Darren Gallant, the Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Global Education, completed his Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) Education Policy, Organization and Leadership program this past fall through the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

As one might imagine, Darren’s concentration was Global Studies in Education and his dissertation was titled, World Language Requirements for Study Abroad: Impact on Student Intention and Participation. Darren explained, “My dissertation looked at the impact of world language requirements on study abroad participation and world language study intentions. It’s a topic that I had been interested in since I was an undergraduate and continued as I became a professional in international education. Through my interviews and data analysis, I did find that world language requirements encourage already motivated language students to further their world language study. The impact on other students was inconclusive but provided insights on how to consider world language learning and study abroad for a broader population.”

The research Darren pursued is directly related to his work in the Center for Global Education at Bates, influencing his understanding of how students perceive world language requirements for study abroad. 

Darren explained the impetus behind getting his Ed.D. He finished a Master’s in Higher Education Administration about 10 years prior to starting the doctoral program. He notes, “Living in Lewiston without easy access to doctoral granting institutions, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to continue my academic career. It was through seeing students go online with their learning that I then started looking into remote programs. I found UIUC through a colleague, tried out a remote class, and then entered the program. It ended up being the perfect balance for me, given my busy work schedule and occasional travel.” Darren was able to participate in classes while in India, Italy, Ireland, and Lewiston given the flexibility of remote study! He also is grateful for the Bates College education benefit which helped make pursuing another degree a financial reality.

When asked about advice to others thinking of graduate level study, he said, “I do not think an advanced degree is necessary for everyone but I really enjoyed being a student again. I recommend being a student to everyone and I know that I will look for ways to be a student again in the future.”