| Admission deadlines: | Fall - Rolling admissions (January 15 to be considered for merit-based tuition support) |
| Summer - Rolling admissions (January 15 to be considered for merit-based tuition support) | |
| Standardized test scores: | Either the GRE general test (institutional code 5246) or the Miller Analogies Test (institutional code 1047) is optional. |
| Recommendations required: | Two (2) recommendations (preferably one from a faculty member and the other from a professional supervisor) |
| Prior academic records: | Transcripts are required from all colleges and universities attended, whether or not credit was earned, the program was completed, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended should be uploaded to your online application. Official transcripts are required only of applicants who are offered admission. |
| Transcripts from institutions outside the United States must be accompanied by an official transcript evaluation from an accredited independent evaluating agency. Please be sure you request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grade-point average (GPA), United States degree equivalency, and date of degree conferral. Please see the list of acceptable foreign credential evaluation services. | |
| Statement of purpose: | Your statement of purpose should address a problem of practice and/or research interest related to PK-12 special education and/or disability studies. |
| Additional requirements: | A resumé and interview are required. |
| International applicants only: | Please review International Applicant Information (https://graduate.admissions.gwu.edu/international-student-application-requirements) carefully for details on required documents, earlier deadlines for applicants requiring an I-20 or DS-2019 from GW, and English language requirements. |
Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:
Office of Graduate Admissions
Graduate School of Education and Human Development
The George Washington University
2136 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
Contact for questions:
gsehdadm@gwu.edu ~ 202-994-9283 (phone) ~ 202.994.7207 (fax)
9:30 am – 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday
The following requirements must be fulfilled:
The requirements for the Doctor of Education program.
54 credits, including 12 credits in foundation courses; a minimum of 15 credits in research courses, including 3 credits in advanced research; a 3-credit internship; 9 credits in elective courses; a minimum of 15 credits in dissertation courses; and successful completion of a comprehensive examination.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| Neuroscience Foundations (6 credits) | ||
| SPED 8306 | Advanced Study in Development Science and Variance I: The Early Years | |
| SPED 8310 | Advanced Study in Development Science and Variance II: The Later Years | |
| Leadership Foundations (6 credits) | ||
| SPED 8308 | Preparation for the Professoriate in Special Education | |
| SPED 8352 | Disability and Public Policy | |
| Research Tools (15 credits) | ||
| SPED 8304 | Research and Trends in Special Education (Literature Review) | |
| EDUC 6116 | Introduction to Educational Statistics | |
| EDUC 8120 | Group Comparison Designs and Analyses | |
| EDUC 8122 | Qualitative Research Methods | |
| Advanced research elective | ||
| 3 credits in Level B research methods coursework selected in consultation with the advisor. | ||
| Internship | ||
| SPED 8354 | Doctoral Internship: Special Education | |
| Electives | ||
| 9 credits in interdisciplinary elective courses selected from the following in consultation with the advisor: | ||
| SPED 6299 | Federal Education Policy Institute | |
| SPED 8303 | Administration and Supervision of Special Education | |
| SPED 8311 | Doctoral Proseminar: Scholarly Writing in Applied Settings | |
| SPED 8345 | Consultation and the Change Process | |
| Dissertation | ||
| SPED 8998 | Doctoral Seminar in Special Education | |
| SPED 8999 | Dissertation Research (taken for a minimum of 12 credits) | |
| Comprehensive examination | ||
| Successful completion of a comprehensive examination is required. | ||
Doctoral Program Level B Courses
GSEHD's Level B research methods courses are advanced courses in a specific research methodology. All GSEHD doctoral students are required to take at least one Level B course in the methodology of their dissertation. The courses listed below are approved to meet this requirement. EDUC 8120 Group Comparison Designs and Analyses, and EDUC 8122 Qualitative Research Methods, must be completed before enrolling in a Level B course.
Some programs require more than one Level B course. Some Level B courses are taken in a predetermined sequence; for this reason, students should check each course description for prerequisites, as courses in the sequence build on others. More information regarding the Level B course sequence is available in the GSEHD Doctoral Student Handbook; students can also can consult their faculty advisor or research methods faculty for additional guidance.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC 8100 | Experimental Courses (Mixed Methods Research) | |
| EDUC 8130 | Survey Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8131 | Case Study Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8140 | Ethnographic Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8142 | Phenomenological Research Methods | |
| EDUC 8144 | Discourse Analysis | |
| EDUC 8147 | Critical Methodologies in Educational Research | |
| EDUC 8148 | Qualitative Data Collection | |
| EDUC 8149 | Qualitative Data Analysis | |
| EDUC 8170 | Educational Measurement | |
| EDUC 8171 | Predictive Designs and Analyses | |
| EDUC 8172 | Multivariate Analysis | |
| EDUC 8173 | Structural Equation Modeling | |
| EDUC 8174 | Hierarchical Linear Modeling | |
| EDUC 8175 | Item Response Theory | |
| EDUC 8177 | Assessment Engineering |