Admissions Criteria and Student Recruitment
-- REVISED DRAFT --
Candidates for admission to the Ph.D. Program in Urban Education must fulfill all general requirements for admission to the CUNY Graduate School (see the most recent Bulletin), including scores on a recent sitting (within 5 years) of the Graduate Record Examination of the Educational Testing Service (Princeton, NJ).
In addition, candidates should normally have completed a Master's or other relevant higher degree beyond the Baccalaureate. (Exceptions may be made for outstanding candidates or those with equivalent experience.)
Candidates must also offer additional evidence of qualification to pursue reasearch, including: (a) two professional letters of recommendation, including at least one from a faculty member familiar with the candidate's academic work; (b) a portfolio of evidence of relevant accomplishments and a sample of written work.
Candidates should have at least two years of teaching or other relevant professional experience in education, preferably in urban settings. In some cases students may be admitted without this experience, but must then complete it as a condition for advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.
Each concentration and option with the Urban Education program also specifies additional criteria for admission:
Policy Studies Concentration
- The portfolio should demonstrate the candidate's interest and talent in both research and policy analysis.
- Relevant professional experience may include teaching, school administration, policy staff work, or the equivalent.
Curriculum Studies Concentration:
Arts, Humanities, and Social Studies Option
- The portfolio should show substantial evidence of teacher-researcher work (e.g. participation in research or curriculum projects, research to improve teaching, etc.).
Science, Mathematics, and Technology in Education Option
- A Masters degree in Education and a total of 36 undergraduate or graduate credits in science, mathematics, engineering or computer science, of which at least 18 credits must have been completed before admission, while the remainder may be completed during doctoral study in the program;
OR
- A Master's or higher degree in science, mathematics, engineering or computer science, and at least 18 graduate or advanced undergraduate credits in Education and related areas of study before admission and sufficient to prepare for the first semester Urban Education core courses(Core 1 and Core 2).
NOTE: Additional graduate credits in Education may be required of candidates without a Master's degree in Education to meet prerequisites for the remaining Core courses, but these may be taken after admission and prior to enrollment in these doctoral courses; pre-doctoral coursework is taken at a participating CUNY college offering a relevant Master's degree. Up to 30 qualifying graduate credits may be offered toward the Ph.D. degree (see CUNY Bulletin).
- Relevant professional experience may include K-16 teaching experience at the age/grade level of their intended research specialization.