Multidisciplinary
Ph.D. with Library/Information Science Focus
The Multidisciplinary
committee-directed Ph.D. program is designed
for those highly qualified individuals whose research
interests involve several disciplines in such
a fashion that doctorates offered in traditional
subject areas are not appropriate. Since information
science can itself be considered an "interdisciplinary"
field, our School is an active participant in
the program. The multidisciplinary doctoral degree
is awarded directly by the UW-Milwaukee
Graduate School.
In conjunction with the doctoral advisory committee,
each student plans coursework and other educational
experiences to meet particular needs for subject
knowledge and research skills. While students
in this program must meet all general Graduate
School requirements for the Ph.D., their specific
program of study and research will be highly individualistic.
They are expected to work very closely throughout
their degree program with their doctoral advisory
committee and major professor.
Requirements
The Multidisciplinary Ph.D. requires both a high
degree of focus and a breadth of vision on the
part of the potential student. In return, it offers
an exciting opportunity to gain solid grounding
in multiple disciplines, in order to be able to
address increasingly complex research issues in
a rapidly changing world.
The doctoral student must earn a minimum of 54
graduate credits beyond the bachelor's degree.
Typically, a SOIS student comes into the Multidisciplinary
Ph.D. program with a master's degree, and completes
an additional 30-50 credits of graduate coursework.
The doctoral student must meet Graduate School
residency requirements. Towards the end of formal
coursework, each student must pass written and
oral candidacy examinations proving knowledge
of the subject areas studied. The capstone of
the Ph.D. program is the dissertation. After completion
of the dissertation, the Ph.D. candidate must
then defend it in an oral presentation before
the advisory committee. The Ph.D. is awarded upon
proof that the candidate is capable of performing
high quality research in his/her chosen field.
It is not granted merely because the candidate
has completed a prescribed number of courses.
Admission
Before applying to the program, students should
have a general idea of the research they want
to pursue. For the Multidisciplinary Ph.D. program,
prospective students must: 1) be admitted to the
"host" Ph.D. program; 2) apply to SOIS
for the Library/Information Studies focus and,
once admitted, obtain a SOIS major professor as
doctoral chair/advisor; 3) working with the SOIS
major professor, assemble the student's doctoral
faculty advisory committee (chaired by the major
professor); 4) within one year after admission
to the "host" program (or before completing
12 credits in the doctoral program), submit a
Multidisciplinary Ph.D. Degree Program Proposal
to the UWM Graduate School for approval. If the
Multidisciplinary Proposal is not approved, the
student has the option of continuing in the host
degree program. SOIS students in the Multidisciplinary
Ph.D. program have generally selected the Urban
Education Ph.D. program as their "host"
program. For additional information on admission
to Urban Education, contact Dr. Larry Martin,
Director, at 414-229-5754, or via email: lmartin@uwm.edu
Once admitted to the Multidisciplinary Ph.D.
program at the end of the first year of study,
the student's coursework, preliminary/qualifying
exam, and dissertation are overseen directly by
the student's doctoral advisory committee and
major professor. SOIS has a number of faculty
who are approved by the UWM Graduate School to
serve as major professors. See list of SOIS faculty
who are approved to serve as Major Advisors at:
http://www.soe.uwm.edu/pages/welcome/
Departments/Urban_Education/Major_Advisors
While each multidisciplinary experience is unique,
the following may help suggest avenues of interest.
Career Outcomes
Recent SOIS graduates of and current candidates
in the Multidisciplinary Ph.D. program (with an
emphasis in library/information science) are currently
employed as faculty in universities and colleges
and as program directors/administrators in academic
settings including libraries. Some examples of
recent dissertation topics by SOIS multidisciplinary
Ph.D. candidates include: Multicultural Children's
Literature; Multicultural Youth Materials Selection;
Articulating a Web Based Pedagogy; Role of the
Public Library in Home Schooling; Information
Technology in Tutoring; an Adaptive Information
Technology and Library Access.
Further information may be obtained by contacting
the chair of the SOIS Doctoral Committee at info@sois.uwm.edu;
or by calling 414-229-4707.
Please visit the School of Education website:
http://www.soe.uwm.edu/pages/welcome/Departments/Urban_Education
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