed exam questions and evaluate them as "high pass", "pass", or "fail". Within two (2) weeks of the written exam, doctoral students will meet with their committee for an interview/oral response to the examination. The committee will make its final decision and communicate it to the student immediately following the oral. The committee's decision must be unanimous. “If the vote is not unanimous, the student may request the department to administer a second examination. The student must wait at least three (3) months before taking the second examination” (UNLV Graduate Catalog). Additional course work or readings may be suggested by the committee. The comprehensive exam must be completed successfully before students advance to doctoral candidacy and register for additional dissertation hours.