Special Education is the multidisciplinary study of a body of knowledge relevant to the understanding, education, and treatment of persons with disabilities. Students develop skills through reading and conducting research about the best practices in the field. Teaching and Learning focuses on research in teaching, curriculum, academic content areas, and technology. Examples of individualized research foci are classroom processes, children's learning, math or science education, language and literacy, and applications of technology to instruction. Various topical, chronological, and regional fields within American, British, continental European, and Latin American history.
Faculty members employ a variety of methodologies and research tools in their work.
Vanderbilt's Jean and Alexander Heard Library, especially the Central, Science, Divinity, Law, Education, and Medical divisions, provides extensive resources for graduate study. The Computer Center is another resource. Nashville houses the Tennessee State Library and Archives, the Tennessee Historical Society, Fisk University's collections, and major depositories relating to church history. The program offers a thesis or non-thesis option. A student may spend part of the third or fourth semester of study in Latin America, subject to approval by the Center's graduate adviser, the Dean of the College of Arts and Science, and the Dean of the Graduate School.