Special Education

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

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