Education (Special Education) Ph.D.

The doctoral program is comprehensive and places emphasis on teacher education, administration, research, and community services (with an internship required in at least one of these areas). The candidate is expected to develop competency in each of the above areas; the program will be based upon these as well as experience, background, and information gathered from written and oral qualifying examinations. Individualized program plans are formalized by candidates and the graduate coordinator following the successful completion of the qualifying examinations.

The doctoral program requires a minimum of 54-69 hours past the master’s degree and a residency which requires 24 semester hours to be completed during each of two consecutive semesters of fall and spring.

Students should consult the departmental guidelines and the Admission Requirement Procedures  section and the General Academic Requirements  section of this Graduate Bulletin.

Admission Requirements

Admission to doctoral programs offered in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education is selective. To be considered for regular admission to a doctoral degree program, an applicant must have

1. an academic record reflecting a superior graduate grade point average;
2. official results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE);
3. a writing sample consisting of a major paper, article, report, etc.
4. a letter of intent;
5. three letters of recommendation sent to the department from professionals in the field of education who are qualified to assess the applicant’s readiness for graduate study;
6. a professional resumé; and
7. a copy of education license.
8. all international applicants must provide official scores Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS exam score. Two copies of transcripts of all collegiate study must also be submitted;

Admission Deadlines

Individuals who have submitted applications which qualified for admission, but who were not selected for enrollment in a given semester, are encouraged to request that their application remain active for future consideration.

Members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Admission to doctoral programs offered in the content area of curriculum, instruction, and special education is contingent on the approval of the Departmental Graduate Committee, the department chair, and the dean of the college. An applicant who fails to meet the above criteria for regular admission may be considered for conditional admission on an individual basis. Students accepted on a conditional basis MUST obtain a 3.50 GPA or better on their first nine (9) hours of specified coursework, 600 level or higher, taken while completing this 9-hour requirement. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the department chair or graduate coordinator when conditional status is to be removed; additional requirements may be specified based on the applicant’s deficiencies.

All students must register for and complete the doctoral qualifying examination. Based on the outcome of the qualifiers, students may have additional coursework assigned to their plan of study. Students must have a 3.0 GPA to graduate.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement: Students must meet the requirements specified in the front section of this Bulletin for continuous enrollment.

Plan of Study. Students must submit their signed, official Plan of Study form to the Graduate School by the end of the first semester they are enrolled. The Plan of Study forms are available at www.usm.edu/graduateschool/planofstudy.php - click on the “Plans of Study” link.

Research and Scholarly Integrity Education

All faculty holding regular or associate graduate faculty status, must complete CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments. All graduate students must complete the CITI training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments the first semester they are enrolled in graduate school. The RSIE policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page –www.usm.edu/graduate-school. Contact the dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy of training information.

Residency

Students must meet the residency requirements specified in this Bulletin. The doctoral residency requirement for special education content requires two (2) consecutive regular semesters (fall, spring) of graduate study on campus of (12) twelve hours each.

Comprehensive Exam

A comprehensive exam is required for all doctoral students and must be passed before proceeding to the dissertation. A 3.0 GPA is required for graduation.