PhD in Special Education

Multiple Specializations

Students may focus their studies in one or more of the following areas:

• Applied behavior analysis
• Autism
• Emotional and behavior disorders
• Learning disabilities
• Severe disabilities
• Visual impairment and blindness

Mentoring Support

Special education PhD students will be mentored by Special Education faculty who will support them throughout their academic career. Students will have many opportunities to collaborate within and between programs to pursue special education topics of interest. Each student will have mentored opportunities to demonstrate all of the skills required by university level faculty which include: synthesizing current literature, submitting peer-reviewed manuscripts and grants, reviewing submissions for publication, teaching university level classes, conceiving and conducting research projects in authentic environments, and presenting at national conferences.

Comprehensive Preparation

As a PhD student, you will teach graduate and undergraduate courses, mentor graduate students, developing a research agenda that will result in funded and published research, and translating research outcomes for the improvement of educational and related service programs for children and youth with disabilities.

The PhD program is writing and research-intensive and PhD candidates will have multiple opportunities to learn and participate in the review of research literature, the preparation and submission of research grant proposals, the design and implementation of research studies, and the preparation and dissemination of research reports.