It is essential for the effective conduct of educational and training services that educational leaders be aware of developments within society and able to locate their practice within the wider context. They should be able to understand educational leadership, planning, and policy-making concepts, theories, and practices and critically analyze the forces which appear to be determining that nature of practices, the associated changes in services, and the implications for education professionals and learners. To do this, they must also be able to understand the nature and characteristics of data and information through diverse research approaches and to appreciate differing conceptions of what might constitute “evidence” or substantiation of a claim in academic, professional, and public domains.

This Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Planning, Policy, and Management (EPPM) program is concerned with research studies of the interconnections between theories, concepts, and policy and professional practices in the field of education. This program is designed for individuals aspiring to rise to senior positions in the field of education that involve in planning, policy-making, and leadership. Another beneficiary group is individuals who need scholarly preparation for university teaching and research.

The Ph.D. program is designed to cultivate informed, philosophical leaders and professors whose primary role in education is to develop human generations capable of facing complex challenges in the emerging knowledge society. These leading educators will be equipped with knowledge and skills required for effective leadership of educational institutions, planning, and policies. Program participants explore the current trends and issues influencing educational planning, policy-making, and leadership. The program also examines approaches to improving the quality of education through discussions on national and international quality assurance systems, comparative education studies, and educational planning. In addition, program participants study and carry out advanced research methodologies with the supervision of experienced scholarly researchers.

Major: Educational Planning, Policy, and Management

Note:

(1)Statistical Methods in Education EDUC 712 is pre-requisite for Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative EDUC 715.

(2) Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative EDUC 715 is pre-requisite for all non-coursework.

- Students must pass a comprehensive examination before enrolling for dissertation writing. For further information regarding these non-coursework requirements, please see the PUC Handbook for Graduate Students.

Course Description

EDUC 710       Educational and Social Development: A Historical Perspective

This course presents historical development of education, how it evolved into its current position in the academic hierarchy, and contemporary factors that help to reinforce that position. Discussion is focused on the development of high schools and universities: their organization, curriculum, and instruction and their relationships with society.

 EDUC 714       Leadership in Organizations

This course is divided into two parts: personal leadership and organizational leadership. The first part covers concepts, skills, and strategies of personal/professional transformation that are the foundation of organizational leadership appropriate to the diverse communities in which individuals work. Topics include, but are not limited to, time management, personal vision, establishing a proactive stance, serving in a community with diverse populations, managing conversations, creating a context for innovation, maintaining personal well-being, and the refinement of an understanding of the self. This creates a principle-based platform for applying the theories and practices of organization leadership. The second part reflects a dual concern for theory and practice. It provides a detailed explanation and critical evaluation of major leadership theories/models and a comprehensive review and evaluation of empirical research on organizational leadership practices.

 EDUC 712       Statistical Methods in Education

This course introduces quantitative methods in educational research to doctoral students, with little or no prior knowledge in statistics. Topics include organization of data, descriptive statistics, methods of inference, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, etc. Computer applications with SPSS statistical software are emphasized in order to facilitate the teaching and learning process.

EDUC 715       Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative

This course aims to build in-depth understanding of and skills in research methodology. Quantitative methodologies for descriptive, correlational, and experimental questions will be examined. This includes research designs, methods of data collection suitable for answering a variety of educational research questions, methods of data analysis and interpretation, and other relevant aspects of quantitative research in education. Through this course various qualitative research methods and strategies will be emphasized. Students will acquire the knowledge, dispositions, and critical thinking skills necessary for conducting field research and apply these skills to designing and implementing applied research projects that create knowledge for solving dilemmas related to educational leadership, management, planning and policy.

 EDUC 713       Education and Its Policy: Analysis of Current Issues and Trends

The course aims to enhance in-depth understanding of the concepts and practices of policy in the field of education with special focus on the use of social knowledge in policy formation. Specifically, it explores the Cambodia and ASEAN’s policymaking processes in all its stages including problem identification, agenda setting, policy formation, policy adoption, implementation and evaluation. Also, it examines empirical evidence and related theories which bear on the question of the role of education in contributing to social and economic equality.

 EDUC 741       Specialized Curriculum Studies

This course aims to enhance the students’ knowledge and skills in curriculum planning, implementation, and evaluation in the light of management functions, concerns, and issues. The main aim of this course is to enable the students to conduct an audit to determine the degree to which the written, taught, and tested curricula of a selected educational institution are aligned and the extent to which the institution’s resources are organized to support development and delivery of the curricula.

 EDUC 742       International and Comparative Education

This course discusses past and current issues in educational settings. It focuses on comparing and contrasting policies, directions, trends, structures, and governance of the Cambodian educational system and other countries’ educational systems. Particularly, students will discuss issues and trends and their implications in the planning and implementation of higher education, impact of globalization, dependency, gender, and decentralization on higher education and differences in educational systems in terms of policies and practices in higher education across nations.

 EDUC 745       Quality Assurance in Higher Education

This course examines various quality assurance systems of higher education in the world. Basic concepts and theories of educational management and leadership and quality assurance, including external and internal quality assurance, are fundamental to enhance the students’ in-depth understanding of the practices. Some prominent quality assurance agencies at the national, regional and global levels, such as ACC, CHEA, APQN, INQAAHE, and ISO will be presented for thorough discussion. In addition, some cases of selected countries such as Cambodia, the Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, the USA, etc. will be analyzed to draw implications for benchmarking purposes. 

 EDUC 746       Strategic Planning and Management

This integrating course focuses on the concepts of strategic planning and management and their applications to educational field. Students learn to relate the knowledge and skills about organizational strategic planning and management acquired in the classroom setting to actual situations. At the end of the course, the students are expected to establish an organizational strategic plan that is responsive to their organization’s needs and available resources.

 EDUC 725       Seminar on Dissertation Writing

This seminar is intended to improve the quality of students’ proposed research topics for a project paper, a thesis, or a dissertation. This course is therefore designed to introduce the students to the critical aspects of their proposed topic by openly sharing and soliciting from co-participants specialized and technical types of research techniques. Students will learn to write the introduction chapter, the literature review chapter, and the research methodology chapter.  Guided by the professor of this course the students will learn to critique some selected current project papers, theses, and dissertations. Subsequently, the students will apply their knowledge obtained from the critiquing and related literature to improving their research proposals.

 EDUC 726       Article Presentations in Relevant Academic Seminars

This course does not require the student to attend a regular class, but he/she has to work closely with an assigned professor or advisor whose job is to provide advice in writing a scholarly paper and seeking opportunities to orally present that paper in a specialized, local and/or international workshop, conference, or seminar relevant to the student’s academic program. Technical supports may include writing an acceptable abstract, preparing interesting PowerPoint slides, and preparing for possible questions.

EDUC 727       Publication in Local and/or International Journal I

This course does not require the student to attend a regular class, but he/she has to work closely with an assigned professor or advisor whose job is to provide advice in writing a publishable paper and seeking opportunities to publish that scholarly paper in a specialized, local and/or international journal. The professor or advisor is expected to help the student choose an appropriate topic for a scholarly paper or edit or give comments on a draft paper, possibly the paper taken from the EDUC 726 course. Publication is the target of this course.

EDUC 728       Publication in Local and/or International Journal II

Like the EDUC 727 course, this course aims to help the student publish a scholarly paper in a specialized, local and/or international journal.

EDUC 730       Dissertation

Only those students who have passed the comprehensive examination can enroll for EDUC 730 Ph.D. Dissertation. The dissertation writing proceeds through five major phases as follows:

Phase 1:     - Chapters 1, 2, and 3: Introduction, Review of Related Literature, and Methodology

- With official approval from the advisor, the student can apply for a dissertation proposal  defense

- Dissertation Proposal Defense

Phase 2:     - Data collection, organization, and analysis

Phase 3:     - Chapter 4: Results Interpretation and Discussion

Phase 4:     - Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

- Completion of the final draft of dissertation

- Official approval from the advisor

- Submission of the final draft of the dissertation to the Faculty of Education

- Dissertation Final Defense (open to the public)

Phase 5:     - Revising and binding the final draft approved by the advisor, panel chair, and all   panelists

Note: The students who do not complete the dissertation in four terms must apply for a dissertation writing extension.