Candidacy to Doctorate
Candidacy is a stage in the degree program at which a student is approved to undertake the final research project under the supervision of faculty. Students in the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) programs will have ten (10) years from start date to complete the degree. At the successful completion of at least 30 Credit Hours, final approval of the concept paper, and approval with the Application for Candidacy: the Ed.D. student will be eligible for advancement to candidacy.
Dissertation Committee Change Request
American College of Education assigns to each doctoral candidate a doctoral dissertation committee, which consists of one (1) dissertation chair and one (1) committee member, to guide and assist them in working towards completion of a doctoral degree.
Before requesting a dissertation committee change, the doctoral candidate must discuss any problems or issues, as well as clarification for roles and responsibilities with the dissertation committee. The first step should always be reaching out directly to the faculty and discussing concerns in a professional and respectable manner.
If the differences are not easily resolved, doctoral candidates may request a change in a chair or committee member, by filling out the Dissertation Committee Change form. Any change will only be made and become effective at the beginning of the next available term start. A decision will be made within 10 business days from form submission date, and the doctoral candidate will be emailed the final decision.
Once the form is submitted, there is no way to go back and add information to it. It is imperative the doctoral candidate takes care to ensure proper submission the first time. The doctoral candidate is responsible for demonstrating the faculty member is not a good fit for the dissertation committee based on grading that is contrary to procedures specified in the program handbook or based on bias, caprice, or arbitrary decisions. For example, a disagreement regarding the dissertation chair’s guidance or expectations are not grounds for requesting a committee change.
The doctoral candidate must fill out the Dissertation Committee Change form in its entirety, providing as much documentation as possible to support their case. The burden of proof lies solely on the doctoral candidate. A doctoral candidate may request for one or more members of the committee to change up to two times. Any requests thereafter will be escalated to the Appeals Committee.
Doctoral Dissertation Committee Selection
American College of Education recognizes that matching qualified dissertation chairs and committee members with candidates, based on content area and methodology, of the dissertation, is required to optimize the student learning experience. Doctoral Candidates will be assigned a dissertation committee comprised of a dissertation chair and one committee member. Upon approving a doctorate candidate, the College will select a dissertation chair and committee member based on the following criteria:
- Expertise in content area and methodology selected by the doctorate candidate.
- Number of dissertation committees in which potential members are serving.
- Completion of appropriate training to serve as dissertation chair or committee member.
ACE will assign all members of the committee unless the doctoral candidate requests for an external-to ACE-member to serve on the committee. An external individual must be nominated to serve in a committee member-only capacity and be approved to be appointed to the committee. Approvals are based on nominated individuals meeting the criteria below:
- Attainment of terminal/doctoral degree.
- Documented scholarly activities, such as refereed publications or presentations.
- Experience serving on dissertation committees at other regionally accredited institutions.
External members are also required to complete dissertation committee training at American College of Education prior to serving on the committee.
Doctoral Programs Expected Graduation Date
The initial anticipated graduation date can change based on students’ choice of progression, including full-time, ¾-time or part-time, as well as dissertation progression. Furthermore, students can be approved for a leave of absence or may unsuccessfully complete their courses which results in a delayed graduation date. Full-time students who remain enrolled and successfully complete their courses, can expect to finish the program in three years. Students must adhere to the ACE designated progression in order to complete their program in the three-year time frame. The expected graduation dates will be updated as follows:
- Upon enrollment, students are issued a graduation date based on an extended five-year time frame.
- Upon being scheduled for course RES6033 -Qualitative Research Design, a student’s expected graduation date will be updated by the Registration office to reflect the standard completion of the dissertation time frame.
- The expected graduation date will be updated again when scheduled for RES6512 -Research Concept Paper and then every term after this course is completed.
Progression
American College of Education recognizes that students may experience challenges in the dissertation courses. Completing research on a doctoral research topic is not easy and circumstances happen where students do not receive a passing grade and must retake a dissertation course. Retaking a course will slow a student’s time to degree completion and they will incur additional costs. ACE seeks to support students through the difficult aspects of completing a dissertation and earning the EdD degree. The following are additional details:
1. Course Leading to Final Acceptance of the Research Concept Paper in RES6512
Should a student fail to achieve a passing grade during the initial 10-week term, it will be necessary for them to retake the RES6512 course. The student is granted the opportunity to repeat the course twice more, spanning an additional two 10-week terms, allowing for a maximum of three attempts.
2. Dissertation Support in RES6500 Dissertation Workspace
During their dissertation chapter and defense courses, candidates receive guidance and support from a dissertation committee team, consisting of a dissertation chair and a committee member. This collaborative support and interaction take place through Canvas in RES6500 . Access to RES6500 is limited to terms in which candidates are concurrently enrolled in a dissertation chapter or defense course, ensuring that candidates benefit from ongoing assistance during their active engagement in the academic process.
It is important to note that access to RES6500 is contingent upon registration in a dissertation chapter or defense course. If a candidate is not registered for any such courses in the current term, access to RES6500 will not be available during that period. This structured approach ensures that candidates receive the necessary support and resources specific to their dissertation endeavors only when actively pursuing relevant coursework.
3. Dissertation Chapter Courses in RES6521, RES6531, RES6541, RES6551, and RES6561
Should a student fail to achieve a passing grade in a dissertation chapter course, it will be necessary for them to repeat the course. The student is granted the opportunity to repeat the course twice more, spanning an additional two 10-week terms, allowing for a maximum of three attempts.
To illustrate, consider a scenario where a candidate in RES6531 does not successfully pass the course within the initial 10-week term. In such a case, the candidate would retake RES6531 for a second attempt. If the candidate still does not achieve a passing grade after the second attempt, they would proceed to a third and final retake of RES6531 .
4. RES6600: IRB Approval and Data Collection Workspace
If a candidate submits their Dissertation Research Review (DRR) approval request in RES6541 and does not obtain final Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, they will be assigned a grade of Credit (CR). Subsequently, they will be automatically enrolled in RES6600 , a 10-week course. This enrollment will allow candidates to await IRB approval and commence data collection once the approval is secured. If a candidate does not receive DRR approval after three attempts of RES6600 , they will be required to retake RES6541 .
5. Dissertation Defense in RES6302
Candidates are granted three attempts, spanning three terms, to pass the RES6302 course successfully. The final approvals for the dissertation must completed by Module 9; otherwise, the candidate will not successfully pass the course. Additionally, successful defense of the dissertation through the oral defense must be accomplished by the end of Module 10.
If a candidate does not meet these requirements, they must retake RES6302 in a subsequent term. This retake helps complete necessary dissertation revisions and the defense process.
6. Administrative Withdrawal
Suppose a student or candidate is unsuccessful, receiving a non-passing grade after completing a three 10-week term sequence for a single course. In that case, they will be advised to consider a degree program change or may face administrative withdrawal from the college. Should a candidate be directed to make a degree program change or undergo administrative withdrawal, readmission to the EdD program may not be granted. However, individuals affected by this decision can file an appeal using the college’s established procedures.
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