and The University of Michigan Center for the Development of Language and Literacy, doctoral students in Special Education pursue Ph.D. studies at the intersection of literacy, language, atypical development, and schooling.
Take advantage of unique and rewarding opportunities to pursue Special Education doctoral studies at the intersection of literacy, language, atypical development, and schooling at the University of Michigan School of Education. Four to five years of doctoral study are supported through: research assistantships in which you work closely with faculty on pressing problems related to the education of atypical learners; teaching assistantships, in which you apprentice with some of the country’s leading teacher educators who are redesigning teacher education; and internships in affiliated centers where you will be a member of multi-disciplinary teams engaged in pioneering work regarding the diagnosis and education of children and adolescents with language and communication problems.
During your special education Ph.D. studies, you have the opportunity to work with leading researchers and research centers looking at: atypical cognitive and social development; instructional interventions for word recognition, reading comprehension, written composition, and content learning; developmental variations in reading acquisition; language development; early identification of autism; pragmatics of communicative disorders; as well as challenges and opportunities for multicultural and multilingual learners.
Take advantage of the unique opportunities for doctoral study in Special Education at the University of Michigan School of Education. In cooperation with the program faculty and affiliated staff in two internationally renowned Centers: The University of Michigan Center for Autism and Communication Disorders and The University of Michigan Center for the Development of Language and Literacy, doctoral students in Special Education pursue Ph.D. studies at the intersection of literacy, language, atypical development, and schooling.
The special education degree specialization is housed within the Educational Studies program, which fosters links among students and faculty in a number of specializations sharing a commitment to the integration of theory and research on teaching, learning, and educational access in P-12 settings.
This program is ideal for individuals with one or more of the following professional interests:
For example, you may be particularly interested in our program if you have a strong background in speech and language development and wish to study the implications of atypical language development for literacy learning. In addition, doctoral programs can be tailored for candidates with an interest in the intersection of special education and early childhood education, and special education and English language learners.
It is also worth noting that, as a unit within Michigan's Educational Studies Program, the Special Education PhD program is a national partner in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate, sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of teaching.
Graduates of our program are poised for careers as teacher educators and researchers in institutions of higher education, leaders in pre –K through grade 12 educational settings, clinical settings, and state and federal agencies.
Your doctoral study will be supported through: research assistantships in which you work closely with faculty on pressing problems related to the education of atypical learners; teaching assistantships, in which you apprentice with some of the country’s leading teacher educators who are redesigning teacher education; and internships in affiliated centers where you will be a member of multi-disciplinary teams engaged in pioneering work regarding the diagnosis and education of children and adolescents with language and communication problems.
This degree specialization is housed within the Educational Studies program, which fosters links among students and faculty in a number of specializations sharing a commitment to the integration of theory and research on teaching, learning, and educational access in P-12 settings.
The School of Education offers Special Education degrees at Doctoral level. At present, we are not admitting students to the M.A. degree option in Special Education. Please contact the program for further information.
Educational Studies the Special Education - Ph.D.
This document is designed to give prospective students a sense of what their programs of study might look like if they were to pursue a Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Michigan. You will notice that the programs of study are divided into: (1) requirements that are core to Ph.D. study in any area of educational studies, (2) requirements that are core to a Ph.D. with a focus on special education, (3) courses that would constitute a concentration within special education
Ph.D. PROGRAM CORE REQUIREMENTS: The following courses are required of all doctoral students in Educational Studies, which is the unit in which Special Education is situated within the School of Education.
Course # |
Course Title |
Units |
ED 790 |
Fundamental Issues in Educational Studies |
4 |
ED 792 |
Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods |
3 |
ED 793 |
Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods |
3 |
ED 708 |
Foundations of Teaching and Learning |
3 |
ED 898 |
Professional Development Seminar |
2 |
In addition to these core requirements, all doctoral students are required to take 12 hours of cognate classes (typically four classes). Cognates refer to classes that are outside of the School of Education. The purpose of cognate classes is to ensure that doctoral students have the opportunity to engage in cross-disciplinary study. These cognate courses are selected in consultation with your advisor.
SPECIAL EDUCATION CORE REQUIREMENTS: The following courses are required of all doctoral students pursuing the Ph.D. in Special Education.
Course # |
Course Title |
Units |
ED 525 |
Language Development: Home and School Contexts |
3 |
ED 736 |
Atypical Cognitive and Social Development |
3 |
ED 739 |
Developmental Variations in Reading Acquisition |
3 |
ED 738 |
Instructional Interventions for Atypical Learners: Theory and Research |
3 |
In recognition of the range of foci and career possibilities within Special Education, and, given the resources available at the University of Michigan, Ph.D. students in Special Education are encouraged to craft their own areas of concentration within Special Education. The coursework associated with each area of concentration is to be complemented by research, teaching, and/or clinical experiences that would extend and complement the learning that occurs through coursework.
Sample areas of concentration and recommended courses for each follow. This is not an exhaustive set, but rather an illustrative one. To provide prospective students a sense of the faculty with whom they would be studying, the faculty typically associated with each course are identified
Early Reading
Literacy Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Primary/Elementary (E. Sulzby)
Early Childhood Education: Policy Issues (Susan Neuman)
Reading and Writing Development of Young Children (Elizabeth Sulzby)
A course with Fred Morrison
Special education and Multicultural, multilingual learners
Education and Cultural/Multicultural Studies; Reconstructing urban schooling
(Carla O’Connor)
Literacy and Diversity (Jay Lemke)
The achievement gap (Tabby Chavous)
Content Area Learning and Atypical Learners
Learning technologies across the content areas (Barry Fishman)
School curriculum (Stu Rankin)
The challenges of academic language (Mary Schleppegrell)
Non-Course Work Requirements
In addition to coursework, there are milestone experiences for which students enroll for credits; these include preparation for and completion of preliminary examinations, and completion of the dissertation.
The School of Education offers Special Education degrees at Doctoral level. At present, we are not admitting students to the M.A. degree option in Special Education. Please contact the program for further information.
Are you interested in applying to our program? If so, you've come to the right place. Just follow the steps below. Note: If you are applying to the Doctoral program, be sure to check out the guidelines on how to write an ideal Special Education Ph.D. essay. Links will open up in a new window, close the window to return to this page.
1. Do you have any questions you would like answered before you apply? If so, view the School
of Education Frequently Asked Questions or contact
the Special Education program.
2. Fill out a Rackham program inquiry form to get you into our
system, so we can inform you of the latest recruiting events and other admissions
updates. You can fill
out a program
inquiry form by clicking here (be sure to close the new window to return
to this page).
3. Application Process: You will need to complete an application
to the Horace H. Rackham Graduate School,
which is the overall administrative unit for graduate programs. It is mandatory
that you use the Rackham Web application to apply to our programs.
You also need to send us a statement of purpose, official transcripts from every institution you have attended, three letters of recommendation, and your GRE scores. International students should also send in their TOEFL scores.
We created an application checklist for your use in keeping track of where and when you sent application materials. We recommend that you download and print up an application checklist.
Application Checklist
Fee waivers are available through the Rackham Graduate School for prospective students who qualify for Specialized Fee Waiver Groups. Please check Rackham's fee waiver Web page to see if you are eligible for one of these groups.
Note: The Office of Student Services matches documents to an application using the name appearing on the Rackham application. If the name on your documents, i.e., transcript, letter of recommendation, etc., is different from the name appearing on your application, please be sure to indicate all former last names or other first names on the Rackham application. Contact the Office of Student Services if you have information about your name that you did not include on the Rackham application.
For the latest deadline, please see our deadlines page
5. We hope you will get acquainted with us through our web materials,
e-mail correspondence, and when possible, a personal
visit. Be sure to
check out the University of
Michigan Web site, the Rackham
Graduate School Web site, and the rest of the resources in this program
site along with the School of Education Web site. In addition, you may want
to view the SOE
Bulletin.
There are opportunities through both the School of Education and the Rackham
Graduate School for merit and need based fellowships. To find out more, we
encourage you to review the
Graduate Financial Aid Resource Guide.
The Office
of Fellowships and Recruitment
is the contact for the Rackham Graduate School (734-764-8119).
We are delighted to learn of your interest in the University
of Michigan and this program. We encourage you to visit the campus to
discuss your interests with faculty and students. Visits are most helpful if
made prior to or during the application process. In addition to arranging individual
campus visits, you are encouraged to attend the annual Graduate Information Day. This is a great opportunity
for you to meet with School of Education faculty and staff, some of our current
students, and other prospective students. We wish you the best of luck in pursuing your
graduate studies and encourage you to contact us (above) if you have any questions
about the University of Michigan or your program.
Still have questions? If so, please visit the School
of Education Frequently Asked Questions, or contact the Office
of Student Services.
Questions about the status of your application? Check your application data and status online, via Wolverine Access. Please allow 7 days after submitting your application before checking your web application status on Wolverine Access. To do this you will need to use a login ID and password, and confirm some personal data before viewing your application:
For applicants who are current students or employees
1. Log into Wolverine Access using your existing UMICH uniqname login and click "New and Prospective Student Business."
"For applicants who are new to the University you will
need to create a secure login using a UM Friend Account and then log into Wolverine
Access at https://friend.weblogin.umich.edu/
1. Create a Friend Account by clicking on the following link: Create a Friend Account.
NOTE: If you have questions about creating a UM Friend Account you may go to http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/s4316
2. Log into Wolverine Access at https://wolverineaccess.umich.edu/ and click "New and Prospective Student Business."
If you have any further questions, contact the Office
of Student Services at
(734) 764-7563 or
ed.grad.appl@umich.edu.
If you are interested in other School of Education programs, return to the "Academic Programs" home by clicking on the tab above or by clicking here.
A good essay is an important part of the Ph.D. application. As you write your essay, you should take into consideration the following guidelines:
1) You should present a clear statement of a substantive concentration area and your reasons for selecting this area.
2) Your essay should include a statement of research interests within an area of substantive concentration (For instance, if you indicate that reading comprehension is your substantive concentration area, you might want to focus on characteristics of students with comprehension disorders, or on curriculum design, etc.). Please be as specific as possible (we understand that this focus will develop during your graduate career. Some questions that should be answered in this statement are:
Why this area is of interest to you?
What experience do you already have in this area?
What question(s) are you eager to answer?
3) You should include the names of faculty members at Michigan with whom you would like to work and explain why (please suggest a potential advisor if possible). Note: A strong Ph.D. applicant will spend some time looking into the research interests of Michigan faculty. This can be done via our faculty web sites or by a trip to a research library to seek out some of our recent publications.
4) You should also include a discussion of the career path you propose to follow after completing your Ph.D.
Click here to download an Acrobat PDF version of this page.
Listed below are the major course offerings related to Special Education. In conjunction with their advisors, students select a number of these courses, plus electives elsewhere in the School of Education and in cognate departments (e.g., Linguistics, Psychology, Social Work).
618. Early Childhood Assessment
620. Education of Young Children with Special Needs
638. Internship and Directed Field Experience
645. Education and Cultural/Multicultural Studies
733. Reading and Writing Development of Young Children
734. Sociohistorical Context of Special Education
735. Theory and Research in Special Education
736. Atypical cognitive and Social Development
Special Education Ph.D. Course Planning Sheet
Program Course Planning Sheet
For students admitted beginning Fall 2001
Total hours: 60
This planning sheet is to be completed in consultation with your advisor
Name: ________________________________
Term Admitted: _________________________
Name of Advisor: _______________________________
The Program Course Planning Sheet is to be submitted to the Office of Student Services (OSS) signed by your advisor at least one term prior to the term you plan to achieve candidacy. For specific candidacy dates, contact OSS (Room 1033 School of Education) or view the School of Education web site: http://www.soe.umich.edu/deadlines/candidacy/index.html .
PROGRAM CORE REQUIREMENTS: 19 HOURS
| Term | Course Number/Title |
Credits |
EDUC 790 Fundamental Issues in Educational Studies (3) |
||
EDUC 791 Foundations of Teaching & Learning (3) EDUC 792 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (3) |
||
EDUC 793 Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods (3) |
||
Advanced Research Methods (3) Course # and Name |
||
EDUC 898 Professional Development Seminar (1) |
||
EDUC 898 Professional Development Seminar (1) |
||
EDUC 898 Professional Development Seminar (1) |
||
EDUC 898 Professional Development Seminar (1) |
Special Education Core Requirements (select 5 courses) : 15 hours
EDUC 735 Theory and Research in Special Education (3) |
||
EDUC 525 Language Development (3) |
||
EDUC 736 Atypical Cognitive and Social Development (3) |
||
EDUC 739 Developmental Variations in Reading Acquisition (3) |
||
EDUC 738 Instructional Interventions for Atypical Learners: Theory and Research (3) |
||
EDUC 500 Foundations of Literacy (3) |
Special Education Electives (select 2 courses): 6 hours
EDUC 734 Sociohistorical Contexts of Special Education (3) |
||
EDUC 643 Sociology of Education (3) or |
||
EDUC 645 Education and Cultural/Multicultural Studies (3) |
||
EDUC 721 Human Development and Schooling (3) or |
||
EDUC 722 Models of Teaching and Classroom Instruction (3) or |
||
EDUC 720 Social Psychology of Education (3) or |
||
EDUC 708 Cognition and Instruction in the Classroom (3) |
General Electives: register for as many hours as necessary to complete Ph.D. requirements (min 3 hours)
Cognates: 12 hours (Courses taken outside the School of Education)
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
The preliminary exam consists of two parts, both of which must be approved by a committee to be considered a candidate for the Ph.D. degree in the Educational Studies Program.
Part A: A scholarly paper that is of sufficient length, depth, and complexity to demonstrate that the student is able to frame a significant and worthwhile problem, select a method or methods of research appropriate to the resolution of the problem, employ this method or these methods properly, and present the entire effort in writing that is both clear and cogent.
Reminder: You may register for EDUC 655 (3 hours) to fulfill this requirement and to meet credit hour requirements for the Ph.D.
Term of Registration in EDUC 655 for 3 hours for Part A: _________________
Date Part A of Preliminary Examination approved: ____________
Part B: A written examination consisting of a number of questions or assignments designed to assess the breadth and depth of the student's understanding of his or her specialty area as well as the place of this specialty field within the larger domain of education. You may register for EDUC 990 (minimum of 1 credit hour) to fulfill this requirement and to meet credit hour requirements for the Ph.D.
In the Special Education program, Part B is further divided:
Part B1: A common examination consisting of three questions that cover a set of readings determined and evaluated by a common committee comprised of unit faculty members. Students are given three hours for each question, and will complete the three questions over three consecutive days. Registration dates are provided in the handbook. Students should consult with advisors about the appropriate time at which to sit for these examinations.
Date of approval of Part B1 Examination: ______________
Part B2: The completion of a series of tasks, including an article review, a literature review, and a small grant proposal, all oriented around an area of study chosen by the student and negotiated with a committee formed by the student, in collaboration with his/her advisor or dissertation chair.
Date of approval of Part B2 Examination: ________________
Term of Registration for Part B : ________________
Note: A registration in EDUC 990 for a minimum of 1 hour is typical to fulfill this requirement and to meet the credit hour requirements for the Ph.D.
Date of Final Approval of Preliminary Examination: _____________
Total Credit Hours at Candidacy _____ Total RFT * at Candidacy _____
* RACKHAM FEE TOTALS (RFT'S): Doctoral students are required to complete a total of 68 fee hours toward a doctoral degree. Students admitted to a doctoral program with an earned master's degree (from an accredited institution) that is relevant to your doctoral program will be required to complete 50 fee hours at UM. (Note: Consult with the Office of Student Services about this requirement early in your doctoral program or refer to the Rackham Graduate Student Handbook of Policies and Procedures.)
CANDIDACY REGISTRATION: In accordance with the School of Education's Time To Degree Policy, a candidate will be required to make a candidacy registration once every two years from the term of achieving candidacy OR their last candidacy registration to remain active. It is also possible that a candidacy registration may be required as part of an assistantship/fellowship/award offer, as a condition for readmission, or as a condition for the approval of an extension of time. A candidate is required to make an 8-hour candidacy registration in a full term (Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer) to defend the dissertation. If you have any questions about candidacy registrations or the School of Education's Time to Degree Policy, please contact the Office of Student Services, 1033 SEB, (734) 764 - 7563.
Note: Candidacy registrations will be made after achieving candidacy and will not appear on this worksheet. Candidacy registrations are 8 hours in a full term or 4 hours in a half term.
Date of approval of Dissertation proposal: ________
Signature of Student: __________________________________ Date: ________________
Signature of Advisor: __________________________________ Date: ________________
Office of Student Services Approval: _____________________ Date: ________________
Educational Studies Approval: ____________________________Date: _______________
To assist those interested in the various concentrations, here are the names of faculty members, student ambassadors, and recent graduates involved with the Special Education specialization. If you have a general question about the program please visit the Special Education contact page.
Faculty: To view a faculty member's research interests, click on their name (links open up a new window).
Affiliated Faculty
Ambassadors are students who have agreed to answer your questions about the program. We know there are times when you really want to hear about the program from a student's perspective, and these students have agreed to share their experiences. If you have general Special Education questions, please contact the program directly. Remember: To help us alert you to recruitment events and the latest admissions updates, be sure to also fill out a graduate program inquiry form
Ambassadors:
Nancy DeFrance ndefranc@umich.edu
Kay Hanson kgugisbe@umich.edu
Lauren Katz katzla@umich.edu
Visit the Educational Studies site to read about other recent ES graduates
Majoring in Special Education at the University of Michigan gives you many opportunities to work with faculty who wish to improve the success of children and adolescents at risk for learning failure, both at home and in the community.
Here is a list of some of the projects that Special Education faculty and students are working on now, or have been involved with in the past.
Evaluation of Michigan's Reading First Initiative
The influence of first and second hand investigations on learning opportunities and outcomes in inquiry-based science in the elementary school
Parental Fostering of Children's Academic Goals and Efforts for Learning
Reading to learn: Investigating general and domain specific prompts in a technology rich environment with diverse readers learning from informational texts
Self- and Other-Perceptions of Students with Learning Disabilities
Children's use of print and oral literacy when working with an exemplary teacher in a program of study on the motion of objects down inclined planes
Changes in teachers' practices in science instruction as a function of their participation in a Community of Practice
How does teacher discourse mediate the learning of students, the nature of the challenges the students experience, and the knowledge-building in which they are engaged?
How do a teacher's literacy practices in conjunction with the use of a text written by a fictitious scientist compare with those used in her other subject matter instruction?
What are the experiences of teachers working with students with learning disabilities in apprenticeships organized around students' self-identified interests?
