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Doctorate

Special Education

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Overview

The Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) in Special Education program is designed to prepare expert educators,educational leaders, and/or university faculty to enhance special education services and special educator preparation. Individualized programs based on the student's education, professional experience and career plans are offered and include formal coursework, independent study, professional practice, and a dissertation.

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Point of Pride

The Department of Special Education is one of the largest special education teacher preparation programs in the country. It has strong partnerships with school districts across the state, providing a wide range of clinical placements and collaborative opportunities.

Graduate Advisor

Dr. Allison Kroesch
(309) 438-5993
DeGarmo 522

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How to Apply

University Admission Requirements

A student applying to this program must:

  • Have earned a four-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college or university that is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting association, or do so by the time of program matriculation.
  • Submit unofficial transcripts from each college or university other than Illinois State at which graduate, undergraduate, or non-degree credit was earned. The unofficial transcript should be easily readable and clearly indicate degree(s) awarded, courses and course grades for each term.
  • If admitted, official domestic transcripts can be emailed from the university to GraduateAdmissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to: Illinois State University, Graduate School, 208 Hovey Hall, Campus Box 4040, Normal, IL 61790-4040.
  • If admitted, official international transcripts can be emailed directly from the international institution to InternationalAdmissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to: Illinois State University, International Admissions, Campus Box 6180, Normal, IL 61790-6180.

International students can learn more about specific application requirements by visiting the Graduate School Admission Requirements.

Additional Program Admission Requirements

The purpose of the Doctorate of Education in Special Education program is to prepare expert educators, educational leaders, and/or university faculty to enhance Birth-22 special education services and special educator preparation.

You must have a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a scale in which an A is a 4.0) for all graduate-level coursework.

The Grade Point Average (GPA) of all undergraduate credentials earned in the United States that are used for graduate degree admission evaluation is calculated by the last 60 hours of undergraduate work. International credentials are evaluated by using cumulative GPA (CGPA) in lieu of the GPA from the last 60 hours of undergraduate work.

Admission to the program requires possession of a master's degree and professional experience relevant to the education of children and youth with disabilities. The decision regarding admission to the graduate program is based on several factors:

  • A master's degree in special education or a related field (e.g., educational leadership, early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, or bilingual education, reading, speech language pathology, social work, etc.).
  • A curriculum vitae or a resume that includes a minimum of two years of professional experience centering on education or services for persons with disabilities, with clear and direct connections to special education services from Birth to 22.
  • The consistency between the applicant's future goals and the program's purpose (as demonstrated in a letter of intent [maximum of 3 pages] that explicitly describes the applicant’s motivation for pursuing the Ed.D. degree, the specific program outcomes they hope to achieve, their plans to commit the time and resources necessary to complete the degree, and their career goals after completing the Ed.D. program as expert educators, educational leaders, and/or university faculty).
  • Professional writing skills (as demonstrated in a research interest statement [maximum of 3 pages] that discusses at least two issues in special education service and/or in special education teacher preparation that need to be addressed/improved/changed and why).
  • Two professional recommendations via the application site. In your application, include the names and email addresses of two references qualified to assess your potential to succeed in the Ed.D. program. Your recommender will receive instructions to complete and upload this reference form to a secure online portal.

Review of your application materials may take four to six weeks.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to contact and meet with the program coordinator, Dr. Allison Kroesch (amkroes@IllinoisState.edu), prior to submitting applications.

Global Access to Online Degree Programs

When applying, international students applying to a fully online program must agree to our international online and hybrid programs disclosure and disclaimer statements. Due to limited on-campus courses, immigration documentation cannot be issued for students seeking F-1 or J-1 status.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall 2025 Term — Not admitting 
  • Fall 2026 Term — March 30, 2026

Apply Now

Graduate Assistantships

The University provides graduate assistantships as a means of financial support. They are intended as a way to facilitate a student's progress to degree while providing important professional development.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an assistantship a student must, generally,

  • be admitted unconditionally as a degree-seeking student into a graduate academic program, or have a minimum of 120 undergraduate hours if in an integrated degree program
  • be in good-standing
  • be enrolled full-time (typically at least 9 credit hours during the fall or spring semesters, or at least 6 hours during the summer session).

Benefits

Graduate assistants receive

  • monthly wages paid in the form of either a stipend or an hourly wage
  • a waiver for 100% of tuition during a semester of appointment
  • a waiver for up to 12 credit hours of tuition for the summer term immediately following a fall or spring appointment

Costs & Funding

See Student Accounts for information on tuition and fees. Funding for graduate students is available from several different sources. Students who have been admitted from contiguous states including Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin will receive in-state tuition.

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Contact Information

  • Special Education
  • (309) 438-8980
  • DeGarmo 533
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