Comprehensive Exams

Offered by most programs during fall and spring semesters and by some programs during summer session. Program Coordinators or advisors should be contacted regarding availability of exams during summer session.

Comprehensive Exam sessions are scheduled twice each semester over two consecutive days. Applications must be submitted by the established deadlines (see procedures and exam deadlines above).

• Non-doctoral final (comprehensive) exams - deadlines, checklist, instructions
• Doctoral comprehensive exams - deadlines, checklist, instructions

Non Doctoral Thesis Defense (final exam)

The student and their faculty committee schedule Non Doctoral final examinations (thesis defense). Exam dates must be officially declared in the Office of Student Services at least two weeks before the oral defense and by the established deadlines. Students preparing for thesis defense must have satisfied all coursework submitted on the Graduate College Plan of Study form.

• Non Doctoral thesis defense - final exam deadlines, checklist, instructions

PhD Thesis Defense (final exam)

The student and their faculty committee schedule PhD final examinations (thesis defense). Exam dates must be officially declared in the Office of Teacher Education and Student Services at least two weeks before the oral defense and by the established deadlines. Students preparing for thesis defense must have satisfied all coursework submitted on the Graduate College Plan of Study form.

• PhD thesis defense - final exam deadlines, checklist, instructions

Additional Graduate College Forms

• Committee Member Approval Request
• Faculty Approval Table
• Committee Service FAQ

PhD Thesis Defense: Leigh Nida
Tuesday, November 7, 2023; 2:00 PM; Zoom
Title: The Different Messages Black and White Teachers Heard from Professional Organizations in The Civil Rights Era: Treatment of Participatory Democracy, Equality, and Integration by the ATA and NEA
Committee Chair: Katrina Sanders

The college has invited a group of experienced graduate students to form our Graduate Student Executive Committee (GSEC) which has been active in offering sessions both informational and social that are intended to support graduate student endeavors. They have also provided valuable input to college administration on many issues including orientation for new students entering the college.

GSEC aims to support new graduate students by helping them get acquainted with other students, the college, and the area. In addition to the New Graduate Student Orientation event, helpful information regarding the college, transportation, family services, surrounding attractions, etc., can be found here: Helpful Information for New College of Education Graduate Students.

• What We Wish We'd Known as New Graduate Students at the University of Iowa

Mission Statement

The Graduate Student Executive committee is a volunteer group of graduate students who serve in an advisory role reporting to the Associate Dean of Faculty and Graduate Programs on issues related to students. The committee also organizes and administers sessions promoting the quality of life for graduate students including the New Graduate Student Welcome Event with the support of the Dean’s Office. 

Activities include:

• New Graduate Student Welcome Event – organized and delivered by experienced students.
• Ice Cream Social
• Finals Breakfast
• Information in support of graduate student quality of life including adjusting to Iowa City culture.
• Sessions that specifically target master’s students, and international students
• Sessions in support of those in programs whose career goals support education in industry and non-academic jobs.
• Support in the Graduate Student Commons
• Cooperative projects with other graduate student organizations in the COE

Student volunteers gain skills in administration, collaborative planning, and serving as a liaison to College of Education administration. The committee strives to include at least two representatives from each department within the College of Education with at least one member from i-fellows and other graduate student organizations.

Approved December 2015

These guidelines are designed to provide assistance for doctoral students and committees in creating dissertations that consist of multiple articles rather than the traditional format (with one large project). All dissertations should adhere to regulations and requirements from the University of Iowa Graduate College in addition to requirements from the College of Education. Moreover, programs can provide additional guidelines for this dissertation format. Students who are considering this format are strongly encouraged to confer with their dissertation chair as early as possible, since an article-style dissertation may not be the best approach for all students and dissertation topics.

1. The dissertation should include at least two full-length articles that are of publishable quality within a peer-reviewed journal. At least one of these articles must be empirical in nature; that is, the student should conduct original data analyses of some kind (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, historical).
2. Chapter 1 should provide an Introduction that discusses the need for these studies as well as the coherence among them, which may include an overarching conceptual or theoretical framework grounded within relevant literature. The end of the Introduction should provide at least one paragraph describing each of the articles. Each article then serves as an additional chapter. The last chapter should provide a Conclusion that discusses integrated findings, implications, and future directions that result from this collection of studies. The ideal length of the introduction and conclusion can vary at the discretion of the dissertation committee; for example, very closely related articles may require relatively less synthesis across studies (and therefore a shorter introduction and conclusion).
3. The student must be the sole author or lead author on all articles. The student should be responsible for at least 85-90% of the conceptualization, data analysis, and writing of the articles.
4. No more than one of the articles can be substantially complete before the dissertation proposal, but this study must have been conducted during the student’s current doctoral program. Moreover, if the student is only writing two articles, then neither of the articles can be substantially complete before the comprehensive examination. If applicable, students should secure appropriate copyright clearance to use a previously published article as part of their dissertation
5. The intent of writing an article-style dissertation should be to publish the articles that appear in the dissertation. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the student (with guidance from the committee) identify appropriate publication outlet(s) for each article, write the articles in a manner that adheres to the publication guidelines for the respective journals, and submit these articles soon after the completion of the dissertation
6. The dissertation proposal for this format may differ from what is typically expected in a traditional format; the nature of the proposal may vary at the discretion of the dissertation committee. For instance, the proposal could consist of a longer version of Chapter 1 (introduction) that provides sufficient detail about each study so that the committee can provide feedback on the proposed articles.

community  • • •  camaraderie  • • •  commitment  • • •   career success

The College of Education offers PhD students unique opportunities

Iowa Education Fellows Program

• The i-fellows program helps new College of Education doctoral students start early, start together and start right. i-fellows provides professional development programs, peer and faculty mentorship, and community building opportunities. i-fellows— a 21st century idea, is a prototype for higher education. Inaugural class in 2009. 
• Open to new College of Education doctoral students. 

Graduate Certificate in College Teaching 

• The Graduate Certificate in College Teaching provides coursework and supervised experiences (12 semester hours) to prepare graduate students for careers in post-secondary education. The coursework includes the PhD ePortfolio and Practicum in College Teaching.
• All UI PhD or other terminal degree students may enroll. This is a joint program between the UI Graduate College and the UI College of Education.