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A Survey of Doctoral Programs in Chemical Education in the United States

Article in Journal of Chemical Education · February 2001

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Diana S. Mason
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A Sampling of Doctoral Programs in Chemical Education

As professional educators we understand the crucial role Further Information about Programs
doctoral programs have played in our own development. Em-
ployment opportunities are expanding in chemical education For further information about any of the doctoral pro-
and chemical education research, and we realize that the key grams listed below, contact the specific institution at the ad-
to unlocking the potential of our students in the classroom dress given. Neither the author of this article nor the Journal
is education. have information beyond that which is listed.

Help Complete this Sampling Acknowledgment

At the ACS National meeting in Washington, DC, a The author thanks Vickie Williamson, Texas A & M
DivCHED symposium was devoted to doctoral programs in University, for encouraging her to compile a list of doctoral
chemical education. Each university represented offers a doc- programs in chemical education.
toral program in chemical education through its department
of chemistry. Some require coursework in science education Notes
and/or pedagogy. A summary of each program described at
the ACS symposium is provided here. 1. Postdoctoral fellowships in chemical education are available
Because it is based on participation in the symposium, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (jwmoore@chem.wisc.edu),
this list is not comprehensive. However, the Chemical Edu- and a program is being developed at California Polytechnic State
cation Research Committee of the ACS Division of Chemi- University, San Luis Obispo, by Christina Bailey
cal Education is interested in publishing on its Web site in- (cbailey@calpoly.edu).
formation about all programs that offer doctoral and/or
master's degrees in chemical education. The committee is also Diana Mason teaches in the Interdisciplinary Studies Pro-
compiling information about postdoctoral positions in chemi- gram, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio,
cal education.1 If you know of such programs or positions, TX 78249; drdiana@swbell.net.
please contact Diana Mason at the email address below.

Institutions with doctoral programs in chemical education

University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
University, San Diego, CA (a joint program) Web site:
Web site: http://www.unco.edu/chemist/grad.htm
http://public.sdsu.edu/CRMSE/jdpmain.html Contact persons:
Contact person: Richard M. Hyslop, Chair, rhyslop@unco.edu;
Barbara Sawrey, bsawrey@ucsd.edu Loretta L. Jones, Professor, lljones@unco.edu
The Ph.D. program in mathematics and science education is de- The Ph.D. in Chemical Education at the University of Northern
signed to complement the discipline knowledge of students who Colorado, initiated over a decade ago, is a doctoral program
have a background in biology, chemistry, mathematics, or phys- in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry designed for
ics with studies of how people learn mathematics and science. individuals who intend to pursue careers in chemical education
Our graduates are expected to contribute to the growing body research and/or chemistry teaching at the high school or uni-
of knowledge about cognitive processes in mathematics and sci- versity level. All degree candidates receive a comprehensive
ence understanding. Admission requirements are a M.S. in bi- background in two subdisciplines of chemistry. Graduate course
ology, chemistry, mathematics, or physics, or a strong B.S. in work in chemistry is accompanied by courses in learning theory,
biology, chemistry, mathematics, or physics, plus K–12 teach- science curricula, research methods, statistics, and supporting
ing experience. Applicants must also have a demonstrated in- pedagogical electives. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must
terest in understanding how knowledge in mathematics or sci- demonstrate research competence in both chemistry and chemi-
ence is acquired, developed, and applied. The program is de- cal education. An innovative laboratory for chemical education
signed to be completed in four years, during which funding is research is being developed for this program.
typically provided.

14 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 77 No. XX Month 2000 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu

Iowa State University, Ames, IA undergraduate chemistry research, or as a college instructor who
Web sites: has unique expertise in developing curricula that maximize stu-
dents’ intellectual development. Post-doc positions are available
http://hydrogen.chem.iastate.edu/WWW/GREENBOWE/ and
depending on current funding.
http://www.chem.iastate.edu/DeptInfo/Education.html
Contact person: Miami University, Oxford, OH
Thomas J. Greenbowe, tgreenbo@iastate.edu Web site:
The Ph.D. program in chemistry with an emphasis in chemical http://www.terrificscience.org/miami/mu_phd_chemed.pdf
education is designed for individuals who intend to pursue ca- Contact persons:
reers in chemical education research and teaching. Graduate Mickey Sarquis, sarquijl@muohio.edu
coursework in chemistry is accompanied by courses in learning
Jerry Sarquis, SarquiAM@muohio.edu
theory, educational technology, statistics, and research and ex-
perimental design. Research projects are developed and imple- A Ph.D. is a research degree awarded to those who demonstrate
mented by each student with the assistance of a major profes- ability to make significant original contributions in a certain field.
sor. Our chemical education research group is investigating the In our Chemical Education program, this requires a combination
effectiveness of collaborative distance education, guided-inquiry of talents built from a strong background in chemistry, cognitive
tutorials, discrepant events, multimedia, WWW, conceptual un- psychology, learning theory, statistics, technical communication,
derstanding, mental models, science writing heuristic, coopera- and behavior research methods. In the Department of Chemistry
tive learning, and the particulate nature of matter with respect and Biochemistry at Miami University, these talents are developed
to the teaching and learning of chemistry. The goal of the pro- through graduate-level courses in chemistry, chemical education,
gram is to enable individuals to contribute original knowledge and related areas and mentoring of students through a three-point
to the field of chemical education. Post-doc positions are avail- approach to chemical education research: materials or technol-
able when funding permits. ogy development and testing, course development and testing,
and analysis of student learning problems. Students complete all
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN departmental requirements including comprehensive examinations,
Web site: an original research proposal, submission of a manuscript for pub-
lication, and preparation and defense of a dissertation. Post-doc
http//chemed.chem.purdue.edu/chemed/ (Division information)
positions are available.
Contact persons:
G. M. Bodner, gmbodner@purdue.edu The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
http//chemed.chem.purdue.edu/chemed/bodner.html Web site:
W. R. Robinson, wrrobin@purdue.edu http://cheminfo.chem.ou.edu/faculty/mra/mra.html
http//www.chem.purdue.edu/robinson/index.html
Contact person:
M. B. Nakhleh, mnakhleh@purdue.edu
Michael R Abraham, MRAbraham@OU.edu
http//www.chem.purdue.edu/nakhleh/index.html
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University
Purdue has had a graduate program leading to M.S. and Ph.D. of Oklahoma offers a Ph.D. in Chemistry with an emphasis in
degrees for more than 30 years. There are three tenured faculty
Chemical Education. This degree program is designed: (1) To
in the Division of Chemical Education at Purdue and a fourth provide prospective college chemistry faculty members a thor-
will be hired this year. By the end of the Fall semester (2000), ough academic experience in chemistry and chemical educa-
we will have graduated 34 Ph.Ds in chemical education. An-
tion so that they will be able to plan, instruct in, and direct an
other nine individuals who worked in the Chemical Education undergraduate chemistry program; (2) To provide these students
program have gone on to earn Ph.D.s in either one of the tradi- with sufficient background in learning theory so that they will
tional disciplines in chemistry or in science education. At any
be able to design and implement instructional strategies; de-
moment in time there are between 20 and 25 students working sign, develop, and evaluate curriculum materials; and perform
toward M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Education at Purdue. research in science education; (3) To provide a research expe-
rience in chemistry that will enable these students to direct un-
The University of Montana, Missoula, MT
dergraduate research projects in chemistry.
Web site:
http://www.cas.umt.edu/chem/cracolic/ Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
Contact person: Web site:
Mark S. Cracolice, markc@selway.umt.edu http//www.mtsu.edu/~chem
Our program is a specialization that includes close research Contact persons:
interaction with two faculty mentors, one in chemical education William H. Ilsley, wilsley@mtsu.edu
and one in a traditional area of chemistry, and coursework in Martin V. Stewart, mstewart@mtsu.edu
small, personalized classes, leading to a Ph.D. in chemistry with
The Doctor of Arts, D.A., in Chemistry was established at MTSU
an emphasis in chemical education. In addition to coursework
in 1980 as a terminal degree designed to prepare chemists who
in chemistry and chemical education, the student completes
are effective in teaching undergraduate chemistry. It differs from
courses in psychology and curriculum and instruction. Traditional
the more specialized Chemistry Ph.D. by the broader curricu-
chemistry research is conducted under the guidance of any of
lum and by including education courses and teaching intern-
the faculty in chemistry or biochemistry, and Cracolice mentors
ships. It differs from the Ed.D. through its emphasis on subject
chemical education research. The program prepares students
content in chemistry and in the requirement of a dissertation fo-
for numerous careers, such as a professor directing graduate
cused on chemistry, chemical education, or a blend of both.
research in chemical education and/or supervising traditional

JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 77 No. XX Month 2000 • Journal of Chemical Education 15

Report: Survey of Doctoral Programs in Chemical Education

While some students are in continuous residence, the program the large agriculturally-based South Plains area and develop-
can be completed entirely during summer semesters to accom- ing novel outreach programs for unique target groups, ranging
modate the schedules of students who are already faculty at other from pre-schoolers to senior citizens.
colleges and who view the D.A. as professional development.
The program has produced 18 graduates as of summer 2000. The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Web site:
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX http://chemed.cm.utexas.edu/
Web site: Contact person:
http://www.ttu.edu/~chem/ J. J. Lagowski, jjl@mail.utexas.edu
Contact persons: The Chemical Education Program at The University of Texas ex-
Dennis Shelly, kzdcs@ttu.edu ists at several levels and they involve degrees that are offered
Dominick J. Casadonte, dcasadon@ttacs.ttu.edu only through the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, that
Graduate degrees in chemical education result from a fusion of is, they are focused on the chemistry part of chemical educa-
graduate-level studies in any of the five participating subdisci- tion; the education components are a “minor key” in these pro-
plines of chemistry and graduate research in chemical educa- grams. Programs in Science Education are offered through the
tion. The Master’s degree requires 33 hours, featuring five chem- College of Education. Students can get a B.S. in chemistry, which
istry and two education courses. The Doctoral degree totals 75 is certified by ACS and by the state of Texas. Graduate level
hours and consists of five chemistry and four education courses. programs exist at the M.S. and Ph.D. levels. The Ph.D. program
Thrust areas include: (1) course/curriculum development (includ- involves a strong research component; the Master’s program,
ing the creation of a seamless chemical curriculum), (2) commu- as is usual, has a lesser research component. In principle, all
nication/motivation in the classroom, (3) distance education faculty in the department have some chemical education research
implementation and (4) service learning in the chemical sciences. interests, but these are not necessarily expressed explicitly in
Our primary goals are creating technology intensive educational each faculty member’s official research interests. Arrangements
solutions (TIES) that will better link chemistry students from across for postdoctoral positions are made on an individual basis.

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16 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 77 No. XX Month 2000 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu

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