Community Research and Action, PhD

Location(s): University Downtown Center

The doctoral program in Community Research and Action prepares students for academic or policy-related careers as public scholars focused on addressing critical community issues. The curriculum draws from varied disciplines (e.g., anthropology, criminology, geography, sociology, and psychology) to research the dynamic interplay among individuals, the organizations serving them, and the communities (including schools and college campuses) in which they are embedded. Students entering the program typically have several years of practice experience in one or more fields, including education, counseling, human services, public administration, social work, and student affairs administration, as well as a commitment to social justice, health and well-being, human rights, public service, social welfare and/or community transformation.

Students are encouraged to collaborate with faculty to develop research studies that advance individual, organizational, and/or community health and wellness, build empowerment, and seek social justice. Working alongside faculty in schools and communities and on college campuses, students in the program research issues such as local food insecurity, college-student drinking, and mental health care for refugees. Graduates of the Community Research and Action doctoral program are trained for careers as researchers in various settings, including academia, research institutions, and policy institutes.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the doctoral program should have a master’s degree in counseling, human development, psychology, public administration, social work, sociology, political science, student affairs, education, or another related social science discipline or profession.

Students are admitted to the program once per year. Applications received by January 15 will be fully considered for admission and funding in the fall of the same calendar year. Applications received after this date will be given equal consideration, but support can only be given to the extent funds are available. Applications received after May 1 will be moved to the next application cycle. Completed applications for admission to the doctoral program must follow the guidelines outlined by the Graduate School at Binghamton University.

The Doctoral Program Committee evaluates applications. Competitive funding packages, including tuition, annual stipend, and comprehensive health insurance, are available for highly qualified candidates who intend to study full-time. Individuals who want to pursue the degree part-time may also apply, although some courses are only offered during the day.

Applications must include:

Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate level coursework.
Curriculum vitae or resume.
Written statement of approximately 2-3 (single-spaced) pages that describe: (a) the applicant’s training and professional background as well as interest in issues facing communities; (b) research interests and associated relationship(s) to social justice, health and well-being, human rights, public service, social welfare and/or community transformation; (c) career goals (academic, research or policy-related) associated with pursuing a research degree; and (d) two or three faculty members in the College of Community and Public Affairs who could be potential advisors and why.
Three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic background and record that address the potential for advanced graduate study.
If an international student, proof of English proficiency and immigration and financial documentation must be submitted. International students should visit the Graduate School website for additional details and specific requirements.

Selected applicants may interview with faculty. Applicants are typically notified in writing of final admissions decisions in March.

Program Requirements

Course Requirements

Students pursuing the PhD in Community Research and Action must complete a total of 33 post-master credits plus an additional 1-2 dissertation credits, as follows:

Required Core Courses (these or equivalents are required) (9 credits)
- CCPA 610 Positionality, Social Justice, and the Politics of Knowledge Production
- CCPA 611 Conceptualizing and Researching Community
- CCPA 612 Power and Policy for Social Change
Five Research Methods Courses (15 credits)
Three Elective Courses (9 credits)
Dissertation Course (1-2 credits)

Selection of elective courses is carefully made to advance a minor area of study (e.g., health systems, social justice and education, qualitative research) defined by students in consultation with their advisors. Students may take a total of six credits of independent studies/directed research (CCPA 697 and 690) as electives and/or advanced research courses. Each independent study or directed research experience must be accompanied by a written proposal (template provided by the PhD director or administrative assistant).

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination will occur only after students complete their coursework. Students must pass the examination to advance to candidacy and proceed to the dissertation proposal. Administration of comprehensive exams may occur during any semester, depending on the student’s progression through the program and the availability of committee members. Committee membership must include the primary advisor and two (2) additional tenure or tenure-track faculty members, typically from CCPA. Funded students must sit for their examination before their third year to be eligible for the final year of funding.
During coursework, the student and the primary advisor should work together to plan for completing the Comprehensive Examination. There are two options for completing the Comprehensive Examination. In the first option, the advisor (with feedback from committee members) develops three questions that address theory and research as well as the application of both to real-world practice and policy. These questions will be grounded in the learning from the program’s core and research classes and the student’s area of concentration. The questions should also assist the doctoral student with the initial stages of conceptualizing their dissertation through applying theory and research to their areas of interest. In the second option, doctoral students document their scholarship and progress toward their ability to engage in independent research activities by completing two important documents: (a) a comprehensive, systematic review of literature and (b) manuscript authorship. For both options, the questions must be grounded in the learning from the program’s core and research classes and the student’s area of concentration. Doctoral students and advisors should use the CRA Doctoral Student Handbook as a guide for meeting the expectations of either option.
Committee members will evaluate the written comprehensive examination within two weeks (14 calendar days). Students will also schedule a two-hour oral examination with their committee members to receive feedback and respond to additional questions. This examination includes areas in which the student needs to demonstrate further proficiency beyond the level demonstrated in the written responses. Primary advisors should tell students which areas they might be before the meeting so they can adequately prepare. Committee members will evaluate the students’ responses (both written and oral) as high pass, pass or fail. Two-thirds of the committee must evaluate performance on the exam as pass and/or high pass for a student to advance to candidacy. All/or portions of the comprehensive examination may be repeated (using new questions) once. They will be scheduled no sooner than four weeks and no longer than 12 weeks from the previous oral examination date. Students must retake the comprehensive examination and be evaluated as passing by two-thirds of the committee members before proceeding with the dissertation proposal. Failure of a second comprehensive examination results in dismissal from the program.

Students have five years to complete the doctorate after passing the comprehensive examination.

Proposal Defense Meeting

After choosing a topic with feedback from the primary advisor and other committee members, the doctoral student prepares a detailed proposal for independent research activities. If choosing to complete a traditional dissertation, this typically includes preparing the first three (3) chapters. Doctoral students selecting the three-paper format should prepare the introductory chapter and details for the specific plans for completing the three articles. Additional details can be found in the CRA Doctoral Program Handbook. Once the primary advisor and committee members feel confident the doctoral student is prepared to propose their research, the student schedules a two-hour proposal defense meeting to obtain committee approval before the research is carried out. The proposal meeting is scheduled by students only after passing comprehensive examinations and receiving approval to do so from primary advisors (this typically occurs within three to six months after passing comprehensive exams).

Students initiate these arrangements through the doctoral program staff several weeks ahead of time. The student also drafts all Human Subjects forms (if required) for the research proposal. The written proposal should be given to the committee members at least two weeks before the meeting.

The dissertation proposal meeting should include a 15-20 minute presentation by the student on the aims and scope of the proposed project for the committee. After the presentation, the committee will ask specific questions about the project and offer recommendations to the proposed research. The committee must unanimously approve the dissertation proposal. After the meeting, the primary advisor and the student will meet to discuss the required revisions. Students must revise their dissertation proposals and send them to committee members for final approval within 30 days.

Dissertation Committee

When the student and primary advisor have agreed upon the focus for the dissertation research, committee membership will be reviewed and, if necessary, revised so that the most appropriate advisors and committee members will be available to support the student through the stages of designing and conducting the research, analyzing the data and writing the dissertation. The dissertation committee must have a minimum of three members and will also include an outside examiner.

Dissertation

Community Research and Action doctoral program students can complete a traditional dissertation or an alternative three-paper format.
The traditional format includes at least five chapters, as outlined in the CRA doctoral student handbook.

The three-paper format includes sharply focused and thematically linked manuscripts representing the student’s original scholarship and sole authorship. These papers should be targeted to journals identified by students in consultation with their committee members. The three-paper dissertation also requires an introductory and closing chapter. More detailed information can be found in the CRA doctoral student handbook.

Completed dissertations typically range from 150-200 pages in length.

Dissertation Defense

Dissertations are submitted to the Graduate School electronically. Students must submit their final dissertation and contact the Graduate School for specific guidelines. When the student has completed the dissertation and has made revisions to the satisfaction of the primary advisor and committee members, the final oral defense of the dissertation is scheduled. Committee members should receive the dissertation at least a month before the defense and unanimously approve the draft before the defense is scheduled. A request to the Graduate School to add an outside examiner will be initiated by the PhD program director no later than one month before the defense.

The final oral defense will be two hours long, beginning with a 20-30 minute presentation of the research by the candidate.

The defense is open to anyone wishing to attend and will be advertised to the broader campus community. The defense is a public examination, and the primary advisor is responsible for ensuring that the examination is open and impartial, allowing reasonable opportunities for members of the committee and outside observers to question the candidate about the dissertation.

To pass, the student must receive the unanimous approval of the dissertation committee approved by the Graduate School.
If, at the final examination, the examiners generally approve of the dissertation but require significant changes and are not yet prepared to sign the Recommendation for Award of Doctoral Degree Form, the primary advisor will coordinate with other members of the committee to compile all required changes and will inform the student of the scope and substance of those changes. The examining committee will establish how the changes will be reviewed and approved.

The vice provost and dean of the Graduate School may void any dissertation defense that is not carried out in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Graduate School. In addition, upon recommendation of the vice provost and dean’s appointed outside examiner, the vice provost and dean may declare a dissertation defense null and void.

Remote Participation in Dissertation Defenses

Dissertation defenses may take place on campus and require the attendance of the dissertation committee, including the outside examiner. Committee members or the outside examiner may participate in the defense via real-time video conferencing. In special cases, the student may also request to have the oral presentation of their dissertation via video-conferencing. In exceptional circumstances, when one dissertation committee member cannot be present (either physically or virtually), he or she may submit questions and comments in writing. Such arrangements must be approved in advance by the PhD program director and must have the unanimous consent of all other members of the dissertation committee and the student. In all instances, the primary advisor and the outside examiner must be physically or virtually present to observe the process.
All video conferencing and other virtual media arrangements must meet the Graduate School’s expectations.

PhD Milestone Summary

Because individual circumstances may vary, students are strongly encouraged to consult with their primary advisor about their progress through the program. Students must be admitted to candidacy (i.e., successfully pass their comprehensive examination) within five years of admission to the Graduate School, and doctoral candidates must complete all requirements for the degree, including the dissertation, within five years after admission to doctoral candidacy. A student may petition for an extension of the time limit by submitting a request to the PhD program director. If s/he endorses the request, the director then forwards it to the Graduate School for final action by the vice provost and dean of the Graduate School.

Program of Study Meeting - Semester 2 (FT), Semester 2 (PT)
Complete Coursework - Semester 4 (FT), Semester 8 (PT)
Comprehensive Examination - Semester 4 (FT), Semester 8 (PT)
Dissertation Proposal - Semester 5 (FT), Semester 7-9 (PT)
Dissertation Defense - Semester 6 (FT), Semester 9-11 (PT)

Additional Information about the Program

In addition to maintaining an overall GPA of 3.0, students must repeat any course required for the degree when they have earned a grade of C+ or lower.

Course Substitution or Waiver Requests
Normally, no doctoral courses completed in another program or at another institution will be accepted in transfer. Substitutions or waivers for core and research courses are unusual. A written request for substitutions or waivers for core or research courses, including the academic justification, must be forwarded to the PhD program director. If approved, the course waiver or substitution will be clearly documented.

Academic Grievance
If a student has a complaint about a grade or other academic grievances, they should first try to resolve any grievance with their instructor. If the student wishes to pursue further action after meeting with the course instructor, he or she should meet with their program director or department chair to discuss options. A copy of the CCPA Grievance Procedure is available from the CCPA Dean’s Office.

For more information on the Community Research and Action Ph.D. program, please refer to the Community and Public Affairs department website for more information. To apply to the Community Research and Action Ph.D. program please visit the University Admissions website.