Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education

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Program Link:
https://education.wsu.edu/graduate/specialed/
Program Handbook:
https://education.wsu.edu/graduate/specialed/special-education-doctoral-handbooks/
Student Learning Outcomes:
https://education.wsu.edu/graduate/specialed/special-education-doctoral-student-learning-outcomes/
Total Core Graduate Faculty in Program:
6
Graduate Students in Program:
11
Priority Deadlines:

  • Fall December 1

Campus:

  • Pullman

International Student English Proficiency Exams

International students may need to surpass the Graduate School’s minimum English language proficiency exam scores for this program. If the graduate program has unique score requirements, they will be detailed below. Otherwise, please refer to the Graduate School’s minimum score guidelines.

  • TOEFL – iBT 80
  • IELTS Band 7

Degree Description:

The Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D.) with a specialization in Special Education prepares graduates for academic positions in research and teaching. The program in special education includes the study of response to intervention across the curriculum, diversity issues, social development and school based prevention practices for students with social and behavioral adjustment problems, universal design, and single subject design in addition to the comprehensive Carnegie core of research courses in quantitative, qualitative and program evaluation research methods. The faculty support a strong program of mentorship and encourage doctoral students to work closely with faculty of their choosing in investigating the world of research, knowledge generation and dissemination, pedagogical action and advocacy.

Admission Requirements:

01. A WSU Graduate School general application (including application fee). In GradCAS search for Washington State University – Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education.

02. Current resume or vitae.

03. Letter of Intent. The letter of intent must include:

(a) the reason for pursuing a graduate degree,
(b) a description of teaching or other life experience that relates to graduate study,
(c) a commitment to scholarship or professional development,
(d) a specific research or inquiry interest,
(e) the unique perspective you would bring to the graduate program, and, if applying for an assistantship,
(f) why you would be an effective teacher at the college level.

04. Academic writing sample. This writing sample must be a formal, academic writing sample, such as a thesis or paper.

05. Three letters of reference. The three letters of recommendation, submitted through GradCAS, must address your:

(a) interpersonal skills,
(b) scholarship,
(c) experience with children or youth, and
(d) facility with written, oral, and interpersonal communication.

In addition, if applying for a teaching assistantship, one of the letters must also address your effectiveness as a teacher.

06. Complete Educational History and Transcripts from any colleges/universities:

  • Where any degrees have been granted or are expected.
  • That show any graded bachelor’s work and/or graduate-level work (including doctoral) taken after the bachelor’s degree.
  • Unofficial copies may be uploaded with your Graduate School application for application review. If admitted, you will be required to submit official copies to the WSU Graduate School.
  • Official WSU Transcripts are NOT required for coursework taken at WSU.

07.  International Students must meet the university’s English proficiency and funding requirements. Please view the current requirements.

08. Copies of currently held education certificates.

09. Please provide a video answering the following two questions. For the videos we’d need a high-quality individual MP4 video file for each interview question. The maximum file size is 20 MB. For all your videos, please ensure your sound and lighting quality are good and it is in landscape format. The time limit for applicants to answer each question: no longer than two minutes per answer. Please submit through Slideroom with your GradCAS application.

a) What in your background prompts your interest in special education and applying to our program?

b) What are your topics of research interest and how do they fit into your future plans after your time at WSU?

10. Optional: Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores.

 

Student Opportunities:

Internships in the public school system are available.

Career Opportunities:

Faculty at a research university, clinical faculty, central administrator at K-12 school district, administrator at state educational agency.

Career Placements:

Teacher, faculty member at a research university.

Contact Information: