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Kent State University

Kent , Ohio ,United States

Special Education - Ph.D.

The Ph.D. degree in Special Education is designed to prepare highly qualified, experienced persons for academic faculty and research positions in colleges, universities and research centers, in addition to leadership, administrative and advocacy positions. The program enables students to master a comprehensive field of emphasis in special education; employ intellectual and innovative methods for addressing the needs of exceptional children, youth and adults; and acquire a breadth of understanding of related disciplines that focus on the professional roles of college teaching, research, administration and clinical-, educational- and agency-based services for individuals with exceptionalities.

Students participate in research studies, learn methods for conducting research and design independent and collaborative studies in their specialty area. In addition to conceptualizing, designing, implementing and interpreting research, all doctoral students are also expected to demonstrate competence in teaching at the college level during their doctoral training.

Campus Information

Kent Campus

Intakes

  • April
  • Oct

Application Processing Time in Days: 20

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Graduates of the program will be able to:

  • Formulate ideas, concepts, designs and/or techniques within and beyond the current boundaries of knowledge and practice in the field of special education; demonstrate breadth within their learning experiences.
  • Articulate research problems, potentials and limits with respect to theory knowledge or practice in the field of special education; create research and scholarship that makes a substantive contribution to the field.
  • Share knowledge and research in the field of special education with students in a clear and engaging manner; effectively communicate with students within and outside of class; advance contributions of the field of special education to society.
  • Communicate complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner to a variety of audiences.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work well with others, participate in professional organizations and adhere to ethical standards of research protocol and professional behavior.

PSW Opportunity

Post-Study Work visa or permit, allowing international students on F-1 visas to work in the US after completing their studies, typically through Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Eligibility:
To be eligible for OPT, students must have been enrolled full-time in a US educational institution for at least one academic year and be seeking work related to their major.

Duration:
Students can apply for up to 12 months of OPT, either before they finish their studies (pre-completion) or after graduation (post-completion).

STEM OPT:
Students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields can apply for an extended OPT period of up to 24 months.

Contact our PSA counselor for more information

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

All graduate applicants must obtain a minimum TOEFL-IBT score of 71 -or- a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 -or- a minimum PTE score of 48 -or- a minimum DET score of 100 for full-time academic admission, with the many exceptions for individual graduate programs: 

Graduate Program Minimum English Proficiency Requirement

IELTS 6.5

TOEFL (Internet-based) 79

PTE 58

DET (Duolingo English Test) 110