Internationally and domestically, there is a shortage of doctoral-trained educators of the Deaf. ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ 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.
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, 2026
Start Date:
Summer 2026
Program Length:
66 Hours
Contact:
M. Diane Clark, Ph.D.
mclark22@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. Diane Clark.
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 weekends 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 2026 cohort means you apply for Summer 2026). 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 website.
The program began in 1975 when Dr. Olen "Pete" Peterson, an audiologist, and Dr. Robert "Bob" Moulton, a speech-language pathologist and deaf educator initiated a Bachelor of Science degree program in communication disorders, and three Master of Science degrees: speech-language pathology, audiology and Deaf Education.
In 1978, courses in American Sign Language replaced manual communication and manual codes of English and the department required its students to develop proficiency in the language of the Deaf community (American Sign Language) and be knowledgeable about Deaf culture.
With American Sign Language, Deaf culture and the Deaf Education curriculum, the Deaf Education Master of Science Degree continued to grow within the Communication Disorder program with both federal grants and ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University support.
Between 1988 and the present, the Deaf Education faculty obtained more than 11 million dollars in grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation which both supported its students, and set up research and training programs. The Speech and Hearing Center where it was housed was remodeled and expanded and more faculty were hired.
Since 1988, the Master of Science program in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education has prepared more than 150 teachers of Deaf children, with more than 60% being Deaf teachers. In addition, the Doctoral program has prepared 69 leaders, of whom 60% are Deaf. These graduates work and have assumed leadership positions in universities and community colleges within Texas, the U.S. and internationally as well.
In 1994, along with two additional tenure-tracked new faculty, a doctoral program, the Ed.D. was added.
The research developed by faculty and students in the ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University's Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education has contributed to the knowledge base in this field in areas such as:
In 1995, based on the work of Dr. Stephen Nover and his colleagues, the Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education adopted the American Sign Language/English bilingual/bicultural philosophy and aimed to prepare pre-service teachers and leaders who work in preschool, K-12 and post-secondary programs serving Deaf children.
The American Sign Language/English bilingual curriculum permeates all three programs:
Due to the rapid growth in student enrollment and the vision of Dr. Russ Schultz, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the Communication Disorder program was divided into two new departments in 2006, the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.
In 2006, a new Bachelor of Arts degree was added in American Sign Language Studies. This undergraduate program enrolls about 120 students and prepares teachers of American Sign Language as a second language in public schools and sign language interpreters.
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ is the only program in Texas that prepares American Sign Language teachers who teach American Sign Language as a second language to hearing students.
Currently, the Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education is growing and taking on new challenges.
The department has moved to the Communications Building to provide more space for classrooms, offices, and research labs.
Our new faculty has invigorated our curriculum bringing their teaching and research expertise from Ohio State University and Gallaudet University to benefit our students with state-of-the-art teaching and research.
Please explore this website to read about our faculty, students and ongoing dissertation research.