Are There Career Opportunities for Ph.D.’s in Special Education?
Education Faculty Positions Are Usually Available Each Year. Teacher education programs across the country have substantial difficulty filling faculty vacancies due to increased student enrollment and faculty retirement. Twombly et al. (2006) found that approximately 35 percent of all teacher education positions remain consistently unfilled. In addition, the total number of unfilled positions in teacher education continues to grow from 25 percent in 1998 to 36 percent in 2006 (Twombly). Of the 6,124 doctorate degrees granted in the field of education in 2006, only a third directly concentrated on education research or teacher education (i.e., higher education), whereas the majority concentrated on educational administration (National Opinion Research Center; NORC, 2006). Special Education Faculty Are Especially in Demand. Special education programs are in even greater need of new faculty, as the proportion of special education positions among the available teacher education jobs is eve
