The Ph.D. program in the Department of Special Education is designed around the interests of the student and the expertise of the faculty and aims to produce a top researcher seeking an appointment in a university or research setting. Before acceptance into the program, the department evaluates whether a student’s interest area matches with an area of faculty expertise. Once accepted, students work with the Plan of Study committee (POS) to shape their course of study. The POS is made up of faculty, including the student's advisor. Many interests related to special education field can be accommodated, including subfields related to autism spectrum disorders, behavior disorders and prevention, early childhood special education, early intervention, gifted and talented, non-categorical special education, severe disabilities, and transitions.
Admissions
In addition to the minimum Graduate School admission requirements, to be considered for regular admission an application must include:
- A recent (within the last five years) GRE score of 300 (verbal + quantitative) or higher.
- An earned MA degree in special education (or a related area) with an accomplished scholarly record at the master's level
- Three years of appropriate experience (defined as three years of work in agencies serving children and youth, one year of which must have been spent in direct, full-time interaction with exceptional children)
- A demonstrated commitment to a scholarly career in special education
- A successful presentation to the department
- A successful interview process with faculty members.
Graduate faculty members individually evaluate and collectively discuss admission applications.
See the Admission Criteria section of this catalog for more information.
Curricular Requirements
A minimum of 66 semester credit hours beyond the master’s degree is required for completion of the Ph.D. program, but highly recommended additional research courses would extend the hours. These 66 hours consist of the following courses: 24 hours of special education courses; 12 hours of educational foundations courses; 12 hours of research courses; and 18 dissertation hours.
| Code and Title | Hours |
| |
| Career Development | |
| Indiv & Group Appraisal | |
| Intro Play Therapy | |
| Sociology Of Education | |
| Multicultural Education | |
| Readings Critical Sociology Ed | |
| Readings In Soc Of Ed | |
| Educ Theory And Policy | |
| Phil Science Rel Ed Res | |
| Multicult Soc Ed Leadershp | |
| Motivation and Self-Regulation | |
| Life Span Development | |
| Adv Educational Psych | |
| Social Cult Basis Behavr | |
| Computer Based Instruction | |
| |
| |
| Statistical Methods In Educ | |
| Measure & Eval: Social & Behav | |
| Psychometric Theory | |
| Survey of Educational Research | |
| Inqry As Interp: Qual I | |
| Eval I:Theory & Practice | |
| |
| SPE 600 | Doctoral Seminar Spe (usually taken in the first semester) | 3 |
| SPE 601 | Sem Col Teachg In Spe | 3 |
| 18 |
| Topical Seminar In Spe (Behavior Management) | |
| Topical Seminar In Spe (Special Topics) | |
| Practicum In Spe (teaching a course, with faculty guidance, or other field experience; can be taken more than once) | |
| Ind Study In Spe (may be taken up to four times) | |
| Readg Research In Spe (Pre-Dissertation Study; e.g., pilot study; practice data collection; IRB submission) | |
| Adv. Professional Development (deliver PD, with faculty guidance, such as training early intervention or special education personnel in practices and models) | |
| SPE Leadership | |
| |
| |
| Dissertation Research | |
| Total Hours | 66 |
Most of the doctoral seminars are taught every 2 years, to ensure sufficient enrollment.
Transfer Credit
Graduate School information on Transfer Credit.
Doctoral Plan of Study Requirements
Graduate School information on the Doctoral Plan of Study.
Comprehensive Exams
A comprehensive exam designed to assess the breadth and depth of a student’s knowledge and skills is administered twice each academic year.
Graduate School information on Comprehensive Exams.
Admission to Candidacy Requirements
Admission to candidacy requires: 1) the completion of all required coursework outside of dissertation hours (SPE 699) with a GPA of at least 3.00 and 2) successfully passing comprehensive examinations. Once a student has met the requirements for admission to candidacy for a doctoral degree, doctoral students must pursue completion of the dissertation without interruption by enrolling each semester for at least 3 hours of dissertation research.
Graduate School information on Admission to Candidacy.
Continuous Doctoral Research Hours Registration
Graduate School information on Continuous Doctoral Research Hours Registration.
Dissertation Requirements
Graduate School information on Dissertation Requirements.
Time Limit for Degree Completion
Graduate School information on Time Limits.
Academic Misconduct Information
Graduate School information on Academic Misconduct.
Withdrawals and Leave of Absence Information
Graduate School Information on Withdrawals and Leave of Absence information.
Academic Grievances Information
Graduate School information on Academic Grievances.
Grades and Academic Standing
Graduate School information on Grades and Academic Standing.
Graduate School Deadlines
Information on Graduate School Deadlines.
Application for Graduation
Information on the Application for Graduation.
