On-Campus Ph.D.

No. This Ph.D. program is designed for full-time study. It is not compatible with working beyond the provided university assistantships.

The length of your program will depend on how many credits you take per semester. Doctoral students attending UF full-time should expect it to take at least 4 years to complete their special education Ph.D.

• A master’s degree requires a minimum of 36 semester hours.
• A specialist degree requires a minimum of 72 semester beyond the bachelor’s degree or 36 semester hours beyond the master’s degree.
• Doctoral programs require a minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree

We train our Ph.D. students to take on roles as leaders in special education. Possible career pathways including working as professors, policymakers, advocates or researchers in government, non-profits and higher education.

Transfer credits are approved at the university level. Because of this, we are unable to make guarantees about credit transfers at the college level. After acceptance to a program, you will work with your advisor on the transfer credit process.

Grades in courses must be a B or better to be eligible for transfer. Transfer credits are more likely to be accepted when they have been earned recently, are from an accredited institution and are clearly related to your current program.

Graduate credits earned at other institutions must be approved by your program and then by the Graduate School after admission. Students can only apply up to nine credits toward their master’s degree and up to 30 credits toward their doctorate. You will be asked to provide the course name and number, course description and proof of your grade. In some cases, advisors may also ask to see syllabi.

Up to 15 credits of graduate-level coursework earned at UF with a B or better letter grade may be applied toward a graduate degree at UF. This is only possible if credit for the course has not contributed to an undergraduate degree and if the academic unit and the Graduate School approve the transfer. This process starts once a student is admitted.

Doctoral students may be eligible for fellowships, grant funds, and/or teaching or research assistantships. Fellowships are awarded to entering doctoral students.

Fellowship awards require that students be admitted to the program, nominated by department faculty, and selected by the college-wide fellowship committee. Nominations are made in February for students entering the following fall.

We also advise applicants and students to contact the UF Office for Student Financial Affairs to explore available loans, grants and fellowships.

A break of one semester is not a problem. However, if you do not enroll for two consecutive semesters, UF policy requires that you be readmitted to the program. Readmission involves submitting an application for readmission along with the $30 application fee to the Office of Admissions.

More information is available from the Office of Admissions.

• You must submit an application for readmission along with the $30 application fee to the Office of Admissions.
• Other requirements will vary depending upon what program you wish to enter. Please contact the department for details.

Our current students work with the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies (SESPECS) office staff to register for classes each semester.

Information about fulfilling the requirements to graduate are published by the UF Graduate School. The degree application is available through the Office of the University Registrar. You can also submit your degree application via ONE.UF.

Please be aware of dates and deadlines, which often occur early in the semester.

Students in the special education doctoral program do not need to take the FTCE to complete their program.