About The Program
We cultivate visionary researchers, poised for leadership in academia, research centers and governmental institutions. Rooted in a robust research foundation and enriched by diverse theoretical perspectives, our program offers structured opportunities to excel in research, teaching and policy development. You'll engage in dynamic coursework that blends theoretical insights with practical application. Through immersive research, teaching experiences and policy internships, you'll emerge as trailblazers ready to shape the future of special education.
Career Paths
- Professor and researcher
- Director of special education for school or nonprofit
- Educational diagnostician
- Behavioral specialist
- Curriculum developer
- Educational policy analyst or advocate
- Clinical director
- Nonprofit leader
- Instructional Coordinator
- Intervention Specialist
At a Glance
Degree Earned
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Credits: 59
Application Semesters and Deadline
Summer or Fall: January 15
Program Modality
In-person
Estimated Completion Time
Full-time (9-15 credits): average completion in 3-4 years
Part-time (1-8 credits): average completion in 4-5 years
“I appreciate the creative solutions that faculty commit to building community, collaboration and inclusion throughout the program.”
Amber Brown Ruiz, Ph.D., '21
Admission requirements
| Degree: | Semester(s) of entry: | Deadline dates: | Test requirements: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | Summer or fall | Jan 15 | GRE optional |
In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the following represent the minimum requirements for admission:
- Master’s degree in an appropriate discipline
- Three letters of recommendation addressing the student’s potential for graduate study in education
- Statement of intent
- Transcripts of all previous college work
- A personal interview and writing sample (may be requested)
- Professional vitae/resume
For students who choose to submit a GRE score, it will be considered holistically with other application materials. For those who choose not to submit a GRE score, that decision will have no impact on the application review.
Please see doctoral admissions information on the School of Education website for details.
Degree requirements
In addition to the VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students are required to complete course work in core and elective courses.
- Credit hour requirements: Students are required to complete a minimum of 59 credit hours.
- Grade requirements: Receipt of a grade of C or below in three courses constitutes automatic dismissal from the program. Courses with a grade below C cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.
- Externship requirement: Students must complete an approved externship.
- Examination requirements: Students must pass both a qualifying examination early in the program and a comprehensive examination near the end of the program.
- Dissertation requirements: Students must complete and defend a research dissertation.
Curriculum requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core courses | ||
| SEDP 651 SEDP 651. Topics in Education. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 credits. May be repeated for 9 credits. Check with department for specific prerequisites. A course for the examination of specialized issues, topics, readings or problems in education. | Topics in Education | 3 |
| SEDP 705 SEDP 705. Seminar on Disability Policy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Discussion and examination of key federal and state issues that affect disability policy and program management. Includes an in-depth examination of IDEA, ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. | Seminar on Disability Policy | 3 |
| SEDP 706 SEDP 706. Personnel Development in Special Education. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prepares individuals to effectively design, provide and evaluate personnel development programs that prepare professionals to maximize the developmental, educational, emotional and employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. | Personnel Development in Special Education | 3 |
| SEDP 707 SEDP 707. Critical Issues in Special Education. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Discussion and examination of controversial and/or critical issues in special education, as well as current IDEA definitions, referral and assessment methods and instructional models. | Critical Issues in Special Education | 3 |
| SEDP 708 SEDP 708. Grant Writing in Special Education and Other Social Sciences. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Examines conceptual, empirical and practical issues in the preparation of grant proposals and in the conduct of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences that focuses on education and related issues in youth development, with a specific emphasis on youth with disabilities. Students will develop practical skills in establishing interdisciplinary research teams; interdisciplinary research design and grant proposal development; matching research questions to funding agencies and their priorities; working with community agencies and relevant stakeholders to secure their involvement in the research process; writing research or training grant proposals. | Grant Writing in Special Education and Other Social Sciences | 3 |
| SEDP 709 SEDP 709. Literature Reviews in Special Education and Other Social Sciences. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Provides in-depth, advanced instruction in the conducting of systematic literature reviews; instruction in how to create and refine a research question; instruction in defining and refining search terms; instruction in critically analyzing identified literature; and instruction in the writing and structure of a literature review. | Literature Reviews in Special Education and Other Social Sciences | 3 |
| Research courses | ||
| EDUS 608 EDUS 608. Educational Statistics. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. An introductory-level statistics class focusing primarily on techniques of inferential analysis. The course focuses on basic concepts in quantitative design and analysis for educational research, probability theory, null hypothesis significance testing, inferential statistics including the t-test and analysis of variance, and applications of statistics to applied problems in education. | Educational Statistics | 3 |
| EDUS 710 EDUS 710. Quantitative Research Design. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: EDUS 608 or equivalent. An examination of quantitative research designs and concepts commonly utilized in conducting research in applied educational settings. Fundamental principles of research are extended to cover such topics as experimental designs, quasi-experimental designs, observational designs, secondary data analysis, advanced analysis of variance designs and multiple regression analysis. | Quantitative Research Design | 3 |
| EDUS 711 EDUS 711. Qualitative Methods and Analysis. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: graduate-level statistics course, and EDUS 660 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Examines qualitative research designs and inductive analysis, including research traditions, problems formulation in fieldwork, purposeful sampling, interactive data collection strategies, research reliability and validity. An interdisciplinary approach is used. Students conduct a small field study in their specialization. | Qualitative Methods and Analysis | 3 |
| SEDP 711 SEDP 711. Doctoral Seminar in Single Subject Design. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course is intended to provide an overview of strategies for designing and conducting single subject studies that are relevant to education, special education, psychology and other related fields of inquiry. Its purpose is to provide doctoral students or advanced graduate students who are interested in applied research designs with an opportunity to acquire competencies related to planning, implementing and analyzing such research. The content of the course will focus on applications and interpretations of single-case research designs and the analysis of human behavior in educational and community settings. This course is designed as an initial course in single research design. | Doctoral Seminar in Single Subject Design | 3 |
| Internship | ||
| SEDP 771 SEDP 771. Research Internship. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 research hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a total of 3 credits. Enrollment requires prior approval of adviser. The research internship is designed to provide doctoral students with an opportunity to demonstrate competence at designing and conducting a pilot research study and disseminating research findings. Graded as S/U/F. | Research Internship | 3 |
| SEDP 772 SEDP 772. Teaching Internship. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 internship hours. 1-3 credits. Enrollment requires prior approval of adviser. The teaching internship is designed to provide doctoral students with an opportunity to demonstrate competence in the activities related to the preparation of teachers of students with disabilities at the university level. Graded as S/U/F. | Teaching Internship | 3 |
| SEDP 773 SEDP 773. Service/Policy Internship. 1-2 Hours.
Semester course; 1-2 hours of internship. 1-2 credits. Enrollment requires prior approval of adviser. The service competency is met through an internship that is designed to give doctoral candidates an intensive experience in which they can become actively involved in professional service to the field of special education and, in particular, in the development and implementation of local, state or national policy. Graded as S/U/F. | Service/Policy Internship | 2 |
| Cognate | ||
| Students will choose a cognate area outside of special education that provides a theoretical foundation for their dissertation study. Cognate course work must be approved by the adviser. | 6 | |
| Research elective | ||
| Students will pick a higher education research elective that matches the methodology of their dissertation study. Elective course work must be approved by the adviser. | 6 | |
| Dissertation research | ||
| SEDP 899 SEDP 899. Dissertation. 1-9 Hours.
Semester course; variable hours. Variable credit. May be repeated. A minimum of 9 semester hours required. Prerequisite: Successful completion of comprehensive examinations and approval of student's doctoral prospectus. Dissertation work under direction of dissertation committee. Graded as S/U/F. | Dissertation | 9 |
| Total Hours | 59 | |
The minimum total of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 59.
The VCU Bulletin is the official source for academic course and program information.