The Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education , offered jointly with San Francisco State University, culminates in a Ph.D. degree. The program uses the strengths of both universities in developing leaders and research specialists in this field.
Students select an area of academic specialization in both special and general education.
Faculty and program resources on the two campuses are used to develop advanced knowledge of theory and research competence in an area of exceptionality. Specializations include human development, education policy studies, educational administration, vocational education, language and literacy, mathematics, science and technology, and other areas selected by students in consultation with faculty advisers. In the program students develop three areas of emphasis or specialization. The program also has a new interdisciplinary concentration in Atypical Developmental Psycholinguistics focusing on language and literacy acquisition in special populations. Courses are taken on both university campuses, and faculty are drawn from both institutions.