Doctoral Program Curriculum

Overview

The Ph.D. curriculum is a five-tier process. Coursework in the first tier introduces students to library and information science (LIS) research and theory. In the second and third tier courses, students examine fields related to their research interests in greater depth. Students may take courses from the first and second tiers simultaneously. To enroll in a third tier course, students must have successfully completed the second tier foundation course that precedes it. During the fourth tier of courses, students prepare in depth for the qualifying examinations. After successfully defending the dissertation proposal, students advance to candidacy status (ABD). The final obligation is to write the dissertation.

Tier One (10 credit hours)

LI900 Introductory Doctoral Seminar (1 hour pass/fail)
An introduction to the SLIM doctoral program, to doctoral work, and to the culture of the researcher. Students will explore their respective research interests and draft their Ph.D. program plans.

LI903 Research Philosophy (3 hours, letter grade)
Examines various constructs of science in society. Emphasis is placed on identifying assumptions about human nature, defining a researcher's view of the social world, and identifying basic philosophies, ideologies, frameworks and paradigms that serve as a foundation for inquiry. The details of this course may vary depending on the professor chosen to teach it, but, by the end of the course, all students should understand the potential frameworks for their work. This is also a chance for the faculty to assess the writing capabilities of the students. Students should take this course early in their programs.

LI904 Research Strategies: Quantitative Methods and Theory (3 hours, letter grade)
Prerequisite: Master's level research methods course.
Advanced exploration of quantitative research methodologies and statistics that the researcher might choose. Rules, procedures, statistics and general research protocols that are a part of the researcher's task are stressed. Student mastery of the statistical and methodological tools necessary to conduct independent scholarly research is a course goal.

LI905 Research Strategies: Qualitative Methods and Theory (3 hours, letter grade)
Prerequisite: Master's level research methods course.
Advanced exploration of qualitative research methodologies that the researcher might choose. Rules, procedures and general protocols that are a part of the researcher's task are stressed. Student mastery of the methodological and analytical tools necessary to conduct independent scholarly research is a course goal. Note: A student's guidance committee may require additional research courses appropriate to the student's research interests.

Tiers 2 and 3 (18 credit hours)

The four foundational fields of the curriculum are Information Psychology, Information Transfer, Information Organization, and Administrative Theory. Students will be required to take at least 18 hours from Tiers 2 and 3.

Tier 2

LI 891: Seminar in Information Transfer (3 hours, letter grade)
An examination of the theoretical constructs, concepts, research and practices of the transmission and processing of symbolic, verbal, and/or recorded messages for the creation, diffusion, and utilization of knowledge in society. Prerequisites: LI 801 and LI 810.

LI 892: Seminar in Information Psychology (3 hours, letter grade)
An exploration of theories, models, and insights into information seeking and information use offered by cognitive psychology, behavioral psychology, social psychology and psychoanalytic theory. The course is organized around a series of seminal readings in LIS; weekend activities involve lecture and discussion of central themes and articles. Prerequisites: LI 802 and LI 810.

LI 893: Seminar in Administrative Theory (3 hours, letter grade)
Examines a series of theories, models, and concepts that provide insight into the management of organizations, the people and tasks of an organization, and work, activities, and processes in an organization. Students analyze the literature critically, gain competence in the topics, and engage in in-depth seminar discussions. Prerequisites: LI 805 and LI 810.

LI 894: Seminar in Information of Organization (3 hours, letter grade)
A further examination of theories, models, and aspects of organization of information, including those that provide an understanding of knowledge organization systems, the representation and organization of information in digital forms, and effective methods of information access and retrieval. The course is organized around advanced readings. Prerequisite: LI 804 and LI 810.

Tier 3

LI922 Directed Readings in Information Psychology (3 hours, letter grade)
Building on learning from 903, 904, 905, and 892, a critical analysis of existing research human information processing.

LI923 Directed Readings in Information Transfer (3 hours, letter grade)
Building on learning from 903, 904, 905, and 891, a further examination of the theoretical constructs, concepts, research and practices of information transfer—the transmission and processing of symbolic, verbal, and/or recorded messages for the creation, diffusion, and utilization of knowledge in society.

LI924 Directed Readings in the Organization of Information (3 hours, letter grade)
A further examination of the theoretical constructs, concepts, research and practices of information organization—the storage and transmission of symbolic, verbal, and/or recorded messages for the creation, diffusion, and utilization of knowledge in society.

LI925 Directed Readings in Administrative Theory (3 hours, letter grade)
A further examination of the theoretical constructs, concepts, research and practices of administrative theory, and its role in transmission of symbolic, verbal, and/or recorded messages for the creation, diffusion, and utilization of knowledge.

LI926 Directed Readings in Research Philosophy (3 hours, letter grade)
Building on learning from 903, 904, 905, and 912, a critical analysis of conceptual and methodological issues in understanding research philosophy.

LI927 Directed Readings in Quantitative Methods (3 hours, letter grade)
Building on learning from 903, 904, 905, and 912, a critical analysis of conceptual and methodological issues in understanding quantitative methods.

LI928 Directed Readings in Qualitative Methods (3 hours, letter grade)
Building on learning from 903, 904, 905, and 912, a critical analysis of conceptual and methodological issues in understanding qualitative research.

Tier 4: Teaching, readings and examination (6-11 hours)

LI940: Teaching and Learning in Organizations (3 hours, letter grade)
Graduate learning/teaching, curriculum, and/or staff development methods, the roles of faculty members and administration in the university and in the information professions as well as the structure of institutions of higher education will be among the topics of seminar papers written and critiqued by students and faculty. Students will be expected to demonstrate teaching skills. This is a required course. However, students with appropriate teaching experience may obtain a waiver from their guidance committees.

LI946 (A-Z) Directed Readings. (1-3 hours; pass/fail grade) This course is a collaborative academic commitment between professor and student in keeping with the rigors required of doctoral study. Each offering will be unique to the subject read and the agreement for work arrived at with the understanding that rigorous attention to the work is required. The purpose of independent reading with a professor is to deepen understanding and knowledge in a specific area that is of interest to the student. While the assignment for LI946 will be jointly determined by student and professor, it is recommended that such work be designed to enhance the students' readiness for dissertation research and scholarly publications. LI946 may be offered as a tutorial or seminar. Pass/fail grades will be assigned at the completion of the semester in which the course is offered. Incompletes (I) must be completed by the end of the succeeding semester. Students and faculty who agree to engage in independent study will submit a written request for approval to the dean prior to the beginning of the semester. The number of credits of LI946 courses that students can take will depend on agreement between student and the professor and is subject to approval by the dean. Agreement forms are available in the SLIM office and Appendix A of this document.

LI949: Continuous Enrollment (1 hour; no grade). All doctoral students (except those on approved leave) must enroll in at least one SLIM class each academic year semester (fall and spring) to maintain active status. When a student is not enrolled in other doctoral courses or in approved courses at other universities, s/he enrolls in LI949. Doctoral students who do not register for continuous enrollment by the date specified by the university's registrar will be dropped from the doctoral program.

Tier 5: Dissertation (18 hours)

Upon successful completion of qualifying examinations and selection of the dissertation chair, the student may enroll in LI947. The student may enroll in LI950 after acceptance of the dissertation proposal.

LI947: Dissertation Proposal (3 hours; acceptance of proposal indicates satisfactory
completion of this course; no assigned grades; I (incomplete grades) will be assigned during the semesters that the student writes the proposal). The student will produce a dissertation proposal during this course. Students will work with the chairperson of their dissertation committees.

LI950: Dissertation (minimum of 15 hours which can be taken in groups of 3 credits; acceptance of dissertation indicates satisfactory completion of this course; no assigned grades; a grade of incomplete [I] will be assigned during the semesters that the student writes the dissertation) The student must complete at least 15 hours of dissertation credit and enroll in at least three credits each semester until the dissertation is completed. Dissertations are expected to contribute new knowledge to the field through quality research. The student's dissertation committee chair supervises the student’s work. A separate manual, available from the Graduate School and at http://www.emporia.edu/grad/docs/dissert.pdf, will help the student with the details of writing the dissertation.

Total hours: 52-57

Updated 4/12/2006