Department of Special Education

1600 Holloway Avenue,

San Francisco, CA 94132-4161

(415) 338-2503/ncerto@sfsu.edu

 

 

MEMORANDUM

May 22, 2007

 

 

 

TO:                  Jacob E. Perea, Ph.D., Professor & Dean

                        College of Education

 

FROM:                                                                                   

                        Nicholas J. Certo, Ph.D., Professor & Chair

                        Department of Special Education

 

SUBJECT:     Petition to Discontinue the Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education

 

Based on our review of student enrollment, availability of faculty, and program outcomes, the Faculty in the Department of Special Education wish to proceed with discontinuance of the Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education. Following the guidelines for Academic Program Discontinuance, Academic Senate Policy #S93-177, policy points are addressed in this document.

 

RATIONALE.

 

No student has applied and been admitted to the Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education since 1989, the faculty of the Department of Special Education are petitioning to discontinue offering this degree option. We base this request on the lack of interest demonstrated by this long period with no applications.

 

Potential effect on the future employment status of the faculty and staff in the program: Discontinuance of the Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education will have no significant impact on continuing employment of faculty and staff, due to the fact that we still will continue to offer the Doctor of Philosophy in Education: Concentration in Special Education (Ph.D., 501536). All full-time faculty in our department have the option to teach in this program based on their doctoral advisees.


A. Importance to Institution

 

Discontinuing the Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education should have no impact on our institutionŐs capacity to train doctoral students in the field of Special Education, since the Doctor of Philosophy, the preferred degree option of our applicants, still will be offered.

 

B. Quality of Program

 

The Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education resides with the Department of Special Education. The department offers a Doctor of Education and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education with a concentration in Special Education. These programs are independent of each other. Closing the Doctor in Education will have no effect on the quality of the remaining doctoral degree.

C. Efficiency and Demand for Program

 

There has been no enrollment in the Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education since 1979-84. Our applicants prefer more formal and theoretical research-oriented doctoral training that is part of the Doctor of Philosophy training. Based on this excessively low demand, the faculty in the Department of Special Education concludes that there is no demand remaining for this program.

 

 

PROCESS FOR DISCONTINUANCE.

 

No student is currently admitted or enrolled in the Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education, the program can be discontinued immediately, if this petition is approved.

 

 

Summary.

 

It is recommended that the Doctor of Education in Education: Concentration in Special Education, in the Department of Special Education, College of Education, be discontinued, due to a lack of enrollment for the last 17 years.

 

 

cc: David Hemphill, Associate Dean/College of Education

      Marci Hanson, Professor and Co-Director, Joint Doctoral Program/Special Education