Internationally and domestically, there is a shortage of doctoral-trained educators of the Deaf. Lamar University's Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree program in deaf studies and deaf education is taking steps to bridge the gap.
Students take leadership roles in schools for the Deaf or become teacher trainers in university settings. Other career opportunities include educational interpreter, policy maker for deaf education, curriculum developer, researcher or a member of the faculty in higher education, among others.
Both Deaf and hearing applicants are accepted. Our program has placed its graduates in colleges and universities in New Mexico, California, Maryland, Illinois, Texas and Saudi Arabia to name a few places.
We welcome Deaf and hearing graduate students whose ASL proficiency is sufficient to engage in classes. Many of our faculty are themselves Deaf. Regardless of faculty's hearing status, all courses are conducted 100% in ASL with no voice interpretation.
Apply By:
March 30, 2024
Start Date:
Summer 2024
Program Length:
66 Hours
Contact:
Dr. Ashley Greene
agreene7@lamar.edu
The deaf studies and deaf education doctoral program is made up of 60 credit hours of course work with 6 hours of dissertation. Our program is designed for the working professional and is offered in a hybrid manner.
We have a full-time track and the program will take 9 semesters of coursework, including summer. Upon completion of coursework, students begin the dissertation.
Students wishing to attend part-time can develop their program plan with the program director, Dr. Ashley Greene.
Regardless of if a student is full-time or part-time, they are expected to meet the attendance expectations.
Summers will be fully remote, with one day per week synchronous Zoom classes. Summer sessions are 7 weeks in length, with two class offerings per year.
Fall and Spring semesters have eight synchronous class weekends with four classes being on-campus and four online. These classes are held for four hours on Friday evenings, Saturday mornings, and Saturday afternoons.
Use TexasApply to apply for admission and submit materials unless otherwise indicated below.
You must apply for the Summer semester that aligns with your year (e.g., applying for the 2025 cohort means you apply for Summer 2025). Failure to do so may impact your ability to join your desired cohort.
Applicants for admission to the doctoral program in deaf studies and deaf education are ranked for admission based on the following criteria:
For more information, please refer to the LU Graduate Admissions website.
A total of 60 hours of coursework must be completed to earn a doctorate in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.
In addition to the courses, a minimum of six hours of dissertation (DSDE 6390 and 6391) are to be taken.
The coursework for the Doctoral program is designed to be completed within eight semesters, including fall, spring, and summer.
All coursework, including the dissertation defense, counting toward the degree must be completed within a ten-year time frame.
No, currently, we offer a hybrid program. In the future, we will be developing more online courses.
Yes. The majority of doctoral students are full-time, working professionals. Our courses are offered on weekends:
No. Applications are screened and applicants are drawn from this pool.
Office of Student Financial Assistance
In the past, we have had funding from the Office of Special Education (OSEP). Currently, we have no OSEP grant, but we may have one in the future.