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The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Special Education General Advisement Guide & Course Information Table of Contents
The Ph.D. program in Special Education focuses upon the preparation of teacher educators and special education administrators. The Ph.D. program prepares its graduates to become successful and productive special education faculty members or administrators through an intensive course of advanced study. Courses include both seminars and experiential learning. .General Instructions General program policies are described in this Handbook. The student should be familiar with relevant regulations and policies contained in the University Graduate School Bulletin. These procedures facilitate the transition from admission to take courses through admission to candidate status. The Office of Student Affairs maintains student records. These records are also maintained in the Programs in Special Education office. It is the responsibility of each student to advise both offices of any changes in the student's status including changes in address and telephone number. Students can be admitted to the graduate school as non-degree candidates (enrolling in a maximum of 12 credit hours) while completing screening requirements 1-6 for admission. The 12 credits earned in non-degree status may, at the discretion of the applicant's advisory committee, apply to the Ph.D. program of study. Application Deadline: February 14 Admission to the Ph.D. program is selective. Candidates are sought who possess attributes and goals that are consistent with the focus of the program. Requirements for admission include the receipt of the following materials by The Graduate School, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208:
Admission to Take Course Leading to the Qualifying Examination After successful completion of the above admission requirements doctoral students will be admitted to begin coursework the following semester. In order to receive the Ph.D. degree in Special Education, the candidate must earn a grade point average of 3.0 on all 700-800 courses and all courses in the student's program of study. All program requirements and the dissertation must be completed within an eight year period. The dissertation must be completed and defended within five years after the candidate has successfully passed the comprehensive examination. The doctoral residency requirement may be satisfied only after admission to a doctoral degree program and must be fulfilled by enrollment in at least 18 graduate credit hours within three consecutive semesters (excluding summers). Enrollment in a summer term is not required to maintain continuity, but credits earned during summer terms will count towards residency. Examples of such enrollments are as follows: Fall-Spring-Fall; Fall-Spring-Summer-Fall; Spring- Summer-Fall-Spring; or Spring-Fall-Spring. In no case will a program's individual coursework or residency requirements supersede the CHE requirement that more than 50 percent of the coursework for a program be completed through the Columbia campus. This coursework must consist of regular courses, and does not include independent studies. Courses may be taken on regional campuses provided they are taught by regular USC-Columbia faculty. The student's program committee will certify, on the program of study, the time period in and courses with which the student satisfies the residency requirement. Once admitted, an advisor is assigned to the student from the faculty in special education. The student should immediately consult with the advisor in preparation of a program of study. The advisor serves as the chair of the student's program advisory committee. The student and advisor, together, select the other committee members. This committee consists of the following three members: two from the faculty in special education, one from outside the Department of Educational Psychology. Approval of the composition of the student's program advisory committee must be requested on the prescribed form which is obtained from the Office of Student Affairs and approved by the Graduate Director of the College of Education and the Graduate School. Satisfactory completion of the following components are required for the Ph.D. in special education: 1. a qualifying examination and admission to candidate status; 2. completion of the foreign language requirement; 3. course requirements for the degree listed in the program of study; 4. written and oral comprehensive examinations; 5. a dissertation proposal that meets with the approval of the doctoral committee; and 6. successful oral defense of the dissertation. All Ph.D. candidates will have three post Masters courses taken outside their department but within the College of Education at the 700-800 level. These courses, which are separate from the cognate areas, will be included in the candidate's program of study. The purpose of the qualifying examination is to assess the student's competence and knowledge of research in special education. After the completion of 12 hours (at least six hours of EDRM courses and three hours of EDEX courses to include either 893 or 894) the student will submit a qualifying paper. This paper will be a comparative analysis from three special education research articles. A presentation of the written paper to the program faculty including response to questions constitutes the qualifying examination. A majority vote of "Pass" by the program faculty admits the student to Doctoral Candidate Status. In the event of a grade of "Fail" the student is eliminated from further consideration for admission to doctoral candidacy. A candidate must demonstrate one of the following:
Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination the student and advisor will submit a program of study to the Office of Student Affairs. A memo stating that the student has successfully completed the qualifying examination must accompany the student's program of study. Cognate area courses, nine semester hours, are to be taken outside the Department of Educational Studies. Comprehensive Examination Committee The comprehensive examination committee consists of four members including an outside department member. The chairperson of the Comprehensive Examination Committee must be a faculty member from the Programs in Special Education. Approval of the composition of the student's comprehensive examination committee must be requested on the prescribed form which is obtained from the Office of Student Affairs and approved by the Graduate Director of the College of Education and the Graduate School. The comprehensive examinations for the Ph.D. include a written examination of twelve hours (2 days) and an oral examination of two to three hours. The written portion of the examination will be derived from the areas included in the student's program study. The comprehensive examination is administered following the student's final semester of coursework. The oral examination will be administered provided the student has successfully completed the written examination. Additional coursework may be prescribed after the written examination if recommended by a majority of the examination committee. However, no additional coursework can be prescribed after the completion of the oral examination. Comprehensive examination grades assigned are "Pass with Honors," "Pass," or "Fail." (If the examination is failed, the student may request one opportunity to retake it). Eligibility for taking the written comprehensive examination consist of the following requirements:
At the successful completion of the oral examination the candidate is given the freedom to select a doctoral committee chair with similar research interests. The assumption is that the candidate's research interest have evolved through the completion of coursework. The program advisor assigned at the beginning of the candidate's doctoral work may not necessarily have the same research interests as the candidate; therefore, he/she would not be appropriate to direct the dissertation research. The dissertation committee consists of four members including an outside department member. The selection of a dissertation committee chair is initiated solely by the doctoral candidate. The dissertation committee approves or disapproves the candidate's dissertation proposal, conducts the examination at the candidates's defense of the dissertation, and recommends the candidate to receive the Ph.D. degree. Approval of the composition of the student's dissertation committee must be requested on the prescribed form which is obtained for the Office of Student Affairs and approved by the Graduate Director of the College of Education and the Graduate School. The chair person of the dissertation committee must be a faculty member from the Programs in Special Education. All dissertations in the College of Education are to have single authorship. Prior to writing the dissertation, the candidate develops and defends the dissertation proposal before his/her doctoral committee. At the time of the review, the committee may either approve the proposal or recommend revisions to the proposal to be followed by another committee review. The committee members indicate approval of the proposal by signing the proposal cover sheet. Copies of the proposal and the signed cover sheet are filed with the program office and each member of the doctoral committee. The candidate conducts the research described in the proposal and proceeds to develop the dissertation under the guidance of the doctoral committee. Qualifications for completing the dissertation defense consist of successful completion of the doctoral comprehensive examinations and successful completion of the defense of the dissertation proposal. The candidate must successfully defend the dissertation before his/her doctoral committee at least 30 days prior to the date that the degree is to be awarded. The dissertation must be completed and defended within five years after the candidate has successfully passed the comprehensive examination. The defense requires two to three hours and is restricted to a defense of the written draft of the dissertation. The candidate's doctoral committee serves as the examining committee for the defense and must consist of four qualified members. The candidate's defense of the dissertation is open to all faculty members of the university. The chairperson may invite guests to ask questions if he/she chooses at the end of the examination. However, invited guests shall not vote or comment on the candidate's performance. The dissertation defense is scored either "Pass" or "Fail." Scoring shall be by written ballot after discussion. The grade received by the candidate is determined by the majority of the committee. If the candidate fails the examination, he/she shall be disqualified from further graduate study toward the Ph.D. degree in Special Education in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina.
EDEX 710 Legal Issues in Special Education EDEX 750 Technology & Exceptional Populations EDEX 891 Advanced Educational Procedures for Exceptional Children EDRM 700 Introduction to Research in Education
Special Education (EDEX) 710 Legal Issues in Special Education. (3) Analysis of legislation, litigation, and administrative rulings related to special education. Emphasis on the development of legally sound policies and procedures to ensure an appropriate education for students with disabilities. 750 Technology and Exceptional Populations. [=EDRH 750] (3) The application of microcomputers and other technology in services for special populations. Case management, assessment, and instructional uses of technology are included. 808 Procedures in Special Education Assessment and Intervention II. (3) (Prereq: EDEX 790, and EDEX 791 or consent of instructor) A continuation of EDEX 791 with an emphasis on educational assessment in clinical and school settings. Integration of assessment procedures including interviewing, observation, testing, consultation, and report writing. Students are individually supervised on several projects. 809 Applied Behavior Analysis in Special Education. (3) (Prereq: EDEX 792, EDRM 710 and EDRM 711 or equivalents) Applications of single-case study designs to the analysis of student behavior in special education, with emphasis on visual display of data and interpretation of research results. 815 Coordination of Programs for Exceptional Children. (3) (Prereq: EDEX 523 or its equivalent or permission of instructor) A study of administrative and supervisory issues in the operation of school programs for exceptional children; alternate instructional models and program organizations, budgeting and funding practices, certification requirements, and other operational factors are emphasized. 891 Advanced Educational Procedures for Exceptional Children: A (Administration); B (Behavior Disordered); L (Learning Disabled); M (Mentally Retarded); P (Pre-School Handicapped); V (Visually Impaired). (3) (Prereq: depend on specializations) Educational procedures to be used in special education classrooms, emphasis on related problems involving curriculum, methods, and materials for exceptional learners. 892 Internship in Exceptional Children: A (Pedagogy); B (University Teaching); C (Administration). (3) (Prereq: EDEX 891 and consent of instructor) Supervised field-experiences and related activities with exceptional children in public and private schools, clinical, administrative, and university settings. 893 Study of Advanced Topics in Exceptional Children. (3) (Prereq: EDEX 891 and consent of instructor) Lectures, presentations, and discussion sessions on a selected area of special education. A (Administration); B (Behavior Disordered); L (Learning Disabled); M (Mentally Retarded); P (Pre-School Handicapped); V (Visually Impaired). 894 Seminar in Exceptional Children. (3) (Prereq: EDEX 891 and consent of instructor) Current research in special education; the analysis of research design in selected areas of special education. A (Administration); B (Behavior Disordered); L (Learning Disabled); M (Mentally Retarded); P (Pre-School Handicapped); V (Visually Impaired).
Elementary Education (EDEL) 715 The Elementary School Curriculum. (3) Critical study of the modern elementary school curriculum. Foundations of Education (EDFN) 743 The School and the Social Order: The Unites States I. (3) The impact of education on the social order in the United States from the colonial period to 1877. Research assignments will involve analysis and interpretation of primary source materials of 18th and 19th century educational thought and practice in South Carolina. 744 Philosophy and Education. (3) The functional considerations governing educational theories and practices. 749 The School in Modern Society. (3) Basic concepts of the relation of the school to the social order: an analysis of the essential features of the changing social context within which American educational policy and practice now operate. The educational implications of recent social change in American life and of the emergence of a new world order. 847 Modern Philosophies of Education. [=PHIL 847] (3) (Prereq: EDFN 744, the equivalent, or consent of the instructor) Critical comparison of present-day schools of thought in the nature, objectives, and functions of American education. Educational Leadership & Policies (EDLP) 702 School Personnel Administration. (3) Personnel management in the public schools with attention to such issues as teacher supply, recruitment, selection, staff development, supervision, teacher welfare, legal rights/liabilities of school personnel. 703 Supervision of Instruction. (3) An introduction to the functioning of an educational supervisor. Emphasis on the improvement of instruction and instructional programs. 704 School Finance and Business Management. (3) (Prereq: At least two of the following: EDLP 700, 701, 702, 703) Financial and business management functions of school administration. Local/state/national funding issues, economics and politics of school finance, budget preparation, accounting/auditing/plant operation/maintenance from school level. Educational Leadership & Policies (EDLP) (continued) 705 Legal Basis of Educational Organization and Administration. (3) (Prereq: At least two of the following: EDLP 700, 701,702,703) Emphasis on techniques of legal research, the legal relationships between the federal and state government as they relate to school district organization and administration, as well as legal case studies in all major areas of administrative concern. 725 Principles of Curriculum Construction. (3) (Prereq: EDCI 720 or equivalent) Presentation of methods and procedures to design, develop, implement, and evaluate curricula. Educational Psychology (EDPY) 705 Human Growth and Development. (3) Overview of the contributions of the biological and social sciences to an understanding of the mental, emotional, social, and physical development from infancy through adulthood. Study of behavior problems. 706 Human Development and Learning Situations. (3) Presentation of theories and principles of human development that are particularly relevant to teaching. Application of such theories and principles to learning situations suitable to various age and grade levels. 835 Educational Psychology. (3) Advanced study of educational psychology with special emphasis on learning. Research and Measurement in Education (EDRM) 700 Introduction to Research in Education. (3) (Prereq: full admission to graduate standing or permission of instructor) Concepts and methods of conducting research in education. 710 Educational Statistics I. (3) Introductory course in statistics for graduate students in education and other social sciences. Central tendency and variability, normal distribution, simple correlation, and regression, z and t tests for one and two samples, and the chi-square test. Use of statistical software. 711 Educational Statistics II. (3) (Prereq: EDRM 710) Continuation of Educational Statistics I. Inference for one and two samples, factorial designs, repeated measures designs, and multiple regression. Use of statistical software. 712 Nonparametric Statistics. (3) (Prereq: EDRM 711) Applied nonparametric statistics in education and the social sciences. Distribution-free inference for repeated measures and factorial designs; logistic regression and log-linear analysis. Use of statistical software. 718 Research and the Statistical Packages. (3) (Prereq: EDRM 710 or equivalent) Training in use of available statistical packages as applies to educational research. Particular emphasis is placed on efficient management of large data sets as arise in statewide assessment projects. Research and Measurement in Education (EDRM) (continued) 721 Constructing Cognitive Instruments. (3) (Prereq: EDRM 710 and EDRM 720 or PSYC 517 or equivalent) The rationale construction, use, and appraisal of achievement tests as tools of educational evaluation and research. 740 Qualitative Research in Education. (3) Qualitative research including naturalistic inquiry, participant observation, interviewing, ethnography, educational history, oral history, visual sociology, and educational biography. 810 Design and Analysis of Experiments. (3) (Prereq: EDRM 711 or the equivalent) Emphasis on the development of an understanding of the role of inferential statistics in educational experimentation, a working knowledge of the common tests in statistical analysis, and the student's ability to design and execute experiments involving applications of the statistical tests. 816 Correlational and Multivariate Methods. (3) (Prereq: EDRM 711) Advanced statistical applications including partial and multiple correlational methods, multiple regression, multivariate analysis of variance, discriminant analysis, and canonical correlation. Use of statistical software. 840 Methods of Ethnographic Description. (3) (Prereq: EDRM 740) Training in observations of naturally occurring behavior in applied social settings, especially classrooms. Methods include field-based participant observations, structured and unstructured interviews and ethnographic coding schedules. Special College Courses - Education (EDUC) 899 Dissertation Preparation. (1-12) |
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