Overview The Doctoral Program in Special Education, offered jointly with San Francisco State University, culminates in a PhD degree. The joint program draws on the strengths of both universities in developing leaders and researchers in the field of atypical development and learning. The faculty and program resources on the two campuses support advanced research and theoretical discourse in a focused area of exceptionality. Area specializations in the Special Educational program include human development; early childhood, language, and literacy; mathematics, science, and technology; educational policy and administration; and area specializations selected by students in consultation with their faculty advisers. Courses are taken on both university campuses, and faculty are drawn from both institutions.