EdD in Special Education

Be a special education leader who empowers your organization to improve the lives of children, youth, adults, and families.

Our EdD in Special Education major prepares leadership personnel to serve in public or private pre-K–12 schools or educational environments and services. The major is part of the school’s Doctor of Education (EdD) program, which has a variety of different majors to serve professionals from various fields.

The EdD in Special Education major develops your knowledge and skills in leadership, collaboration, management, administration, supervision, pre-service and in-service education, program evaluation, community relations, and recruitment.

Students may focus their studies in applied behavioral analysis; autism; blindness, vision impairment, or orientation and mobility; early intervention; emotional and behavioral disorders; or learning disabilities.

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Program Facts

Degree Type

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Credits

84 credits
(24 transfer from your master's degree)

Format

Hybrid

Time Commitment

Part-Time

Duration

3 years on average

Enrollment Term

Summer

Application Deadline

February 1

Admissions Requirements

No GRE Exam is required

Program Overview

The major in Special Education is part of the Doctor of Education (EdD) degree program at the University of Pittsburgh Pitt School of Education. The program aligns with School of Education’s mission to prepare students to be scholars, leaders, and change-makers in education and health, with a particular focus on equity and justice.

Earn Your Degree While Working

The program accommodates the schedules of working professionals and combines an online learning environment with monthly Saturday in-person sessions.

The Best of Online and Face-to-Face

There is a hybrid course delivery model, including a one-day welcome and information event, a week-long intensive on-ramp experience in the first summer, cross-disciplinary practitioner inquiry and foundations courses, and an internship.

Built for Professionals

The EdD helps graduates advance within their professional areas of practice. This is in contrast to our PhD, which is a full-time program that helps to prepare graduates for research-oriented careers and/or working as faculty within research and doctoral granting universities.

Curriculum

The EdD program is a three-year program that consists of 60 new credits. Students transfer 24 credits from relevant graduate work.

VIEW EDD PROGRAM CURRICULUM

Learning Experiences

The EdD curriculum is delivered in several stages, through a variety methods:

The EdD cohort participates in a full-day, on-campus, orientation in the spring before the summer start of the program.

The day includes opportunities to meet program faculty, EdD program information, and cohort-building activities as well as an introductory session with other students in your academic major.

Orientation typically takes place in March or April.

The EdD cohort will participate in a full-week, on-campus, experience that includes intense work focused on understanding enduring problems of practice in education, health, and human development.

This one-week experience typically takes place in June, and is a component of the first summer courses (Foundations 1 and Practitioner Inquiry 1).

You will experience a hybrid model of education through online course experiences and in-person, once per month (typically on Saturdays) sessions on the Pittsburgh campus.

Attendance at in-person, on campus sessions is required.

Degree Requirements

EdD students at the Pitt School of Education complete 10 requirements that are embedded in coursework, including a practitioner inquiry project.

Prerequisites

The EdD program at the Pitt School of Education requires applicants to have 24 credits of relevant graduate work to transfer from a source institution with a B grade (3.0) or higher according to University policy.

View all EdD Admissions requirements

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Upcoming Info Sessions

General Info Session (Virtual)

April 29, 2024 | Noon-1 PM

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General Info Session (Virtual)

May 13, 2024 | Noon-1 PM

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General Info Session (Virtual)

June 3, 2024 | Noon-1 PM

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Career Pathways

Graduates of the Special Education major work as leadership personnel in public or private pre-K–12 schools or educational environments.

They work in a variety of roles, including the following: applied behavioral analysis, autism, blindness/ vision impairments/orientation and mobility, early intervention, emotional and behavioral disorders, or learning disabilities

Program Faculty

Program Coordinator