Students entering the Doctor of Philosophy program in Special Education should meet the minimum university admission requirements (Graduate Admission)

In order to be considered for admission into the Old Dominion University Ph.D. in Education: Special Education Concentration program (special education Ph.D. program) a candidate must include the following information in the application:

• Proof of a completed master’s degree in special education or an equivalent degree in a related discipline from a program that is accredited by an appropriate specialized accrediting agency or from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.  Transcripts from universities outside the United States must be accompanied by a global credit evaluation from an accredited agency. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.60 (on a 4.0 scale) overall for the master’s degree and in the major area of study in the master’s degree is expected;

• Acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE): 156 [550] on the verbal portion and no less than 4.5 on the writing sample.

  • Applicants whose first language is not English must submit a current score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) according to the standards established by Old Dominion University;

• A minimum of three years teaching experience in a pre-K – 12 setting with students with disabilities;

• A 500-800-word statement of academic and professional goals. This statement must describe the applicant’s research agenda to meet his/her academic and professional goals;

• A professional curriculum vitae;

• Three letters of reference from individuals capable of commenting on the applicant’s readiness for advanced graduate study. At least two of these letters must be from academic sources. If a non-academic letter of reference is necessary, it should be from a professional source; and

• Evidence of prior course work in statistics and in theories of learning. If this requirement is not met, a student may be admitted, and additional course work will be added to the candidate’s program of study.