Special Education (Education, Ph.D.)

Requirements

• Proof of a completed master’s degree in special education or an equivalent degree in a related discipline from a program that is accredited by an appropriate specialized accrediting agency or from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.  Transcripts from universities outside the United States must be accompanied by a global credit evaluation from an accredited agency. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.60 (on a 4.0 scale) overall for the master’s degree and in the major area of study in the master’s degree is expected;

• Acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE): 156 [550] on the verbal portion and no less than 4.5 on the writing sample.

  • Applicants whose first language is not English must submit a current score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) according to the standards established by Old Dominion University;

• A minimum of three years teaching experience in a pre-K – 12 setting with students with disabilities;

• A 500-800-word statement of academic and professional goals. This statement must describe the applicant’s research agenda to meet his/her academic and professional goals;

• A professional curriculum vitae;

• Three letters of reference from individuals capable of commenting on the applicant’s readiness for advanced graduate study. At least two of these letters must be from academic sources. If a non-academic letter of reference is necessary, it should be from a professional source; and

• Evidence of prior course work in statistics and in theories of learning. If this requirement is not met, a student may be admitted, and additional course work will be added to the candidate’s program of study.