Special Education

Doctoral Program

Admissions

A doctoral program that is designed to develop educational leaders of promise must identify candidates who show considerable potential. Primary requisites for admission to candidacy are demonstrated competence in scholarly activity and a high degree of aptitude for advance study. Scholarly insight is necessary for educational leaders capable of analyzing significant factors in instruction, the development of theory, and research.

All candidates must have completed a master's degree, possess a demonstrated knowledge of special education, and have a minimum of two years successful experience in special education or a related area. Grade point average of 3.0 for undergraduate work and 3.5 for graduate work at accredited universities are required for admission to the Ph.D. program.

All applicants for admission to the doctoral program are required to submit three letters of recommendation, at least two of which must be from faculty who have instructed them in their previous graduate program(s) of study. The doctoral program applicant will be interviewed by telephone or personal contact by three members of the graduate faculty including a representative from the applicant's perspective areas of study (BD, LD, MR, etc.). It is the responsibility of the applicant to arrange these interviews.

In addition, each applicant is required to submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (1000 on the GRE is the minimum acceptable score) and a technical writing sample. (Foreign applicants will also need to submit a TOEFL score of 550 minimum.) An applicant can choose to submit as a technical writing sample, a masters degree thesis, literature review, published article, or similar document written during the past five years. In the absence of this the applicant may write a prospective paper outlining a current trend in special education that is guiding his/her decision to pursue doctoral study. The paper should be written in APA style and cite current research.

The Graduate Record Examination is administered by the Educational Testing Service, 20 Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, at various centers throughout the country. Advance registration is required. Applications may be obtained from The University of Georgia Testing Office at (706) 542-3283.

A student may be admitted as a prospective candidate for the Ph.D. degree upon certification by the Department of Special Education that he/she holds scholarly promise, that appropriate courses may be given, and that the student's program can adequately be supported and directed. Such admission must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. The graduate faculty will transmit the recommendation. The final decision rests with the Graduate School.

As a requirement of final acceptance into the program, each student will be required to purchase a LiveText account within the first week of classes of the first semester of
attendance. LiveText is an electronic course and portfolio management system used by the college. It allows students to post portfolios, and provides a means of uploading
assignments to be graded by instructors.

Preliminary Comprehensive Examinations

A student must pass formal preliminary written and oral examinations before being admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree. These examinations are administered by the student's advisory committee. An oral exam which covers approximately the same content areas as the written examination must be taken no later than one month after the last written comprehensive examination. This oral preliminary examination is open to all members of the faculty and shall be announced by the Graduate School. The Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Special Education will notify the Graduate School of the time and place of this examination at least two weeks before the date of the examination.

Admission to Candidacy

The student may be admitted to candidacy when:

All prerequisites set as a condition to admission have been satisfactorily completed
Research skill requirements have been met
The final program of study has been approved by the advisory committee, the Graduate Coordinator, and the Dean of the Graduate School
A grade point average of 3.0 (B) has been maintained on all graduate courses taken and on all completed graduate courses on the program of study [no course with a grade below C may be placed on the final program of study
Written and oral comprehensive examinations have been passed and reported to the Graduate School The advisory committee, including any necessary changes in the membership, is confirmed and all its members have been notified of their appointment
A prospectus for the dissertation study has been read and approved by the advisory committee
The residence requirement of two consecutive semesters of 6 hours each has been met.

After admission to candidacy a student must register for a minimum of 3 hours of dissertation (930D) for each of two semesters. A student must register for a minimum of 3 hours of credit in any semester when using University facilities and/or faculty time.