Special Education Specialization

The Special Education specialization of the Disability Disciplines Ph.D. prepares graduates to be effective university faculty in special education who significantly improve children's lives through research, scholarship, and teaching.

This doctoral specialization offers students a unique combination of:

• extensive collaboration with faculty
• direct experience in research and scholarship, teaching, supervision, and writing
• behavior analytic orientation to special education
• focus on producing outstanding special education services

Opportunities

The department's extensive teacher preparation programs provide ideal settings for doctoral students to learn how to prepare highly effective special education teachers.

The department's many research and development projects provide outstanding opportunities for doctoral students to gain experience in developing products and conducting research.  Students are also encouraged to pursue their own research interests.  Faculty research and development projects address reading, direct instruction, teacher education, distance education and multimedia, autism, transition and employment, functional analysis, and other topics.

Courses and Requirements

Coursework

Core coursework that is common to all areas of disability disciplines. This includes multidisciplinary courses that bring together diverse perspectives on disabilities and effective services as well as research methodology. In addition, specialization courses provide deep coverage of current developments in special education.

• Special Education specialization coursework

Professional Products and Internships

A set of professional products and internships provide opportunities for mentored experience in critical professional skills.

• Research Internship
• Conference Presentation
• Review of Literature
• Publication
• College Teaching Internship
• Supervision Internship
• Grant Writing

Preliminary Exams

Preliminary exams are conducted after approximately one year of full time study (or the equivalent) and provide a focus for students to attain foundational skills in research design and critique, and disciplinary knowledge. This three part exams is completed across a three day period. Components of the exam are:

• Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis. Specific questions focus on key foundational knowledge of applied behavior analysis.
• Design of Research. The student outlines the design of a single-subject research project on a given topic relevant to special education.
• Critique of Research. The student critiques a manuscript reporting single-subject research within special education.

Dissertation

The dissertation is the capstone experience of the doctoral program. The student plans, carries out, analyzes, and interprets substantial original research that contributes to the advancement of their field of study.

Faculty

Primary Faculty

• Sarah Bloom, Ph.D.
• Lillian Duran, Ph.D.
• Nancy K. Glomb, Ph.D.
• Thomas S. Higbee, Ph.D.
• Benjamin Lignugaris/Kraft, Ph.D.
• Robert L. Morgan, Ph.D.
• Scott Ross, Ph.D.
• Charles L. Salzberg, Ph.D.
• Timothy A. Slocum, Ph.D.

Support Faculty

• Ronda Menlove, Ph.D.
• Cynthia J. Rowland, Ph.D.
• Sarah Rule, Ph.D.
• Andrew Samaha, Ph.D.
• Richard P. West, Ph.D.

Contact Information

 For information on the Special Education Specialization, please contact Dr. Tim Slocum.