A PhD in educational administration trains student for jobs at the elementary, high-school and college level, and includes courses in school finance, school law, school organization and administration and school facilities planning and management. Clemson University in South Carolina; University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; Saint Louis University in Missouri and the University of California in Irvine all offer doctorates in educational administration. The University of Pennsylvania's PhD in Higher Education is a 20 course program that prepares students for careers in higher education administration. Classes include educational psychology, schools and community development, philosophical aspects of educational policy and sociolinguistics in education.
A PhD in library and information science trains students to understand how information is disseminated and used in society, and includes instruction in information resources, literature and library operation and administration. Schools that offer this degree include Indiana University in Bloomington; University of Tennessee in Knoxville; University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, which was ranked first in the 2009 "U.S. News & World Report" listings of top library and information studies schools.(See References 4) The university offers a three-year PhD in Library and Information Science (LIS), that is research-oriented and designed for graduates to find work in public institutions, academia and private businesses. Typical coursework includes the history and foundation of library information science, a research methods seminar and a research presentation.
A PhD in religious education and ministry provides students the training to pursue work as teachers in religious and theological studies in churches and religious organizations, and also offers continuing education for students who hold bachelor's and master's degrees in ministry or other religious fields of study. A number of schools and universities confer doctorates in religious education, including Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Forth Worth; Texas, Temple Baptist Seminary in Chattanooga; Tennessee, Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and the Graduate Theological Foundation in Mishawaka, Indiana, which has developed a 36-credit Doctor of Education program designed to train ministry professionals to work as adult and child teachers in the ministry. Requirements for admission include a master's degree of education in theology, pastoral studies or administration and five years of education experience. The program can be completed in as little as 18 months, but must be completed in a maximum of 48 months. Units of study include a course in research methodology, a course in clinical pastoral education and a final doctoral project.
A doctorate in early childhood education is designed to train students to work in administration, organization or teaching of young children from preschool to early elementary school age. The University of Georgia in Athens, University of Houston in Texas and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, are among the institutions that have established PhD programs in early childhood education. The University of Georgia's PhD in Early Childhood Education focuses on theory development and research in early childhood education as it relates to children, childhood, families and teachers in and out of schools. Applicants must have a bachelor's and master's degree from an accredited institution, a 3.5 grade point average, a total GRE score of 1000 (with a minimum score of 450 on the the verbal and quantitative subsections), and three years of teaching experience with children. Students are given six years to complete the PhD program.