Special Education
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Advance Your Career
The mission of the Special Education Doctoral Program at Purdue University is to prepare scholars for faculty positions in higher education. This residential, full time, and competency-based program is designed to prepare students to conduct rigorous scientific and applied research, to teach at the university level, and to become leaders who strive to improve educational outcomes and quality of life for individuals with special needs. Our mission is accomplished through challenging coursework, competency-based faculty mentorship, and active student involvement in applied research.
This residential program has rolling admission. Applications must be fully complete and submitted (including all required materials) and all application fees paid prior to the deadline in order for applications to be considered and reviewed. For a list of all required materials for this program application, please see the “Admissions” tab.
Application Deadlines
*Those applicants interested in being considered for any available PhD funding should submit completed applications by December 1 for the following Fall semester.
All other applicants have a deadline of April 15 for the Fall semester.
Program at a Glance
- Major/Department: Educational Studies
- Research Area: Special Education
- Degree Objective: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Program Delivery: Residential
- Does this program lead to licensure? *No, this is a non-licensure program
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Courses
The Special Education doctoral program includes 45 credits in Special Education coursework, 15 credits in statistics and research design coursework, 9 credits in coursework for a cognate area outside of, but related to Special Education (e.g. educational policy, child development, social justice, etc), and approximately 21 credits in core competencies of research, grant writing, university teaching, and professional engagement.
Statistics and Research Methods Courses
- Statistics and Research Methods (minimum of 9 credits required):
- EDPS 55600 and 55700
- STAT 50100 and 50200
- EDPS 53300
- Single Subject Research (3 credits req.)
- EDPS 58800
- Dept. Adv. Research Methods Course (3 credits required)
- EDPS 63000 (EDPS 53300 or equivalent as prerequisite)
Core Special Education Courses
- EDPS 65000 – Critical Issues in Special Education
- EDPS 66100 – Review and Implications of Research in Special Education
- EDPS 66400 – Research Seminar in Special Education (students register for rotating topics each fall until they pass prelims)
Cognate
Such course work may be from other education programs or may include audiology and speech, language pathology, language development, instructional development, child development and family studies, psychology, etc. The Plan of Study must have at least one related area primarily outside of Special Education (in another program or Department, or combination of programs or Departments). The minimum requirement for the cognate is 9 credits.
Signature Areas
Research is an important and integral part of each doctoral student’s program at Purdue. The specific course requirements for the major emphasis will be determined by the student, the advisor, and the advisory committee, subject to approval by the Graduate School.
The Ph.D. program in Special Education offers four signature areas for students to conduct research:
- Autism and Developmental Disabilities
- Challenging Behavior Assessment and Intervention
- Disproportionality in Identification, Placement, and Discipline
- Mathematics Instruction and Learning Disabilities/Difficulties
Admissions
In addition to a submitted application (and any applicable application fees paid), the following materials are required for admission consideration, and all completed materials must be submitted by the application deadline in order for an application to be considered complete and forwarded on to faculty and the Purdue Graduate School for review.
A completed master’s degree is required prior to admission.
Application Requirements
Here are the materials required for this application
- Transcripts (from all universities attended)
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- 3 Recommendations
- Resume/CV
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Personal History Statement
- GRE Scores (optional)
- International Applicants must meet English Proficiency Requirements set by the Purdue Graduate School
We encourage prospective students to submit an application early, even if not all required materials are uploaded. Applications are not forwarded on for faculty review until all required materials are uploaded.
How to Apply
When submitting your application for this program, please select the following options:
- Campus and Program Tab:
- Select a Campus: Purdue West Lafayette (PWL)
- Select your proposed graduate major: Educational Studies
- First Choice Program Details Tab:
- Please select an Area of Interest: Special Education
- Please select a Degree Objective: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Primary Course Delivery: Residential
This program does not lead to licensure in the state of Indiana or elsewhere. Contact the College of Education Office of Teacher Education and Licensure (OTEL) at licensure@purdue.edu before continuing with program application if you have questions regarding licensure or contact your state Department of Education about how this program may translate to licensure in your state of residence.
Faculty
