Accredited Quality: Doctorate in Experimental Science Education UCM has achieved accreditation for its excellence

“We are changing the vision of doctoral training in the south-central region of the country,” said Director of Graduate Studies at the Catholic University of Maule, Dr. Karina Vilchez, upon learning of the result, which brings the campus to seven. Of eleven accredited doctoral degrees.

Teaching experimental sciences and mathematics has been a traditional line of research at the Faculty of Basic Sciences (FCB) of the Catholic University of Mule (UCM), work carried out by a human group that today proudly sees as a reality. Achievement is like adoption Doctorate in Experimental Science Education (DDCE) for a period of three years, which is the maximum he can choose.

For a manager UCM PostgraduateDr. Karina Vilches Ponce is the reason the organization is so happy. “We are committed to implementing all academic, administrative and curricular procedures to ensure the quality of all programs we offer and compliance with all accreditation standards established by law. “It is with pride that we have achieved our seventh accredited doctoral program – out of eleven in operation -, it is the consolidation of the first stage of the doctoral offer “We are transforming the vision of doctoral training in the south-central region of the country,” he said.

Specifically regarding the UCM Doctorate in Experimental Sciences, the Director noted that it “provides a high-level training opportunity for teachers and demonstrates the advanced capabilities that are so necessary in these fields in our country, which is why we invite all interested parties to apply for it.” He explained that the scholarships exist in accordance with the processes Admissions take place in December.

The campus FCB collaborates with the fields of education and science in a transversal manner across the institution, leading to the improvement of science teaching and learning in our country.

Regarding how the college works to enhance its graduate offerings, Dean Dr. Victor Hugo Monzón stated that “first and foremost, this is in line with the institutional strategies associated with offering graduate degrees,” adding to that, the challenge faced by our faculty was the quality of the programs and in that sense Its accreditation is the work that inspires us as a unit. He explained that the result is the accreditation of the three doctoral degrees.

Program strengths

Among the aspects highlighted by the evaluators of the UCM Experimental Science Education PhD program was the potential for scientific research in science education.

In this regard, the Director of the Program, Dr. Yevren Arreaza Parreño, explained, “This is also observed through the basic support of the program from the Directorate of Graduate Studies through the allocation of internal scholarships to our students and with the occasional academic support provided by a highly specialized academic body and an accredited institution.” Finally, the very high evaluation our students received about the direction of the programme, the academic committee, the academic body, the current and future infrastructure and the various academic support mechanisms.

UCM’s DDCE has three lines of research: Philosophy and History of Science in Science Teaching, Initial and Continuing Training of Science Teachers, and Teaching and Learning of Experimental Science.

“We received this result with great joy, for several reasons: Efforts have been made by the doctoral academic team since the creation of the program in 2021 (…) by the students, who have appreciated from the beginning the enthusiasm, professionalism and above all the affection with which we develop our activities (… ) And finally for FCB and UCM, since our program was created, developed and now accredited, it was due, among other things, to the fact that they trusted us, but also because they were sensitive to the scientific reality around scientific education and assumed the need to create a doctoral programme. The only one in science education in the country.”

Regarding the prospects for the UCM Doctorate in Experimental Science Education, Dr. Ariza noted that today they have a group of eight active students, four of whom are days away from taking the candidacy exam. “We are in the application phase for the new batch, ensuring that by 2025, at least according to the figures of the last two years, we will have at least 16 doctoral students accompanied by highly specialized academics and supported by the FCB,” he explained.

Credit: Dercom UCM.