PhD Program Requirements

An Educational Studies doctoral degree shall have a minimum of one advanced statistics course (3 credits), one departmental advanced research methods course (3 credits), and two advanced statistics courses and/or research methods courses (6 credits) in addition to the departmental foundation research course required for an Educational Studies Master's degree and for an Educational Studies educational specialist degree.

I. Statistics and Research Methods Courses:

Statistics and Research Methods (Minimum of 12 credits required):

Statistics Courses (6 credits req.)
PSY 60000 & 60001
STAT 50100 & 50200

Single Subject Research (3 credits req.)
EDPS 58800

Dept. Adv. Research Methods Course (3 credits req.)
EDPS 63000 (EDPS 53300 or equivalent as prereq.)

Additional Statistics, Measurement, and/or Research Methods Courses Recommended

II. Core Special Education Courses:

EDPS 66100 - Review and Implicationsof Research in Special Education

EDPS 65000 - Critical Issues in Special Education

EDPS 66400 - Research Seminar in Special Education

III. Professional Activities:

Upon completing the program, students will demonstrate ability to teach and supervise the delivery of special education services in field-based settings. This will be accomplished through teaching assistantships and/or course registrations (e.g., EDPS 59000, EDPS 69500).

Students will be evaluated in their roles as supervisors and instructors of undergraduate courses. They may also serve in administrative and service roles in facilitating research and program development.

Each student will be expected to participate in scholarly activities including:

colloquia, institutes, and workshops sponsored by other programs and departments of the university (e.g., Audiology and Speech Sciences, Child Development and Family Studies, Developmental Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Computer Sciences); meetings of the Graduate Student Organization (GO-EDs); local, state, regional, and national professional meetings (e.g., AAMR, ABA, AERA, ASHA, CEC, IFCEC, TASH, ChADD); and work with faculty members outside special education, in interdisciplinary research experiences.

Professional role opportunities are available for students to achieve or demonstrate expertise:

• Supervision Assistantships
• Teaching Assistantships
• Workshops /Presentations
• Conference Presentations
• Teaching Publications
• Grant Writing (e.g., personnel preparation; research; service/demonstration)
  

IV. Signature Areas:

Research is an important and integral part of each Ph.D. 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:

1. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD/ADD)
2. Augmentative and Alternative Communicaton (AAC) and Assistive
    Technology (AT)
3. Mild Disabilities and Math Instruction
4. Severe Disabilities

V. Cognate

The fourth component of the current program is the cognate area sequence in a secondary area of interest. 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.

VI. Doctoral Competencies:

A. Professional. Before completing the program, each student will be required to make at least one presentation to a professional association (e.g., AAMR, ABA, AERA, APA, ASHA, CEC, ISAAC, USSAAC).

B. Grant proposal submitted for review. Each student will be required to write and submit a grant proposal for review for funding. The grant proposal may be initially drafted by the student. Alternately, the student may develop a major portion of a larger grant proposal in collaboration with others that may be submitted by one of the faculty. In this case, the student must have a major responsibility in the development of the proposal, such that the advisor has a clear basis to judge the student's competence in grant writing.

C. Manuscripts submitted for review. Each student will be required to conduct at least one additional study with their advisor or other designated faculty member prior to the dissertation. This study typically involves the student as the second author with their advisor.