Special Education

University Admission Requirements

A student applying to a doctoral program must:

• have earned a master's degree or equivalent in a discipline appropriate to the specific doctoral program
• have a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a scale in which an A is a 4.0) for all graduate-level coursework
• present 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 accepted, official transcripts can be emailed from the university to GraduateAdmissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to: Illinois State University, Graduate School, 209 Hovey Hall, Campus Box 4040, Normal, IL 61790-4040.

International students can learn more about specific application requirements by visiting the Office of Admissions.

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.

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

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