All EDSC students will be encouraged to apply for 20-hour per week research assistantships on grant-supported projects in the College of Education and other units at the University of Kentucky. In addition to coursework, students will be expected to attend local, state, or national professional conferences during the first and second years of their programs.

All students will be expected to present their research at professional conferences by their third year in the program. EDSC doctoral students are expected to submit manuscripts to professional journals and accomplish refereed publications during their doctoral study. Presentations and publications may be scholarly works with a single author or groups of co-authors.

EDSC is a rigorous doctoral program that requires year-round, full-time study. Under certain circumstances with approval of the faculty and Director of Graduate Studies, a student may be allowed to enroll as a part-time student. Students will only be permitted to start the program during the fall semester of each year. Students will be required to complete a set of core courses in research methods, and students will then follow a particular ?strand? of courses in an area of specialization. All students will be involved in educational research projects throughout their time in the program.