The Exceptional Education track in the Education PhD program is designed to prepare highly competent doctoral-level professionals to assume leadership positions in teaching, research and service in the area of special education.
The Exceptional Education track is a challenging program of study. The program focuses on developing the qualifications to conduct research, implement best practices based on research, and evaluate new programs and projects that serve students with disabilities.
The Exceptional Education track in the Education PhD program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree. Students must complete 24 credit hours of core courses, 15 credit hours of specialization courses, 6 credit hours of internship, and 15 credit hours of dissertation. All students must also complete the candidacy examination.
Total Credit Hours Required: 60 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree
Track Prerequisites
A master's degree in a closely related field.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
39 Total Credits
Core Courses
24 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- IDS7500 - Seminar in Educational Research (1 - 99)
- Complete the following:
- IDS7501 - Issues and Research in Education (3)
- EDF7475 - Qualitative Research in Education (3)
- EDF7403 - Quantitative Foundations of Educational Research (3)
- EDF7463 - Analysis of Survey, Record, and Other Qualitative Data (3)
- IDS7502 - Case Studies in Research Design (3)
- EDF7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education (3)
- IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design may be substituted with one of the approved research electives in Group A listed under Program Details EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education may be substituted with one of the approved research electives in Group B listed under Program Details
Specialization Courses
15 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- EEX7936 - Current Issues Trends in Special Education (3)
- EEX7527 - Professional Writing Grant Writing in Special Education (3)
- EEX7766 - Technology Research Training in Special Education (3)
- EEX7428 - Personnel Preparation: Special Education (3)
- EEX7320 - Program Evaluation and Planning in Special Education (3)
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: EEX 7980 - Dissertation Research Doctoral students must present a prospectus for the dissertation to the doctoral adviser, prepare a proposal and present it to the dissertation committee, and defend the final research submission with the dissertation committee.
Internship
6 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- EEX7865 - Internship in College Instruction in Special Education (3)
- EEX7866 - Internship in Practicum Supervision in Special Education (3)
Candidacy
0 Total Credits
- To enter candidacy for the PhD, students must have an overall 3.0 GPA on all graduate work included in the planned program and pass all required examinations. Examinations will be scheduled by the student and major adviser. Students must be enrolled in the university during the semester an examination is taken. The following are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours: - Completion of all course work, except for dissertation hours. - Successful completion of the candidacy examination. - Successful defense of the written dissertation proposal. - The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. - Submission of an approved program of study.
Candidacy Examinations
0 Total Credits
- All PhD candidates will be required to complete two examinations. Please note that there may be variations in length of exam time and content based on the respective requirements of each track. - Research in the Specialization—8-hour written examination. - Specialization—3-hour oral examination.
Grand Total Credits: 60
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
Group A (Course below may be taken in place of IDS 7502 - Case Studies in Research Design in fulfilling CORE requirement above) - EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
- SPA 7495 - Doctoral Seminar II: Spoken and Written Language Disorders 3 Credit Hours (Communication Sciences Track students only)
- IDS 7938 - Research Cluster Seminar 3 Credit Hours
Group B (Course below may be taken in place of EDF 7406 - Multivariate Statistics in Education in fulfilling CORE requirement above) - IDS 7938 - Research Cluster Seminar 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7405 - Quantitative Methods II 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7410 - Application of Nonparametric and Categorical Data Analysis in Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7415 - Latent Variable Modeling In Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7473 - Ethnography in Educational Settings 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7474 - Multilevel Data Analysis In Education 3 Credit Hours
- EDF 7488 - Monte Carlo Simulation Research in Education 3 Credit Hours
- SPA 7495 - Doctoral Seminar II: Spoken and Written Language Disorders 3 Credit Hours (Communication Sciences Track students only)
Independent Learning
The dissertation satisfies the independent learning requirement.
