The purpose of the Research Area Requirement is to ensure that all doctoral students in the College of Education have sufficient coursework to attain proficiency in at least one research methodology and can conduct independent dissertation research. Four areas of research – Interpretive, Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed-Methods – represent the methodologies prevalent in education research. It is intended that the choice of a focus area will be consistent with a student’s dissertation research. Full description of the requirements, focus area, course descriptions, and additional information about the research requirements are included in the College of Education’s Graduate Handbook.