Doctorate in educational research Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes

The Doctorate in Educational Research offers three lines of knowledge generation and application (LAGC):

• Line of Educational Evaluation in basic education.
• Lines of Institutions and Actors of Higher and Higher Secondary Education.
• Line of Basic Intellectual and Academic Competences in Higher and Higher Education.

Within the framework of these lines of research, PhD students develop original research projects, which represent contributions to the advancement of knowledge and / or understanding of relevant educational problems. The above, based on an advanced and critical understanding of the genesis, structure and problems involved in the development of the national educational system, as well as the educational policies of Mexico in itself and in the international context.

General objective

The Doctorate in Educational Research will train high-level specialists with the skills to design and carry out original research projects that involve new ways of understanding the educational problem and contribute to the knowledge of education and educational systems as well as to the solution of their problems and the improvement of their quality; the above in the priority lines for the educational development that the program offers, and to attend them at the local, regional and national levels, within a globalized framework.

Specific objectives

The Doctorate in Educational Research will promote that its students:

• Identify and select relevant research problems based on a critical assessment of the national education system.
• Integrate a solid theoretical perspective in the explanation of educational problems, based on their knowledge of the main disciplines that study education and its contribution to the understanding of educational phenomena.
• Know how to consistently apply the main methodological and technical traditions of the field of educational research and value the elements they provide for the development of research and management activities.
• Integrate effectively the theoretical and empirical dimensions of scientific work, and use reasonably the methodological and technical approaches most appropriate to the research activity they perform, thus forming independent researchers and can also contribute to decision-making relevant.
• Develop a positive attitude towards education, its study and the promotion of its improvement with support in the knowledge generated through systematic research processes.

Egress's profile

The graduate of the Doctorate in Educational Research must be able to design and carry out - individually or collectively, but always with an outstanding personal contribution - original research projects, representing contributions to the advancement of knowledge and / or understanding of relevant educational problems . The difference between doctoral and master's graduates will be the high-level independent work capacity, which is broken down into the following traits:

The PhD student in Educational Research may show that he / she has acquired and mastered a set of knowledge, skills and attitudes in accordance with the program's mission, vision and objectives. The traits of the profile of the graduate are these:

Knowledge :

• Advanced understanding and criticism of the genesis, structure and problems involved in the development of the national educational system, as well as the educational policies of Mexico in itself and in the international context.
• Solvent management of the epistemological foundation of scientific knowledge and the main approaches of research in general and educational in particular.
• Advanced state of the art and current debates on the theoretical, methodological and technical knowledge of the research topic of his thesis work.
• Solvent management of a wide range of techniques for obtaining, systematizing and analyzing information.

Skills :

• Advanced ability to identify relevant educational research topics.
• Advanced ability to design original research projects, applying the scientific perspective in the approach and test of hypotheses or conjectures.
• Advanced ability to search, analyze and systematize relevant literature.
• Advanced ability to use information gathering techniques.
• Advanced ability to treat, systematize and analyze empirical information under different methodological approaches.
• High competence to compose research reports and texts with the necessary characteristics to be accepted in academic publications.
• Complex ability for reflection, analysis and critical thinking.
• Complex ability to express your ideas verbally and in writing.

Attitudes :

• Commitment to the study and analysis of the development needs of educational systems and willingness to contribute to their satisfaction.
• Openness and tolerance to different conceptions of the educational phenomenon and to epistemological, theoretical and methodological approaches different from the own.
• Opening for collaborative work and in interdisciplinary teams.
• Understanding the role of research for the knowledge of educational reality and its relationship with the proposal of alternative solutions as well as with decision-making and its actors.
• Critical posture to the academic work of own and others and recognition of the role of dialogue to open and explore alternatives.

Values :

• Reaffirmation of ethical principles and, in particular, intellectual honesty, social responsibility, respect due to the subjects involved in research, pluralism and tolerance.

Requirements for obtaining the degree

1. Have at least one refereed product that disseminates thesis results (published or favorably), preferably in collaboration with the tutor.

2. To accredit the pre-doctoral examination whose purpose is to verify the quality of thesis work in a way that can be defended in a public way. It must be done once the student has covered all subjects and activities of the curriculum, has a final draft of the work (product of the sixth semester) and has obtained a minimum average of 8 (eight) during his studies. For this the Academic Council will appoint a committee of five members: the three members of the tutorial committee, and two more academics (at least one outside the UAA). The result may be:

• Accredited: The thesis will be printed in order to take the degree examination. Approval of the five members of the committee will be required.
• Accredited with recommendations: The student will proceed to solve the questions and make the necessary corrections in the term that is indicated.
• Non-accredited: The student will follow the recommendations to improve their work and may retake the exam. It will have as limit the year that the Regulation.

3. To carry out the examination of degree, consisting in the public defense of the thesis in accordance with the regulations of the UAA.