Apprenticeships are designed to enable doctoral students to work closely with a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development faculty mentor to gain hands-on experience in research and teaching.

All PhD students must complete at least 6 term-long apprenticeships:

• At least 1 teaching apprenticeship
• At least 3 research apprenticeships
• Remaining apprenticeship foci determined in consultation with student’s doctoral advisor

Course Requirements

Students are required to register for WED RS 799 Doctoral Research Apprenticeship for 0 units for each term in which they are engaged in a research apprenticeship and 0 units of WED CT 700 Doctoral Teaching Apprenticeship for each term in which they are completing a teaching apprenticeship. Teaching and research apprenticeships can be completed in fall, spring, or summer terms. Both types of apprenticeships will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

Research Apprenticeships

Research apprenticeships (WED RS 799) are designed to provide doctoral students with opportunities to participate in research projects under the direction of a faculty member. Students should be involved in all aspects of research, including literature reviews, study design, data collection, data analysis, and report writing. Students may complete the apprenticeship with their advisor, other researchers in Wheelock, at BU, or with other researchers outside of the BU community. The advisor and student should work closely together to determine what research experiences will be most beneficial to the student, based on their research interests and career goals.

Teaching Apprenticeships

Teaching apprenticeships (WED CT 700) are designed to provide doctoral students the opportunity to work alongside a Wheelock faculty member to gain a deep understanding of course design, instruction, the evaluation of student performance, and course evaluation. A teaching apprenticeship should include regularly scheduled meetings between the course instructor of record and the apprentice for the purpose of discussing all aspects of the course, ensuring the apprenticeship is a rigorous hands-on experience with the art and science of teaching.

The courses assigned for apprenticeships are based both on enrollment patterns and student training needs. Generally speaking, a course should have a large enrollment (e.g., 30 or more students) for a Teaching Apprentice to be assigned to it. However, when there is a clear benefit to the doctoral student, they can be assigned to a class with a smaller size. Students should work with their advisor and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for assignments.

Serving as the Instructor of Record can substitute for this experience as long as it is accompanied by mentoring.

Note: This requirement may be met by serving in the role of Instructor of Record only with approval of the student’s advisor and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

Expectations

Full- and part-time graduate students (either by course enrollment or full-time certification) are limited to a maximum of 20 hours per week of paid employment at BU. Some students may be completing the apprenticeships while receiving a stipend as a Glenn Fellow, as a research assistant on faculty members’ funded research, or through pay as a teaching assistant and, therefore, are considered to be paid by BU. Others may not be funded through any BU source. The 20-hour-a-week guidelines, however, should be adhered to for all, as the intent is to allow sufficient time for attention to graduate studies and concern about time to degree.

Doctoral students and faculty mentors/advisors should meet regularly to discuss roles and responsibilities and to review the student’s performance and development over the course of the term.

Prior to advancing to candidacy to the dissertation stage of the doctoral degree, typically by the end of the third year of full-time study (or its equivalent for part-time students), each doctoral candidate is required to successfully complete two qualifying tasks, as described below, in any order.

Research Qualifying Task Overview

The Research Qualifying Task involves participation in a research project, culminating in a formal write-up and oral presentation to the Qualifying Task Readers, and it is expected that in addition, the work will be presented at a Wheelock Doctoral Student Research Symposium or the Open Forum for Doctoral Student Work in Progress, or some other appropriate venue as determined in consultation with the student’s advisor.

• The report will include an introduction, a review of the main literature relevant to the study, research questions (and hypotheses, if appropriate), detailed information on the design and method of the study, a report of the finding or results of the study, an analysis and discussion of reported findings and their implications, and recommendations for implementation and/or further research. The report must be prepared as if for submission to a refereed scholarly academic journal and the submissions must include a statement of the student’s contribution to the research.
• The work will be evaluated by the student’s Qualifying Committee on the basis of both the written product and the presentation.

Literature Review Qualifying Task Overview

The Literature Review Qualifying Task involves completion of a written literature review that examines an area of the student’s field of study and a presentation.

• The written, comprehensive review will summarize and critically review theory and research relevant to an important area in the student’s field of study. Work will be presented in a hearing including members of the student’s Qualifying Committee.
• The work will be evaluated by the student’s Qualifying Committee on the basis of both the written product and presentation at the hearing.

Requirements and Expectations

Registration

Students working on Qualifying Tasks must enroll in WED ED 900 Qualifying Tasks for 0 units.

Students who do not complete their Qualifying Tasks within the term in which they first enroll in WED ED 900 must re-enroll in the course and will receive a grade of J until the tasks are completed. Qualifying Tasks will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

Qualifying Committee Membership

In consultation with their major advisor, the student forms, at a minimum, a two-member (First Reader and Second Reader) Qualifying Committee to guide and evaluate each Qualifying Task. A separate committee may be arranged for each task, or there may be overlap in membership. The committee for a Qualifying Task must be formed prior to beginning work on that Qualifying Task.

The First Reader must be a member of the Wheelock faculty with substantial expertise in the content and research methods pertinent to the Qualifying Task. The Second Reader should typically have complementary expertise to the First Reader and may be a member of the Wheelock faculty or another school or college within Boston University. If the topic of a task requires additional expertise, a third or fourth reader may be added. Generally the student’s major advisor serves as one of the readers, but this is not required. It is considered desirable for the student to invite readers who represent different points of view, theoretical backgrounds, and methodological approaches. All readers must have earned doctoral degrees.

Qualifying Task Proposal

The student prepares a required written proposal, not to exceed one page, for each of the two Qualifying Tasks, that briefly outlines the rationale, questions to be pursued, methods proposed, and literature to be consulted. An important role of the readers is to provide guidance to the student regarding the scope and methods of each Qualifying Task.

The Qualifying Task Proposal Form must be signed by the student’s advisor and all readers before any substantive work begins, and the form must be filed with the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.

Qualifying Task 1: Research Project

Qualifying Task 1 is completed by participation in a research project, submission of a write-up, presentation to the Qualifying Committee for formal evaluation, and a presentation at the Wheelock Doctoral Student Research Symposium or some other suitable venue. The process to follow in completing this task is described below.

Participation

All PhD students will participate in a research project—either their own, alongside their advisor, or with another Wheelock faculty member. For the Qualifying Task, it is expected that the student will (a) prepare a manuscript describing the research, following the conventions required for submission of a manuscript to a scholarly journal, and then (b) make a formal presentation to the Qualifying Task Readers. It is also expected that the student will make a brief presentation at the semiannual Wheelock Doctoral Student Research Symposium.

Note:

1. While in many cases the student will conduct the research in collaboration with the advisor, in some cases the research may be independent of that of the advisor.
2. The paper does not have to be submitted nor accepted for publication by a scholarly journal to be approved as meeting Qualifying Task requirements.

Written Component

While the student is working on the initial drafts of each Qualifying Task, the student is encouraged to regularly seek advice and guidance from their First Reader, and Second Reader, if determined appropriate by First Reader and/or student.

When the First Reader deems it appropriate, the student formally submits the revised manuscript to the additional reader(s).

Evaluation of Written Component  

Readers vote to Reject, Revise and Resubmit or Accept the written component and advance the student to the presentation hearing phase for completion of this comprehensive task. Each reader provides a written evaluation with recommended changes and refinements, and returns the results to the student within three weeks of submission*. Ideally, the written evaluations will be in the format that one typically receives when submitting to an academic journal. Individual readers also may elect to provide comments on the document itself. Should there be disagreements between reviewers, the readers will meet to develop a joint decision. 

Resubmissions

Within a period not to exceed three months from date of proposal approval, the student will make the recommended revisions and submit the final written manuscript, the Final Submission, to the readers. The resubmissions must be accompanied by revision notes, in which the student summarizes each of the recommended changes suggested by the faculty and briefly describes the revisions made in response to them. Within three weeks of submission*, the readers evaluate the Qualifying Task and jointly provide a decision to Reject, Revise and Resubmit or Accept the written component and advance the student to the presentation hearing phase for completion of this Qualifying Task. No more than two reevaluations of the manuscript (i.e., Second Submission, Final Submission) to the readers will be permitted.

(*Note: The three-week response time for each submission does not include official University breaks—Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break. Faculty are not obligated to read Qualifying Tasks during the summer (June 1 through August 31). Students should discuss plans with the reader(s) and agree on a timetable before submitting any work during the summer.) 

Presentation Hearing

During the presentation hearing, the students will describe the methods, findings, and interpretation of the literature review in front of the Qualifying Task Committee Readers. Students will be evaluated on the organization, substance, clarity, and presentation style, as well as quality of responses to questions. At the conclusion of the hearing, the committee jointly determines if the student receives a decision of Reject, Re-present, or Pass. No more than two reevaluations of the presentation (i.e., Second Submission, Final Submission) to the readers will be permitted.

Upon the conclusion of each hearing, the Qualifying Task Evaluation Form should be submitted to the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.

Each term, students who have successfully completed both the written and presentation components of the task will make a 10- to 20-minute presentation of their research to the Wheelock community. The work may be presented at the Doctoral Student Research Symposium or at the Wheelock Open Forum for Doctoral Student Work in Progress, or at some other appropriate venue as decided by the advisor and the review committee members.

Qualifying Task 2: Literature Review

Qualifying Task 2 is completion of a written literature review that examines an area of the student’s field of study.

Written Review

While the student is working on the initial drafts of this Qualifying Task, the student is encouraged to regularly seek advice and guidance from the student’s First Reader.

When the First Reader deems it appropriate, the student submits the manuscript to the additional reader(s). The student meets with the Qualifying Task Committee to present the paper and to receive formative feedback on the review from the committee. The student incorporates the suggestions into the review and submits the final product to the committee for formal review.

Evaluation of Written Review

Readers evaluate the Qualifying Task and will vote to Reject, Revise and Resubmit or Accept the written component for completion of this Qualifying Task. Each reader provides a written evaluation with recommended changes and refinements, and returns the results to the student within three weeks of submission. Ideally, the written evaluations will be in the format that one typically receives when submitting to an academic journal. Individual readers also may elect to provide comments on the document itself.

Resubmissions

Within a period not to exceed three months, the student will make the recommended revisions and submit the final written manuscript, the Final Submission, to the readers. The resubmissions must be accompanied by revision notes, in which the student summarizes each of the recommended changes suggested by the committee readers and briefly describes the revisions made in response to them. Within three weeks of submission, the readers evaluate the Qualifying Task and jointly provide a decision to Reject, Revise and Resubmit or Accept the written component and advance the student to the presentation hearing. No more than two reevaluations of the manuscript (i.e., Second Submission, Final Submission) will be permitted.

Documentation of Completion

Upon the completion of this Qualifying Task, the Qualifying Task Evaluation Form should be submitted to the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.

Monitoring Progress

If the First Reader determines at any point that the student is not making satisfactory progress on the Qualifying Tasks, the First Reader shall notify the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, who will call a meeting of the committee readers, the student’s advisor (if not one of the readers), the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, and the student. Subsequently, a contract between the student and the readers, specifying required accomplishments and deadlines, will be developed and signed by the student and the members of the faculty committee.

Failure to achieve a passing grade on both Qualifying Tasks by the end of the 4th year of the program will result in dismissal from the doctoral program. Students may choose to apply coursework completed by that date to a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS).

Documenting Progress and Completion

When each Qualifying Task is completed, a grade of Pass or Fail will be submitted by the First Reader for WED ED 900.

The student then submits the following documents to the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office:

1. Final accepted version of the Qualifying Task document (digital), and
2. Consent indicating permission to make the document available to other students

The Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office records the completion and title of the task on the student’s Degree Progress Report.

The student is responsible for staying informed of all policies and procedures related to the Qualifying Tasks and for making sure that their record is correctly updated.  

Each candidate must demonstrate the ability to make a significant and original contribution to the field and to report this contribution in a doctoral dissertation. The steps in the process are listed below, and related policies are described more fully in the following sections.

Steps

1. Form a Doctoral Dissertation Committee
2. Develop and present a dissertation research proposal
3. Submit a proposal for Institutional Review Board approval
4. Conduct the research
5. Prepare the written dissertation
6. Present the dissertation research in a Hearing Presentation

Registration

Twelve units of Dissertation Advising (WED ED 999) are required of all students in the Wheelock PhD program, and students must be enrolled in ED 999 during each term in which dissertation work is being conducted. Until such time as the dissertation is approved, grades of J will be submitted for ED 999. Once the dissertation is completed, the J notations will be changed to the grade of Pass or Fail.

Doctoral Dissertation Committee

Candidates should select committee members who have expertise in the content and methodology of the proposed dissertation research. The Dissertation Committee shall be comprised as follows:

1. There must be a minimum of 3 members on the committee.
2. All members must have earned doctorates.
3. The committee must include a minimum of 2 members with a 70% appointment or greater in Wheelock.
4. The committee must include one member from outside the student’s program, who can be from either within or outside Wheelock. The professional CVs of proposed non–Boston University committee members must be submitted to the First Reader of the committee.
5. The First Reader and the Second Reader should be actively teaching, conducting research, and/or working in the candidate’s proposed area of inquiry.
6. The proposed committee members must be submitted to the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office for review using the form found here.

Only in rare cases will the membership of the committee be changed after approval. Changes to the committee after the proposal has been approved requires that the student and advisor submit the information about the change to the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.

Dissertation Research Proposal and Presentation Hearing

Proposal

The dissertation proposal is a written description of the rationale for the study(ies) and a detailed description of the design(s)*. Traditionally, the proposal has included three chapters, which ideally provide a basis for the first three chapters of the dissertation itself. Components of the proposal include the following:

• Chapter 1: An introduction to the problem area and a rationale for the proposed study, with a brief overview of the relevant research, the research questions, and a basic introduction to the design of the study including methods, potential significance, and anticipated contributions to the literature;
• Chapter 2: A comprehensive review of the extant literature relevant to the project; and
• Chapter 3: A detailed description of the design of the study, including methods and plans for data collection and analysis that will be pertinent to the IRB submission.

* Note: The dissertation products must be distinct from the Qualifying Tasks, i.e., the research used to meet the Qualifying Tasks requirement cannot be used to substitute for one of the studies required for a multistudy dissertation. However, some or all of the literature review Qualifying Task may, if relevant, be incorporated into the literature review for the dissertation. Moreover, findings of the research study Qualifying Task may be incorporated into the dissertation in support of the new dissertation research.

The dissertation must be prepared following APA Publication Manual style guidelines.

Drafts of the proposal should be reviewed by the student’s First Reader and other committee members as deemed appropriate, and revisions should be made by the student until which time the First Reader, in consultation with the other committee members, determines that the Proposal Hearing should be scheduled.

Proposal Hearing

The Proposal Hearing, in which the proposal for the study is presented to the committee, is scheduled in consultation with the student’s First Reader and dissertation committee members. It is open to the BU community.

At least three weeks prior to the agreed-upon date, students must complete the following steps:

1. Send the written proposal to the committee members for review.
2. Identify a hearing date with committee members.
3. Reserve a seminar room with projection.
4. Complete a Dissertation Hearing Form and submit it to the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.
5. Notify the committee members of the date, time, and location of the hearing at least three weeks prior to the hearing.
6. Arrange for video or phone participation for a committee member, should the member not be able to be physically present at the hearing.

During the hearing, the student will formally present the dissertation study and explain its theoretical/conceptual basis, rationale for the research, its significance, and the proposed methodology. During the hearing, each member of the committee will ask questions, comment, and, as appropriate, make suggestions for strengthening the description and/or the conduct of the study.

One of four outcomes is possible at the conclusion of the hearing:

1. The proposal is Accepted without any changes.
2. The proposal is Accepted with Minor Revisions to be approved by the First Reader.
3. The proposal requires Major Revisions and must be Resubmitted for full committee review, and a second Proposal Hearing is scheduled after changes are made, but within 3 months from the date of the hearing.
4. The proposal is Rejected.

Acceptance of the proposal at the first or second hearing shall be by majority vote of all of the members of the Dissertation Committee holding voting rights. One of the positive votes must come from the First Reader. However, no vote shall take place unless at least three voting members of the Dissertation Committee are present, in person or virtually.

At the conclusion of the Proposal Hearing, the First Reader completes and signs the Report of the Proposal Hearing, and files the form with the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.

No more than two hearings are permitted. Failure to achieve approval for the proposal at the conclusion of the second hearing will result in dismissal from the doctoral program. Students may instead choose to complete the requirements for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study.

IRB Approval

Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval prior to commencing dissertation research is required. It is the student’s responsibility to submit the proposal to the Wheelock IRB representative. Check with the Academic Affairs office for information about the current faculty member assigned to this role. Information about requirements for IRB submission can be found here.

The Dissertation

It is expected that the study will be carried out as approved by the Dissertation Committee. Should any circumstances necessitate a significant change in the question or research methodology, these must be conveyed to, and approved in writing by, the members of the committee.

While the student is working on the initial draft of the dissertation, they are encouraged to regularly seek advice and guidance from the student’s First Reader and other members of the committee, if determined appropriate by the student and First Reader. The First Reader may determine that an additional meeting with the entire committee of the student is required.

When the First Reader deems it appropriate, the student submits the dissertation to the full committee (i.e., First Reader, Second Reader, and any additional readers). Revising and editing on the basis of committee criticism is the norm in dissertation work. If the dissertation writing lasts more than a year, the student is required to meet with the full committee at least once a year to report on their progress.

Dissertation Hearing

The First Reader, in consultation with other members of the committee, will notify the student when the dissertation is approved to move to the next phase, the Dissertation Hearing.

Three weeks prior to the agreed-upon date, students must complete the following steps:

1. Send the written dissertation to the committee members for review.
2. Identify a hearing date.
3. Complete the Dissertation Hearing Form and submit it to the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.
4. Reserve a seminar room with projection in the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development.
5. Arrange for video or phone participation for a committee member, should the member not be able to be physically present at the hearing.

During the hearing, the student will formally present the dissertation study, with an emphasis on the data analysis, results, and conclusions. Each member of the committee will ask questions, comment, and, as appropriate, make suggestions regarding improvements to the dissertation.

Four outcomes are possible at the conclusion of the hearing.

1. The dissertation is Accepted without any changes.
2. The dissertation is Accepted with Minor Revisions to be approved by the First Reader.
3. The dissertation must be Revised and Resubmitted for full committee review, and a second Dissertation Hearing is scheduled after changes are made, no more than 6 months after the first hearing.
4. The dissertation is Rejected.

Acceptance of the dissertation at the first or second hearing shall be by majority vote of all of the members of the Dissertation Committee holding voting rights. One of the positive votes must come from the First Reader. However, no vote shall take place unless at least three voting members of the Dissertation Committee are present, in person or virtually. At the conclusion of the Dissertation Hearing, the First Reader completes and signs the Dissertation Hearing Report, and the First Reader files the form with the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.

No more than two hearings are permitted. Failure to achieve approval for the dissertation at the conclusion of the second hearing will result in dismissal from the doctoral program. Students may instead choose to complete the requirements for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study.

Monitoring Progress

If the First Reader determines at any point that the student is not making satisfactory progress on the dissertation, the First Reader shall notify the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, who will call a meeting of the committee, the Academic Dean of Student Affairs, and the student. Subsequently, a contract between the student and the committee, specifying required accomplishments and deadlines, will be developed and signed by the student and the members of the faculty committee.

Failure to secure approval on the dissertation within 7 years after initiating dissertation studies will result in dismissal from the doctoral program. Students may choose to apply coursework completed to date to a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS).

Documenting Progress and Completion

The First Reader completes and signs the Dissertation Hearing Report, and files the form with the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office.

Students must

1. Submit a draft of their dissertation to the Theses/Dissertation Coordinator with Mugar Library before the deadline for formatting review by the University; and
2. Upload to the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office a copy of the Dissertation Signature Page and Title Page when the entire dissertation has been proofed and finalized.

Residency Requirements

Every doctoral candidate must spend a minimum of two consecutive terms in residence at Boston University. Residence is defined as registration for a minimum of 12 unit hours at the University during each of two consecutive terms. (Two summer terms is considered one term.) The residency requirement may be met by holding a research or teaching assistant position or being employed at Boston University 35 hours or more per week and registering for a minimum of 8 unit hours for two consecutive terms. For additional information, students should contact their academic advisors.

Continuous Enrollment students must be continuously enrolled while in the doctoral program, unless formal leaves of absence are approved. Students who are not enrolled in courses and are completing qualifying tasks or who are not enrolled in courses and have satisfied the 12-unit dissertation advising requirement must enroll in ED 950 Continuing Studies, which carries with it a 2-unit tuition charge but carries 0 units. Students who fail to register for consecutive terms without first notifying the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development about their intention to withdraw or take a leave of absence from the University will be administratively withdrawn from their program. Students may petition to be reinstated following an administrative withdrawal. Students should note that not all petitions for reinstatement are granted.

To begin the petition process, students should contact the Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management office the term prior to the student’s intended return.

Timeline for Degree Completion

PhD candidates are allowed seven years from the date of admission to complete all degree requirements. Courses taken more than seven years before graduation do not count toward the degree. Consideration of extensions beyond the seven-year limit for PhD students occurs only through a formal petition procedure. Leaves of absence do not extend the seven-year limit.

In order to meet the schedule for graduation at one of three times during the calendar year, the following deadlines should be noted:

For a May Graduation:

• March 1: Final edition of the dissertation submitted to the committee
• April 1: Oral defense
• Two weeks prior to Commencement: Final submission to Mugar Memorial Library through ProQuest

For a September Graduation (possible only when agreed to by Dissertation Committee):

• June 1: Final edition of the dissertation submitted to the committee
• July 1: Oral defense
• September 11: Final submission to Mugar Memorial Library through ProQuest

For a January Graduation:

• October 1: Final edition of the dissertation submitted to the committee
• November 1: Oral defense
• January 11: Final submission to Mugar Memorial Library through ProQuest