Specialization Core (12 hours minimum) To gain breadth of knowledge, the Specialization Core provides for 12 credit hours of designated coursework within your concentration area, outside your concentration area (within Department), and outside the Department (i.e., interdisciplinary). You must take at least one course in outside concentration area, selected from a list of approved courses. Specialization Core requirements can be met via coursework made up of: - Coursework in your concentration area
- Autism and Developmental Disabilities
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Learning Disabilities/Behavioral Disorders
- Equity & Diversity in Special Education
- Coursework outside your concentration area and within Department of Special Education
- Coursework outside the Department of Special Education (courses must be selected in consultation with, and approved by your Academic Adviser
*LD/BD students have Specialization Core requirements specific to the LD/BD concentration area. See Table 1 below.
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Professional Core (18 hours) - SED 695S A & B Professional Seminar (taken over fall and spring semesters of Year 1)
- SED 380 Diversity and Disability: Continuing Perspectives (taken fall of Year 1 preferred)
- SED 398T College Teaching (offered every other spring (odd years)
- SED 696 A and B Research Mentoring (taken over two semesters)
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Research Core (minimum of 18-21 hours for Ph.D.) Coursework must include at least two courses out of the following three: - Qualitative Research Design and/or Data Analysis
- Quantitative Research Design and/or Data Analysis
- Single-Subject Research Design
Coursework must include: - SED 395D Grant Writing in Education
Prerequisite Course(s) as needed: Select other research courses in consultation with your Academic Adviser to be sure that you will fulfill research requirements in your concentration area. Options include (but are not limited to): - Program evaluation
- Advanced coursework in qualitative, quantitative, an/or single subject research methods
- Addressing critical research questions in special education using national datasets
*LD/BD students are required to take Intervention Research in LD (SED 383) as part of their 18-21 hours.
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Dissertation (minimum of 6 hours) SED 399, 699, or 999 |
Professional Activities Beyond Coursework To be selected in consultation with your Academic Adviser and documented in your Program of Work |
Your Academic Adviser and Graduate Adviser must approve any substitution for required courses.
Sample Programs of Work for selected concentration areas are presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Sample Programs of WORK for Selected Concentration
Areas By Core Components OF Study
Core Components | Autism & Developmental Disabilities (A&DD) | Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) | Learning Disabilities/ Behavior Disorders (LD/BD) | Equity and Diversity in Special Education (MCSE) |
Specialization Core (minimum 12 hours) | - Trends & Issues in A&DD
- Advances in Understanding/ Treatment of A&DD
- Trends & Issues in LD/BD
- Acquisition of Communication Abilities in Children (CSD 318K)
- Intervention Research in LD
- Child Development
- Social/Culture Anthropology
- Race/Ethnic Relations in Schools
Trends and Issues in Multicultural SPED - International and Comparative SPED
- Diversity and Disability: Contemporary perspective on intersectionality and disproportionality
- Leadership Training in Autism (SED 388)
- SPED Leadership & Policy (EDA course)
| - Overview of Early Childhood Special Education (SED 384)
- Fundamentals of Developmental Psychology (PSY 394S)
- Developmental Language Disorders (CSD 293D)
- Language and the Brain (CSD 350)
- Acquisition of Communication Abilities in Children (CSD 318K)
- Area Seminar in Developmental Psychology (PSY 385E)
- Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience (PSY 387S)
- Development of Imagination (PSY 394S)
- Behavioral Neuroscience (PSY 332)
- Trends and Issues in Multicultural SPED
- International and Comparative SPED
- Diversity and Disability: Contemporary perspective on intersectionality and disproportionality
| Required to take 2 of the 3 following area courses: - Trends and Issues in LD/BD (offered spring)
- Seminar in Reading (alternating years beginning spring 2019)
- Seminar in Mathematics (alternating years beginning spring 2019)
Remaining credit hours must include at least one course outside of concentration area and/or Dept: - Trends & Issues in A&DD
- Trends and Issues in Multicultural SPED
- Trends and Issues in ECSE
- Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Any other course approved by Advisor
| - Trends and Issues in Equity & Diversity (EDSE)
- International and Comparative SPED
- Addressing critical research questions in SPED using national datasets
- Diversity and Disability: Contemporary perspective on intersectionality and disproportionality
- Trends & Issues in A&DD
- Fundamentals of Developmental Psychology (PSY)
- Developmental Language Disorders (CSD)
- Language and the Brain (CSD)
- Acquisition of Communication Abilities in Children (CSD 318K)
- Trends & Issues in LD/BD
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Research Core (minimum 18 hours beyond pre-requisite. [*] See note about prerequisite below.) | Prerequisite course as needed: At least two of the following three courses: - 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
LD/BD students must take: - Intervention Research in LD
Remaining credit hours may include the following examples (or any course approved by Advisor): - Correlation & Regression
- Statistical Analysis for Experimental Data
- Addressing critical research questions in special education using national datasets
- Meta-Analysis
- Hierarchical Linear Models
- Structural Equation Modeling
- Survey of Multivariate Methods
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Professional Core (minimum 18 hours) | - SED 695S Professional Seminar A&B (6 credits)
- SED 380 Diversity and Disability: Continuing Perspectives; or SED 380 Diversity, Equity, and Disability
- SED 398T College Teaching in SED
- SED 696 Research Mentoring A&B (6 credits)
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Dissertation and Final Oral Defense | - SED _99 Dissertation (taken each semester until graduation)
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Professional Activities Beyond Coursework | - Conference Presentations
- Journal Publications
- Advanced College Teaching
- Editorial activities
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*Pre-requisite course: Educational Department of Psychology (EDP) 380E Fundamental of Statistics: All Students who wish to bypass EDP 380E Fundamental Statistics are required to take a proficiency exam in August of the first semester of the program (information is sent to students about this exam). Students who PASS this exam will not have to take the course, EDP Fundamental of Statistics in their first semester at UT and may proceed with the next level of research coursework (see Appendix F for a flowchart and requirements for the research course sequences). Students who DO NOT pass this exam will have to take EDP Fundamentals of Statistics in their first semester of coursework at UT to enable them to continue with the research sequence in their 2nd semester at UT (this also results in the student needing 21 hours in the Research Core category). Please remember that you have to earn a B [3.0] or better on research/stat courses [and all of your program courses] or you will have to retake that course for which a lower grade [e.g., B-] was received.
Note: Courses listed in the Specialization and Research core areas are SAMPLE courses. Students should meet with their Academic Adviser to determine specific courses for those core areas, which meet department requirements and their professional goals.
