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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

Programs leading to doctoral and master’s degrees are available in a number of areas. TEAC-accredited programs in teacher preparation include early childhood, elementary, and secondary levels as well as a reading specialist program. Special education programs include both moderate and severe special needs. Programs in curriculum and instruction offer specialties in reading/literacy, math, science, and technology. A special ELL concentration, preparing students for multilingual classroom teaching, can be added to all teacher education programs. Administration programs are available in higher education/student personnel and educational administration for both public and Catholic school settings. A new Catholic school leadership concentration is available in both higher education and educational administration. Psychology programs are available in counseling psychology (APA accredited), mental health counseling, and school counseling (all leading to licensure), and applied developmental and educational psychology. A program in educational research, measurement, and evaluation provides students with expertise in research methodologies and educational assessment. Many of the programs prepare practitioners who are able to apply scholarship to the practical problems encountered in school or clinic activities and who engage in research and evaluation. Other programs focus on the development of research skills that are appropriate for more scholarly activity, leading to university positions. Applicants can obtain additional information by visting the Lynch School’s Web site (http://www.bc.edu/lynchschool). Dual-degree programs with Graduate Arts and Sciences, the Law School, the School of Theology and Ministry, and the School of Management are offered, and students are allowed to take some of their courses through a consortium of major universities in the Boston area. Both full-time and part-time studies are offered in many programs. Typical master’s programs require from 30 to 39 credits. A 60-credit master’s program in mental health counseling leads to licensure. Doctoral programs typically require a minimum of 54 credits beyond the master’s degree, as well as comprehensive examinations and a dissertation. In selected cases, the educational research, measurement, and evaluation program, the applied developmental psychology program, and the counseling psychology program admit students without the usual requirement of a master’s degree. Credit requirements for these direct admit programs vary.

Research Facilities

There are several research groups operating within the School, and students often participate in collaborative projects. Major research projects are conducted under the auspices of the six major centers and institutes located in the Lynch School, and most faculty members employ graduate research assistants. Excellent practicum sites are located in schools, clinics, and hospitals throughout greater Boston and especially in the Boston public schools, and students have opportunities to participate in research projects in these sites. The Boston College Campus School, which serves about 50 multiply disabled children, can be used as a research and practicum site for students in teacher education programs. There are nine international practice teaching sites in American schools abroad. The Journal of Teacher Education, Teaching Exceptional Children, the Journal for Educational Change, and the Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment are housed at the Lynch School. The Lynch School, in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences, is working with a $5-million grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of its “Teachers for New Era” initiative. The Center for International Higher Education serves as a center of dialogue and communication among academic institutions in the industrialized nations and in the developing countries of the Third World and is home to the journals Journal of Higher Education in Africa, Educational Policy, and International Higher Education. The Center for Child, Family, and Community Partnerships engages in outreach scholarship in areas affecting the life chances of youth and their families. The Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture works to promote understanding of race and culture through psychological study and related psychoeducational interventions. The Center for Human Rights and International Justice offers a certificate in human rights/justice.

Boston College has an extensive network infrastructure that offers Web-based access to student services and scholarly research. A large computer lab with an extensive collection of educationally oriented software is housed in the Educational Resource Center in the School of Education. The O’Neill Library houses the university’s major collections, including extensive collections in the areas of education and psychology. The online catalog provides access to more than 2 million volumes and periodicals in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences. An electronic network provides access to numerous Web and CD-ROM scholarly indexes. Boston College’s membership in the Boston Library Consortium provides access to nineteen major research libraries in the Boston area.

Financial Aid

Financial support is available for many graduate students. Teaching and research assistantships are offered to all incoming doctoral students. Research and training grants also provide support for a large number of students. The amount awarded depends on the source of funds and the amount of work required. Two Diversity Fellowships provide tuition remission of 18 credits for the academic year 2008–09 and a stipend of approximately $19,000, which is renewable. A number of doctoral programs extend a limited number of four-year fellowships to students with career interests in university research and teaching. Other special opportunities and scholarships include the Charles F. Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars program, which offers an award covering one half of tuition costs to academically talented applicants who are committed to urban education. The Peter Jay Sharp Teaching Scholars award offers $10,000 to 15 students pursuing careers in urban teaching who are underrepresented in the profession. The Catholic Educator Award provides varying amounts of support to students who are pursuing careers in Catholic schools. The Alumni Award is a special award sponsored by the School’s alumni and is offered to an incoming master’s degree student with outstanding academic credentials and promise for leadership in his or her chosen field. The William and Mary Lam Scholarship is awarded to a Chinese student committed to enhancing the educational experiences of poor rural students in China. It comprises a stipend and a generous tuition scholarship. Dean’s Awards (tuition scholarships) are offered to a select number of students based upon demonstrated financial need and evidence of commitment to the values of social equality and justice.

Cost of Study

Tuition was $1020 per credit for the 2008–09 academic year.

Living and Housing Costs

Most graduate students choose to live off campus in nearby apartments, and costs vary widely. The University Off-Campus Housing Office maintains lists of available housing and lists of students looking for roommates, and hosts a housing fair each June. Local realtors are quite helpful. A limited number of on-campus resident assistant positions are available for qualified applicants. New university-leased housing residences are now available to graduate students in three newly renovated buildings very close to campus (http://bc.edu/gradhousing). Rents include all utilities plus cable and broadband.

Student Group

There are more than 1,000 graduate students in the Lynch School of Education, representing a wide variety of national and cultural backgrounds. Since the specific program that the student enters has much to do with employment prospects after graduation, it is difficult to generalize about placement, but Lynch School programs have a very high placement rate. Students participate in the Graduate Education Association, which is involved in both academic and social activities.

Location

Metropolitan Boston offers a fine setting for graduate study. The numerous local colleges make the city a mecca for students seeking academic, social, and cultural enrichment. The Boston College campus, located in beautiful Chestnut Hill, a short distance from downtown Boston, offers many fine programs and facilities for cultural and athletic pursuits.

The College

Founded in 1863, Boston College is now the largest Jesuit university in the United States. The total graduate student enrollment of approximately 5,000 is distributed among seven schools: the Lynch School of Education, the Law School, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Social Work, the Wallace E. Carroll Graduate School of Management, the Connell School of Nursing, and the Woods College of Advancing Studies. The Lynch School of Education at Boston College is consistently ranked in the top 20 (number 18 in 2008) education schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report‘s annual survey.

Applying

Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the Lynch School’s Web site and apply using the online application. The Web site also lists application deadlines, requirements, and other helpful information.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Department of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation
• Larry H. Ludlow, Department Chair; Ph.D., Chicago. Psychometrics, course evaluations, Rasch measurement models, teaching statistics, teacher testing.
• Harry Braun, Ph.D., Stanford. Mathematical statistics and stochastic modeling, analysis of large-scale assessment data, test design, expert systems, assessment technology.
• Walter M. Haney, Ed.D., Harvard. Testing and public policy, exploratory data analysis, cheating on tests.
• Michael Martin, Ph.D., University College Dublin. International comparisons of student achievement, educational measurement, research methodology, statistical analysis and statistical computing.
• Ina Mullis, Ph.D., Colorado. Design, development, and implementation of large-scale national and international assessments; policy analysis and reporting.
• Laura M. O’Dwyer, Ph.D., Boston College. International comparative studies and the effects of organizational characteristics on individualized outcomes, recently focusing on impacts of school organizational characteristics on adoption of technology as a teaching and learning tool.
• Joseph J. Pedulla, Ph.D., Boston College. Impact of testing on public policy, alternative assessment, program evaluation.
• Michael Russell, Ph.D., Boston College. Technology and assessment, computer-based testing, impact of computers on teaching and learning.
• Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology
• M. Brinton Lykes, Department Chair; M.Div., Harvard; Ph.D., Boston College. Gender, culture, and theories of self; effects of state-sponsored terror and organized violence; human rights; participatory action research; community-based strategies for change.
• David Blustein, Ph.D., Columbia. School to work transition, career development, socioeconomic class issues, group psychotherapy.
• M. Beth Casey, Ph.D., Brown. Biological/environmental interactions on gender differences in spatial/mathematical skills, planning and problem solving, ADHD, handedness.
• Rebekah Levine Coley, Ph.D., Michigan. Urban families, father-child relationships, poverty, child care, federal welfare policy.
• Eric Dearing, Ph.D., New Hampshire. Child development within impoverished and dangerous contexts, parenting and parent-child relationships, self-regulatory processes.
• Anderson J. Franklin, Honorable David S. Nelson Professional Chair in Education; Ph.D., Oregon. Resilience and psychological well-being of African Americans, especially African American men.
• Lisa Goodman, Ph.D., Boston University. Domestic violence and institutional responses, psychological trauma among homeless and seriously mentally ill women.
• Penny Hauser-Cram, Ed.D., Harvard. Development of children with disabilities and of children living in poverty, program evaluation.
• Janet E. Helms, Augustus Long Chair; Ph.D., Iowa State. Racial identity, psychological testing, racial/cultural counseling and psychotherapy.
• Maureen E. Kenny; Associate Dean of Faculty and Academics; Ph.D., Pennsylvania. Adolescent-family relationships, psychosocial factors and adolescent depression, preventive interventions for promoting positive youth development.
• Jacqueline V. Lerner, Ph.D., Penn State. Contexts of child development, temperament, maternal employment, early adolescent transitions, life span development.
• Belle Liang, Ph.D., Michigan State. Community intervention and prevention from cross-cultural and developmental perspectives (social support and mentoring in adolescence and young adulthood), trauma recovery and resiliency.
• Joan Lucariello, Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center. Cognitive development, language development, cultural psychology, sociocultural effects on cognition.
• James R. Mahalik, Ph.D., Maryland. Gender role strain, effects of gender role socialization on men’s experiences with counseling and psychotherapy.
• Elizabeth Sparks, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies; Ph.D., Boston College. Prevention and intervention with children affected by community violence; multicultural issues in counseling psychology; the intersection of culture, race, and feminist psychology.
• Marina Vasilyeva, Ph.D., Chicago. Cognitive development with a particular interest in the relationship between environmental factors and intellectual growth.
• Mary E. Walsh, Daniel E. Kearns Chair; Ph.D., Clark. Developmental conceptions of illness (including AIDS) across the life span, homeless mothers and children, interprofessional collaboration in urban schools and agencies.
• Department of Teacher Education/Special Education and Curriculum and Instruction
• Maria Estela Brisk, Department Chair; Ph.D., New Mexico. Bilingualism, bilingual education, literacy development.
• Lillie R. Albert, Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Writing to learn, application of Vygotskian psychology to mathematical problem solving, social justice education.
• Michael Barnett, Ed.D., Indiana. Science and technology education.
• Susan Bruce, Ph.D., Michigan State. Communication intervention models in the home and classroom, Web-based teaching, learning in higher education.
• Marilyn Cochran-Smith, John E. Cawthorne Professor of Education; Ph.D., Pennsylvania. Teacher education across the professional life span; race, class, culture, and gender; teacher research/practical inquiry; children’s early language and literacy learning.
• Curt Dudley-Marling, Ph.D., Wisconsin–Madison. Reading problems, needs of diverse learners, teaching as a moral enterprise, impact of school failure on families.
• Audrey A. Friedman, Ph.D., Boston College. Developing reflective judgment in adolescents and adults, alternative assessment.
• Andrew Hargreaves, Thomas More Brennan Chair; Ph.D., Leeds (England). Teacher development, culture of the school, education reform, sustainable leadership.
• Richard M. Jackson, Ed.D., Columbia. Assistive technology, low vision, delivery of services for children with disabilities.
• Katherine McNeill, Ph.D., Michigan. Science education; supporting students in scientific inquiry, explanation, and argumentation; design and enactment of science curriculum materials.
• Patrick J. McQuillan, Ph.D., Brown. School reform, impact of concentrated poverty on educational achievement, student empowerment, anthropology and education.
• Mariela Paez, Ed.D., Harvard. Early childhood education and English language learners with an emphasis on variations in language and early literacy skills related to home environments, immigration histories, and ethnic background.
• Alec F. Peck, Ph.D., Pennsylvania. Attention-deficit disorder, technology for people with disabilities, educational technology.
• C. Patrick Procter, Ed.D., Harvard. Bilingualism, literacy development, reading comprehension, special education and English learners, literacy and technology, immigration, autism and developmental delays.
• Claudia Rinaldi, Ph.D., Miami (Florida). Language competence and social behavior of children with emotional and behavioral disorders, relationship between children’s pragmatic language abilities and cultural background, oral reading fluency.
• David J. Scanlon, Ph.D., Arizona. Learning disabilities, inclusion, literacy, social implications of special education.
• Michael Schiro, Ed.D., Harvard. Mathematics education, curriculum theory, children’s literature.
• Dennis L. Shirley, Ed.D., Harvard. Models of community organizing for school reform, history of education.
• Lisa Patel Stevens, Ph.D., Nevada. Critical literacy with a focus on analysis of adolescent discourses, content area literacy, and high-stakes assessment; educational policy in literacy.
• Department of Educational Administration and Higher Education
• Ana M. Martínez-Alemán, Department Chair; Ed.D., Massachusetts Amherst. Higher education; race, culture, and gender; feminist theory and pedagogy; cross-cultural studies.
• Philip G. Altbach, J. Donald Monan Chair in Education; Ph.D., Chicago. Comparative education, higher education, international education, student political activism, the academic profession, knowledge networks.
• Karen Arnold, Ph.D., Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Women in higher education, student development, academic talent development, American elites.
• Irwin Blumer, Ed.D., Boston College. Educational leadership, relationship between systems and schools, racism, improving instruction, unionism.
• Joseph O’Keefe, S.J., Dean; M.Div., Weston Jesuit School of Theology; Ed.D., Harvard. Urban Catholic schools, international comparative education, ethics.
• Diana C. Pullin, Ph.D., J.D., Iowa. Testing and the law, equity issues in testing, education law and policy, rights of students with disabilities, teacher performance assessment.
• Robert J. Starratt, Ed.D., Illinois. Renewal in Catholic school systems, leadership, learning environments, building ethical schools.
• Elizabeth M. Twomey, Ed.D., Boston College. Education administration, relationships of boards/administration, roles of principal and superintendent, leadership in school reform.
• Ted I. K. Youn, Ph.D., Yale. Qualitative methods, sociology and politics of education, organizational theory, the academic profession, the American elite.

Correspondence and Information

Boston College
Adam Poluzzi
Director of Admission and Financial Aid
Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services
Lynch School of Education
Campion Hall, Room 135
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467-3813
Telephone: 617-552-4214
Email: lsadmissions@bc.edu