Preparing Research Leaders for Special Education: A Ph.D. Program with an Emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis

Abstract

We describe a doctoral program at The Ohio State University that prepares special education leadership personnel whose research and teaching are guided by the philosophical, scientific, and technological principles of applied behavior analysis. The program has a proven track record of producing graduates who are productive researchers and teacher educators. The program, which began in the mid-1970s and continues to evolve today, entails an intensive curriculum of formal course work, special topic seminars, participation in three research studies prior to the dissertation, a 10-week summer internship, supervised college teaching and advising experiences, and a variety of noncredit requirements designed to develop each student's skills across six competency areas: (a) conceptual analysis, (b) research and scholarship, (c) design and application of educational interventions, (d) professional communication, (e) administration and collegial relations, and (f) teaching and advising.