Early Childhood Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education

Department of Special Education

The Early Childhood Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (ECI/ECSE) Ph.D. degree features coursework and intensive mentoring from scholars that conduct cutting-edge clinical and translational research to improve the lives of young children with disabilities and their families. The goal of the program is to prepare the next generation of scholars and future leaders to conduct high-quality research that advances the field of Early Childhood Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education. The doctoral program generally takes four years of full-time study to complete. Students develop their own individualized program of study in consultation with their academic advisor and the graduate advisor.

The program of study includes work in core areas including a specialization core, which focuses on early childhood special education, autism, and developmental disabilities. In addition to content and research coursework, Ph.D. students will complete a dissertation and professional activities beyond coursework. This can include supervision of student teachers, presentation at professional conferences, submitting manuscripts for publication, teaching at the undergraduate level.

Coursework

SED 384 Overview of Early Childhood Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education
PSY 394S Fundamentals of Developmental Psychology
CSD 293D Developmental Language Disorders
CSD 350 Language and the Brain
CSD 318K Acquisition of Communication Abilities in Children

To gain breadth of knowledge, students must take at least one course from outside of their concentration area or outside of the department.

SED 695S A & B Professional Seminar (taken over fall and spring semesters of Year 1)
SED 398T College Teaching (Year 2)
SED 380 Diversity and Disability: Continuing Perspectives; or SED 380 Diversity, Equity, and Disability
SED 696 A and B Research Mentoring (taken over two semesters)

EDP 380C Fundamental Statistics – prerequisite as needed

Additional coursework must include at least two courses out of the following three:

Qualitative Research Design and Data Analysis
Quantitative Research Design and Data Analysis
Single-Subject Research Design

Coursework must include:

SED 395D Grant Writing in Education

Select other research courses in consultation with your Academic Advisor to be sure that you will fulfill research requirements in your concentration area.

All doctoral students are required to complete a dissertation. This includes conducting original research with direction from a dissertation supervisor. The dissertation will be submitted and defended to a dissertation committee consisting of faculty in the field of study.