PhD in Education with a Concentration in Special Education Program of Study
The PhD program in Special Education is comprised of courses totaling a minimum of 60 academic credit hours beyond the master's degree. The curriculum includes four parts, including a content concentration totaling 24 credit hours, an introductory core of 9 hours, a research component including 15 credit hours, and the dissertation, which will include a minimum of 12 hours. The dissertation will often include more than 12 credit hours depending on the length of time necessary for completion. Students entering the program may also need to complete one introductory statistics course if they have not had such a course or cannot demonstrate competency at a satisfactory level. Students who come into the PhD program with a master's degree in an academic field that is unrelated to special education and/or who have not completed courses to develop competency in specified areas may need to complete additional prerequisite course work.
Under normal circumstances, admissions will be offered once a year in order to build efficient cohort groups for advanced study. In order to enhance the experience of the students and to increase the efficiency by which courses are offered, a cohort of 10 students will be admitted each year. This limited number of students is necessary to assure that there is an adequate number of full-time faculty to serve the student through advising and other duties, particularly when the cohorts reach the dissertation stage of the program.
To build a cohesive cohort group, a series of intensive courses will be offered on the Old Dominion University campus each summer. It will be expected that all newly admitted students would come to campus for one of these seminars during the summer after they are admitted to the program, and complete two courses together as a group. These courses will be selected from the introductory core requirements. A third course will be available for regular study during the summer so that students may comply with one of the residency requirements.
A minimum of two semesters of full-time study is required of students in the program to meet University residency requirements. One of the semesters of full-time study (defined as completion of 9 credit hours) must be accomplished by the completion of the intensive seminar noted above. The second semester of residency can be accomplished in several ways. Courses taken via TELETECHNET or other distance education methodologies are considered resident courses, so that taking three TELETECHNET courses during a semester may complete the second residency requirement.
Applicants must submit completed applications and all related material no later than March 1 of each year, and students will be admitted for study beginning in June or July of the same year.
Curriculum
Prerequisites (6 Credits)
ELS 732 Statistics Applied to Research in Education & Human Services I
ESSE 701/801 Historical & Contemporary Perspectives on Teaching & Learning in Special Education
Introductory Courses (9 Credits)
ESSE 821 Critical Issues I: Readings in Special Education & Professional Writing
ESSE 822 Critical Issues II: Research and Professional Writing
ESSE 893 Professional Seminar: Teaching, Research, & Service
Research Core (15 Credits)
ELS 832 Statistics Applied to Research in Education & Human Services II
ELS 833 Advanced Research Design & Analysis
ECI 890 Qualitative Research Design
ELS 891 Advanced Program Evaluation and Assessment
ESSE 830 Single Subject Research
Concentration (24 Credits)
ESSE 700/800 Social/Emotional Aspects of Child Development
ESSE 702/802 Cognitive Processes & Learning Strategies for Students with Special Needs
ESSE 707/807 Advanced Instructional procedures in Special Education
ESSE 715/815 Alternative Strategies for Elementary Students: Prevention and Intervention
ESSE 720/820 Curriculum/Instruction: Research Into Practice
ELS 815 Leadership for Equity and Inclusive Education
ESSE 795/895 Topics in Education
ESSE 868 Internship: Urban Child Study/Special Education
Electives (12 Credits)
With approval of the Graduate Program Director, elective courses may be substituted for those within the special education core. This allows students to take up to 12 hours as electives. Such substitutions must be approved in writing. Electives may be taken in other areas in the College of Education (e.g., educational leadership, higher education, instructional design and technology) or in other colleges with approval of the appropriate college official.
Dissertation (12 Credits)
ESSE 899 Dissertation