Message from
the Chair
If you are exploring a career in special education,
you will find an array of program and degree options available
to you. Career decisions are always difficult. But once you
have decided on a direction, it is critical that you gain the
best education and experience available in the field you have
chosen. President John F. Kennedy loved to quote the ancient
Greeks and their definition of happiness: "the full use of your
powers along the lines of excellence." Choosing the right program
of study to prepare you for a career is very critical. As judged
by our peers, this Department is considered one of the finest
academic programs in the field of special education in the nation.
The programs are rigorous, with high expectations for our graduates.
We hope that a review of this web site will help
you learn more about the programs, what learning experiences
they offer you as a student, as well as the interests of our
faculty and staff centrally involved in advising our students.
We have experienced an extraordinary level of
support from the university in assembling a gifted and internationally
renowned faculty committed to their research, teaching and the
mission of improving the education and living experience of
infants, children and young adults with disabilities.
As Chair of this outstanding Department, it is
my privilege to make you aware of the accomplishments of our
faculty and the many innovative features of our programs at
the undergraduate and graduate level. All of us here in the
Department entreat you to consider seriously a career in this
critical and challenging field and the possibility of exploring
involvement with our Departmental programs and research activities.
Philip J. Burke, Ph.D.
Professor & Chair
