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Ph.D. in WFED - University Park

Our WFED program offers a graduate degree program leading to degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Students interested in this program should be employed in or aspire to be employed as faculty, trainers, administrators, or researchers in education-for-work settings such as business, industry, health fields, occupational home economics, cooperative education, youth apprenticeship, or employment and training.  

 

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program consists of 21 credits of core course requirements, 18 credits of research course requirements, and 18-33 credits of emphasis-specific requirements.  

 

Core Course Requirements (21 Credits) 

  • WFED 424 Facilitating Career Development  

  • WFED 471 Training in Industry and Business 

  • WFED 501 Scholarly Writing in Workforce Education and Development 

  • WFED 529 Ethics in Workforce Education 

  • WFED 550 Research in Workforce Education            

  • WFED 560 History and Philosophical Foundations of WFED 

  • WFED 573 Needs Assessment for Workforce Development Professionals 

 

Research Course Requirements (18 Credits) 

  • WFED 540 or STAT 500 

  • Plus fifteen (15) credits of 500-level research courses in quantitative and/or qualitative research (not including 540 or 550) 

 

Students may choose from three different emphases: human resource development/organization development, school-to-work, and secondary career and technical education leadership.  

 

Human Resource Development/Organization Development (18-21 Credits) 

This emphasis prepares students to lead and consult in areas of employee training, performance improvement, and organizational change. Through coursework in leadership, project management, evaluation, and organization development (OD) strategies such as appreciative inquiry, consultation, and evaluation, students gain both theoretical and applied knowledge. The program culminates in an internship or field-based project to apply HRD/OD practices in real-world settings. 

  • WFED 403 Technologies for Work Effectiveness  

  • WFED 405 Project Management for Professionals  

  • WFED 410 Leadership Competencies for Professionals  

  • WFED 451 Lean Sigma 

  • WFED 543 Evaluation of Investments 

  • WFED 572 Foundations in Organization Development and Change  

  • WFED 578 Process Consultation in OD 

  • WFED 582 Assessing & Diagnosing OD 

  • WFED 585 Appraising Organization Change and Development and Consulting 

  • WFED 880 Facilitating Groups and Teams  

  • WFED 881 Marketing OD and Consulting  

  • WFED 884 Appreciative Inquiry 

  • TRDED 565 or WFED 865 Implementing Training & Development  

  • WFED 595A Internship (3 credits) or WFED 895 Field Based Project (required) 

 

School-to-Work (21-29 Credits) 

Focusing on the transition from education to employment, this emphasis is designed for professionals interested in work-based learning programs such as cooperative education. Students explore curriculum design, vocational guidance, and the operational aspects of school-to-work initiatives in domestic and international workforce development settings. Practical experience is gained through a practicum or internship, and students take approved electives outside the department to tailor their specialization. 

  • WFED 441 Co-Op Planning (2 cr.) 

  • WFED 442 Co-Op Operation (2 cr.)  

  • WFED 445 Vocational Guidance  

  • WFED 546 Work Based Education 

  • 9 outside credits approved by advisor  

  • WFED 495A Co-Op Practicum (2 cr.) or WFED 595C Internship in Co-Op (10 cr.) 

 

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Leadership (21-33 Credits) 

This emphasis develops leadership capacity in the administration and supervision of career and technical education programs in domestic and international workforce development settings. It covers topics such as workforce management, curriculum development, fiscal planning, school law, and administrative services. Students engage in field-based administrative internships and are prepared for roles in secondary and postsecondary education, as well as state-level policy and program administration. 

  • WFED 402 Supervision of Vocational Education  

  • WFED 508 Workforce Management in WFED  

  • WFED 518 Curriculum & Instruction in WFED 

  • WFED 528 Fiscal & Facilities Management in WFED  

  • WFED 538 Administrative Personnel Services in WFED  

  • EDLDR 576 School Law 

  • WFED 595B WFED Administrative Internship (3-15 cr.) 

 

For all emphasis, additional Ph.D. requirements, WFED 600/601 = Dissertation research (variable credits during dissertation research/writing) 

 

Ph.D. Degree Requirements 

The Ph.D. degree requires, among other matters: 

  • Maintenance of satisfactory scholarship, with a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for work done at the University; 

  • Completion of Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) requirements; 

  • Attainment of doctoral candidacy status; 

  • High-level competence in the use of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking; 

  • Over some twelve-month period during the interval between admission to the Ph.D. program and completion of the Ph.D. program, enrollment at least two semesters (summer sessions are not included) as a registered full-time student engaged in academic work at the University Park campus; 

  • Completion of research requirements, in lieu of typical communication and foreign language requirements for most Ph.D. programs; 

  • Completion of the Ph.D. program, including acceptance of the doctoral dissertation, within eight years from the date of attainment of doctoral candidacy status; and 

  • Successful completion of a comprehensive examination, acceptance of a dissertation, and completion of a final oral examination for the Ph.D. degree. 

 

Graduate Assistantship Opportunities 

Ph.D. students are eligible to compete for a limited number of graduate assistantships that may become available to serve the research, teaching, and service missions of the WFED program. The regular graduate faculty for the WFED program consider applications in the light of faculty needs and availability of University funding for graduate assistantships. Applications are due on January 29 for assistantships that could be awarded for the upcoming academic year. For more information, see the Graduate Assistantship Application. 

 

 Application Process  

  • If you are ready to proceed to the application but have NOT read the Graduate School requirements, please visit their website. 

  • If you have read the Graduate School requirements and are ready to apply, you may proceed to the application. 

  

More Information 

  • Details, including prospected timeline, qualifying exam, comprehensive exam, and dissertation defense, of the Ph.D. program can be found in the WFED Handbook.  

  • To find out what WFED graduate courses are offered and when, please see our course list. 

  • For more information on the program and faculty, please contact the WFED degree graduate staff assistant: