2025-2026 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog
Special Education, EdD
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The EdD program is a three-year 76-credit program, including 24 credits transferred from relevant graduate work. Students are required to transfer 24 credits of graduate work into the EdD program. For Special Education EdD students seeking Special Education Supervisor Certification in PA, 3 additional credits of TLL 2596 Internship in Special Education is required (this has been the case for this major previously and is not a change), resulting in a 79-credit program for these students.
The EdD curriculum is delivered in several stages, through a variety methods:
Orientation: The EdD cohort participates in an online orientation in the spring before the summer start of the program. The day includes opportunities to meet program faculty, EdD program information, and cohort-building activities as well as an introductory session with other students in your academic major. Orientation typically takes place in March or April.
Intensive on-ramp: The EdD cohort participates in a full-week, on-campus, experience that includes intense work focused on understanding enduring problems of practice in education, health, and human development. This one-week experience typically takes place in June, and is a component of the first summer courses (Foundations 1 and Practitioner Inquiry 1).
Hybrid seminars: Students experience a hybrid model of education through online course experiences and in-person, once per month (typically on Saturdays) sessions on the Pittsburgh campus. Attendance at in-person, on campus sessions is required.
Our EdD in Special Education major prepares leadership personnel to serve in public or private pre-K-12 schools or educational environments and services.
The EdD in Special Education major develops your knowledge and skills in leadership, collaboration, management, administration, supervision, pre-service and in-service education, program evaluation, community relations, and recruitment.
Students may focus their studies in applied behavioral analysis; autism; blindness, vision impairment, or orientation and mobility; early intervention; emotional and behavioral disorders; or learning disabilities.
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