Disability Disciplines - PhD

About This Degree

The Disability Disciplines Doctoral Program offers a multidisciplinary doctoral degree that allows students to specialize on one of the following areas: Applied Behavior Analysis, Audiology, Pathokinesiology, Rehabilitation Counseling, Special Education, and Speech-Language Pathology.

What You Will Learn

This degree will prepare you to effectively implement research-based practice, develop and evaluate new programs and conduct meaningful research on topics that have an impact in your desired field of study. As a doctoral student you will focus on one specialization.

Specialization:

Special Education:

The Special Education specialization prepares graduates to become university faculty in special education. They receive the necessary training through research, scholarship, and teaching experience in the program.

Applied Behavior Analysis with Individuals with Disabilities:

This specialization prepares graduates to become university faculty in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Students gain the research and clinical experiences necessary to become leaders in this field through mentored experiences supervised by program faculty.

Rehabilitation Counselor Education and Supervision:

In the Rehabilitation Counseling specialization, doctoral students gain experience in teaching both traditional on-campus and technology-mediated distance courses in conjunction with the MRC program, which is ranked 15th in the nation.

Disabilities Studies:

Students in this specialization acquire a deeper understanding of the complexities of disabilities in the context of changing demographics and societies. Students are able to engage in research activities with individuals with disabilities to understand and provide solutions to these issues.

Speech-Language Pathology:

The Speech-language Pathology specialization prepares students to work with individuals of any age who have difficulties communicating, learning to communicate, or feeding and swallowing.

Pathokinesiology:

The Pathokinesiology specialization is an interdisciplinary program organized around three core content areas: motor control, motor learning and biomechanics and prepares students to be productive in research and to pursue a career in academia.

Audiology:

The Audiology specialization prepares graduates to become university faculty in audiology. They receive the necessary training through research, scholarship, and teaching experience in the program.