The Department has funds for assistantships and for hourly employment of graduate students in Special Education. Master's and doctoral students may apply. Some sources of funding restrict appointment to U.S. citizens. Assistantships pay a stipend and carry a remission of tuition and fees. Assistantship appointments are made by the semester (18 week appointments) or academic year (36 week appointments). Typically, the Department offers a limited number of half-time assistantships (requiring 20 hours work per week) and quarter-time assistantships (requiring 10 hours of work per week). The University sets the dollar value for assistantships in 18 steps for each type of appointment (i.e., 0.5 or 0.25 assistantship). Specific inquiries about assistantships in any of the a special education programs should be sent to the Professor-in-Charge. Work study and wage payroll positions are also available from time to time. Work study appointments are based, in part, on a student's economic need. Both work study and wage payroll positions pay hourly wages and carry no benefits. More information about assistantships, work study, and other types of financial aid is available on the Graduate School website. In addition, you may check out the tuition and financial aid section of the Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin for more detailed information.

Externally Funded Assistantships for Doctoral students

The Special Education program has received federal funding to support doctoral students with specialized career and/or research interests. Funds are currently available for students seeking a Ph.D. in special education.

Preparing Outstanding Scholars in Special Education (POSSE)

Applications are accepted continuously; however, the deadline for submitting applications for Fall Semester is July 1 and for Spring Semester is November 1. Early application is recommended for those seeking a financial award.

External Funding for Master's Degree Students

Graduate Assistantships are available to students seeking specialization in

• Autism Specialist Program Grant
• AAC Specialist Program Grant

Applications are accepted continuously; however, the deadline for submitting applications for Fall Semester is July 1 and for Spring Semester is November 1. Early application is recommended for those seeking a financial award.

Loan Forgiveness for Special Education Teachers (see below for a downloadable file)

JPKF EKS Loan Forgiveness Dear Colleague.pdf (256 kb, PDF)

In order to read or print PDF files, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.