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Instructional Design and Technology awards two different doctoral degrees: the Ed.D and Ph. D. They differ in the number of credit hours required and the residency requirements.

	Credit Hours	Residency Requirements
Ed.D.	The Ed.D degree requires a minimum of 90 credit hours including 12 credit hours of research coursework and 24 credit hours of dissertation. Minimum course requirements (see below) are the same for Ed.D and Ph.D. students.	One year of residency is required for the Ed.D. degree. Resident full-time study for Ed.D. may be satisfied in two consecutive semesters or one semester and summer session or with two consecutively attended summer sessions.
Ph.D.	The Ph.D degree requires a minimum of 96 credit hours including 12 hours of research coursework and 30 credit hours of dissertation. Minimum course requirements (see below) are the same for Ed.D and Ph.D. students.	The Ph.D requires two years of residency. Resident full-time study for Ph.D. students must be satisfied in two consecutive academic years (excluding summers).

Residency Requirements

A plan of residence should be approved for each student. Students must include on the Plan of Study a statement of the manner in which the residence will be completed. The following requirements must be met during each semester of residency:

• Students must be enrolled full-time (9 credit hours per semester of residency).
• Students are expected to be present on campus at least three days per week.
• Students may not be employed more than 1/2 time during their residency.

Use of Masters Courses on Plan of Study

Students with a masters degree in IT or other appropriate field may be allowed to apply up to 30 hours of masters credit toward the doctoral degree, however, all students are required to earn a minimum of 24 hours of credit by taking courses offered through Instructional Technology at Virginia Tech. Typically, students without a masters degree in IT need to take additional hours in Instructional Technology. Check with your advisor to determine which courses taken during the masters degree can be applied to your doctoral degree.

Time Limit and Revalidation

• Coursework more than 5 years old at the time of approval of Program of Study (POS) must be revalidated.
• Coursework must be completed within 7 years after approval of POS or revalidated if preliminary examination has not yet been completed.

Additional restrictions on coursework earned at another university may apply. See the Graduate catalog, and check with your advisor.