Program Overview
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
New and current students cannot currently declare the on-campus face-to-face program. The online program is still being offered.
Program Coordinator: Silvia Correa-Torres, Ed.D.
Email: silvia.correa-torres@unco.edu
Telephone: 970-351-1660
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/special-education/
The Ph.D. in Special Education is a flexible doctoral program with provisions for individual planning to prepare stewards of the discipline of special education for positions of leadership in public and private schools and for colleges, universities, agencies, businesses and government entities. Major emphases are internally flexible and may be established to fit a variety of interests in the field of special education and gifts and talents. Graduates develop leadership knowledge and skills in exceptionalities related to six major themes: theory, pedagogy, research methodology, evidence-based practice, public policy/advocacy, and collaboration. The program is designed to prepare students for creative leadership in a rapidly changing world that is experiencing increasing cultural diversity, curriculum and structural reforms in schools and pedagogical innovations across the educational spectrum.
The Ph.D. program in Special Education is designed to prepare candidates in theory, pedagogy, research methodology, evidence-based practice, public policy and advocacy, and collaboration. The philosophy of the doctoral program is based on the concept that learning is an active, self-regulated process. The doctoral program is composed of required courses in special education, research methods, electives, research tools, and requires the completion of a dissertation. Doctoral learners are guided through their program by their advisor (who usually serves as Research Chair for the dissertation) and a committee of faculty from special education and other disciplines. The doctoral dissertation is defended by the Doctoral Learner in a committee meeting open to the campus community. The program can be completed in 3-5 years, depending on enrollment status (full- or part-time) and professional goals.
In joint planning sessions, the doctoral learner and advisor, in consultation with the doctoral committee, should establish a tentative doctoral plan of study during the first and second semesters on campus. This plan should be based on past experience and training and on the student’s interests and goals. The plan of study must include an emphasis on critical thinking, breadth and depth of theoretical understanding, scholarship, methods of inquiry, direct experiences in schools with diverse populations, and collaboration with faculty and student colleagues. Doctoral learners are expected to become stewards of the discipline, demonstrating: a) the ability to conduct research and scholarship; b) an understanding of the history and foundational ideas of special and gifted education; and c) the ability to represent and communicate ideas effectively and clearly.
Each applicant must receive a positive recommendation from representatives of the School of Special Education faculty to be recommended for admission to the Graduate School.
See program requirements:
Special Education Administration Licensure
Special Education Doctoral Minor
Admission
Location: Online
Start Term: Fall
General Doctoral Degree Admission Requirements
Special Education Ph.D.
Admission Deadline
The program begins each fall term: Completed applications (including all supplemental materials) are due December 15.
Admission is competitive and all applications will be reviewed as a group after the deadline.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must apply to the Graduate School at the University of Northern Colorado before the program area reviews the applicant’s request for admission. Failure to submit all required materials will delay the evaluation and screening of your application.
Each applicant must:
Take the following steps to be considered for admission:
Step 1: Complete the Application
Complete the online application.
- Answer the application questions.
- Send your requests for letters of recommendation.
- Request three (3) academic or professional letters of recommendation from those who can attest to your academic potential and abilities. You will be asked to supply information for your recommenders in the application.
- Submit the application and pay the non-refundable application fee.
- Domestic Students: $50 non-refundable application fee
- International Students: $50 non-refundable application fee
- The Graduate School is waiving application fees for all current UNC students and alumni! (The waiver applies only to the UNC Graduate School application.) Click for details.
Once you submit your application you will be assigned an Admissions Portal, allowing you to upload supplemental items, as listed below, and track your application through the admissions process.
Step 2: Request Transcripts
Request one official transcript from any Institutionally Accredited college or university where a bachelor’s degree or higher was earned or is in progress (if you have earned multiple degrees, bachelor’s level or higher, an official transcript is required from each college or university where a degree was conferred). If you received a degree from UNC, you do not need to request a transcript from UNC. The Office of Admissions reserves the right to request that applicants provide official transcripts from other colleges or universities as needed. Applicants who have earned or are directly pursuing a higher degree from a regionally accredited institution without receiving a bachelor’s degree (e.g., PharmD) may be eligible to apply to the Graduate School without the conferral of a bachelor’s degree.
Exceptions: If an applicant intends to use Veteran’s Education Benefits, an official transcript from all colleges or universities attended will be required in order to maintain compliance with Veteran’s Affairs policies.
Official transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent via mail directly from the educational institution in an unopened, sealed envelope or through an electronically secure digital program from the issuing institution.
Mailed transcripts should be sent to:
University of Northern Colorado
Office of Admissions
Campus Box 10
501 20th St
Greeley, CO 80639
Electronic transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent directly from the educational institution to: grad.admissions@unco.edu.
The Office of Admissions does not accept email, scanned or PDF transcripts directly from applicants. All official transcripts, submitted as part of the application process, are retained by UNC and not returned to applicants or admitted students.
UNC retains submitted transcripts, from institutions other than UNC, for admitted students for up to five years after graduation or date of last attendance at UNC. Transcripts provided by applicants who were not admitted, denied admissions or did not complete their application are destroyed after one (1) year. The Office of Admissions will make every attempt to use previously submitted transcripts if they are within these timeframes. However, if the Office of Admissions cannot locate previously submitted transcripts, the transcripts fall outside the timeframes listed above or they are considered illegible, applicants must provide new transcripts.
Applicants with academic credentials from outside the U.S. will need to follow therequirements for submission of foreign transcripts. Click on the Transcripts tab for information about international transcripts.
Step 3: Note About the GRE
This program does not require GRE scores.
Step 4: Supplemental Items
Log back into the Admissions Portal to submit the following:
- Statement of academic and professional goals
- Current Resume/Vita
- Published or professional writing sample
Additional Information
An in-person, telephone or internet-conference interview that results in a positive recommendation from faculty in the School of Special Education.
Once you apply to the UNC Graduate School and your application packet is complete, your application will be reviewed by the Graduate School and then sent to the faculty/program for an admission recommendation. The timing of the admission decision depends on each individual program’s deadline and review process.
International applicants (non-U.S. citizen/non-U.S. Permanent Resident) please refer to the International Admissions Requirements page for further information about submitting transcripts, English proficiency scores, passport copy and financial documentation.
For More Information
For more information about the admission process, please email the Office of Admissions at grad.admissions@unco.edu or call 970-351-2881.
Degree Requirements — 77-83 Credits
Students will be required to demonstrate literacy and competency in computer applications as part of the program.
Doctoral Core Courses — 25 credits
| EDSE 701 | Introduction to Doctoral Study in Exceptionalities | 1 |
| EDSE 702 | Law of Exceptionalities | 3 |
| EDSE 721 | Theories of Exceptionality | 3 |
| EDSE 727 | Seminar in Exceptionalities | 3 |
| EDSE 728 | Seminar in Professional Writing | 3 |
| EDSE 732 | Research in Exceptionalities | 3 |
| EDSE 733 | Preparing Teachers of Students with Exceptionalities | 3 |
| EDSE 744 | Advanced Writing Seminar | 3 |
| EDSE 745 | Advanced Doctoral Seminar | 3 |
Externships — 3 credits minimum
| EDSE 730 | Externship in Exceptionalities | 1- 9 |
Externships are taken in one to three hour blocks and involve an off-campus experience. Variable titles related to inquiry, university teaching, research, and administration are selected based on the nature of the externship.
Elective Credits — 9 credits minimum
Students are to select 9 credits of courses in a cognate closely related to the student’s program goals. Electives are chosen in consultation with the major advisor and are an integral part of the program plan.
Areas of Special Interest
The student may select an area of interest (one or more), in conference with their advisor, from the following areas: transition of children and youth with exceptionalities; education of infants and preschool children with exceptionalities; one of the categorical areas of special education (autism, blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, emotionally disturbed, learning disabilities, mental retardation, etc.); gifts and talents; curriculum development; special education administration; university teaching/research; or other areas as designed by the student and their advisor.
Research Core — 12 credits
Research Proposal/Dissertation — 16 credits
Requires permission of major advisor. Explores dissertation research problems, theoretical frameworks, methodology, and data analysis procedures expected to develop an approved dissertation proposal. Students enroll for 1- to 4-hour blocks for a maximum of 4 hours. The student works closely with the Research Advisor and Doctoral Committee members to develop the proposal.
Requires permission of major advisor. Dissertation research is taken in 1- to 12-hour blocks for a maximum of 12 hours. The student works closely with the Research Advisor and Doctoral Committee members to develop the proposal.
Research Tools — 12-18 credits
Students in special education must demonstrate proficiency in two of the three research tools listed below:
1. Research Design/Applied Statistics — 3 credits from the following courses
The GPA for this course and the 12 credits of Research Core above must be 3.0 or higher.
| SRM 606 | Multiple Linear Regression Analysis | 3 |
| SRM 607 | Non-Parametric Statistics | 3 |
| SRM 608 | Experimental Design | 3 |
| SRM 609 | Sampling Methods | 3 |
| SRM 610 | Statistical Methods III | 3 |
| SRM 611 | Advanced Statistical Data Analysis | 3 |
| SRM 625 | Applied Multiple Regression Analysis | 3 |
| SRM 627 | Survey Research Methods | 3 |
| SRM 629 | Structural Equation Modeling | 3 |
| SRM 635 | Categorical Data Analysis | 3 |
| SRM 685 | Educational Ethnography | 3 |
| SRM 686 | Qualitative Case Study Research | 3 |
| SRM 687 | Narrative Inquiry | 3 |
| SRM 688 | Writing Qualitative Research | 3 |
| SRM 705 | Advanced Issues in Research Methods | 3 |
2. Evaluation — 9 credits from the following courses
| ELPS 654 | Instructional Leadership and Supervision | 3 |
| ELPS 665 | Policy Analysis and Development | 3 |
| SRM 670 | Evaluation: Models and Designs | 3 |
| SRM 673 | Evaluation: Advanced Methods | 3 |
3. Collateral Field — 9 credits
Contact the doctoral coordinator for examples of approved courses taken in a collateral field (cognition, instruction, measurement, psychology, human development, rehabilitation; additional research courses may be considered) that will support the dissertation research (600-level and above).
Comprehensive Performance Assessment
The Comprehensive Performance Assessment consists of a scheduled written comprehensive examination plus a matrix of performance options that demonstrates competency in theory, pedagogy, research methodology, evidence-based practice, public policy/advocacy, and collaboration.