Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education - Literacy Supports (Reading and Writing)

Ph.D. students in Special Education engage in a highly individualized program of study that includes coursework and applied competencies in four broad areas:
a) Knowledge and Content
b) Research and Scholarship
c) University Teaching and Professional Development
d) Service
Ph.D. students focus their studies in one of four primary areas of emphasis.
Ph.D. students focusing on Literacy Supports collaborate with faculty on research and study related to theoretical perspectives of reading and writing development, designing and evaluating effective instruction and intervention for students experiencing literacy difficulties, and supporting school and state efforts to implement effective reading and writing practices

A personal statement from the applicant addressing his/her reasons for applying and his/her plans for the future (to be uploaded). This document should tell your program's admissions committee everything you would like to reveal in a personal interview. You should include your career plans, your reasons for undertaking graduate work, your career plans, and how the University of Connecticut's Special Education PhD program will support you in reaching your career goals. Describe your current research goals and how they align with specific Special Education program faculty members. Indicate one or two faculty members you request as advisors and the reasons for your request. Details about your preparation, your strengths and weaknesses as a student, any academic honors, scholarships, or fellowships you have received, will all be helpful. The committee wants to know information about you that cannot be expressed quantitatively.
Three letters of reference from individuals who can address the candidate's potential for success (to be uploaded)
Current resume or vitae (to be uploaded)
Unofficial transcript(s) (to be uploaded). Upload transcripts from the school where you received your bachelor's degree and any courses taken beyond regardless of whether a degree was received. Failure to upload transcripts from all educational institutions, regardless of whether or not a degree was received, may be grounds for cancellation of admission. The most common reason for delayed consideration of applications is failure to upload all required transcripts. Please be sure to include all of your unofficial transcripts with your application.
Official college transcript(s) must also be mailed to the Graduate School (see address below). You must submit all applicable, official transcripts (undergraduate and graduate). Official transcripts become the property of the University. If you attended an international university and have one set of original documents or diploma, you can mail them to the Graduate School and they will make a copy and return the original document(s) to you. Include a request to return the documents and provide a mailing address. If you submitted these documents when applying for admission to a university in the US which you currently attend, the graduate school will accept copies from the registrar or graduate school if they certify that these documents from your prior university were made from the originals.
Please note: All official transcripts will be required at the time an offer of admission is given. Scanned, faxed or notarized copies will not be considered as official. Your transcript(s) must meet the following criteria:
A cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 for your entire undergraduate career or
A grade-point average of at least 3.0 for your last two undergraduate years or
Exceptional work in your entire final undergraduate career (3.5 or better) or
Graduate work with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or better

English Proficiency: If you are not a native speaker of English, you must submit evidence of your proficiency in the English language. You may use the (no more than two years old) results from either one of two standardized tests to satisfy this requirement. If you submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), you need a minimum overall score of 550 for the paper-based test, or 79 for the Internet-based test. If you submit results from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), you need an average overall band score of at least 6.5. Only the scores from the Academic Module, not the General Training Module, are applicable. If you submit results from the Person Test of English (PTE) we require and overall score of 53.