Finding Your Path

Teresa Taber Doughty, PhD, is the seventh dean of the School of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a professor of special education and spent many years researching animal therapy outcomes for individuals with severe disabilities. Doughty has authored and co-authored more than 60 professional publications. She currently serves as a Quality Review team lead for the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), previously served on the Board of Examiners for CAEP/NCATE, and as the Executive Director for the Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children.

Doughty has spent more than two decades working in higher education, following an impactful career as a classroom teacher. She began her higher education journey at Georgia State University, where she served as an assistant project director on a grant while working on her doctoral degree in severe disabilities. Upon completing her doctoral degree, Doughty began teaching courses while working on the grant, which led to her passion as a professor. When the grant ended, she received an offer to join the faculty at Purdue University.

Doughty spent 17 years at Purdue mentoring hundreds of students, teaching over two dozen different courses, developing new problems and curricula, garnering grant funding to support educator preparation and research, earning numerous accolades and name recognition due to her scholarship and involvement in national and international organizations.

Before joining the UAB community, she served as the Dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas Arlington for six years, overseeing the college's transition to a newly classified Research 1 institution. She worked to balance high-quality educator preparation while increasing research productivity and impact by developing a culture around research, scholarship, and student success.

Doughty's extensive knowledge and background in working for well-established and establishing Research 1 institutions motivated her to join UAB. She hopes to use her professional and life experience to inspire the School's faculty, staff, and students to achieve greatness and strive to impact the education and human science industries.

At the UAB School of Education and Human Sciences, we are in the business of creating the most prepared, inspired, and dynamic practitioners in the workforce today. We are known for our cutting-edge programs that prepare professionals to serve in a diverse world. Our outstanding faculty are leaders in their fields and excellent mentors and educators who inspire others to grow and learn. We make a difference in our students' lives and the communities they serve.

Our school has two departments that house our baccalaureate degrees, minors, graduate certificates, master's degrees, educational specialist degrees, and doctoral degrees.

Mission

Our mission is simple: to develop transformative professionals who advance education, health, and well-being.

Values

Our school is centered around our students, their needs, support, and overall sense of inclusion and belonging. We maintain their needs by fostering a community of respect, integrity, trust, and accountability while focusing on collaboration.

Leadership

Teresa Taber Doughty, PhD, is the seventh dean of the School of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a professor of special education and spent many years researching animal therapy outcomes for individuals with severe disabilities.

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Departments

Learn more about our two departments: the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Department of Human Studies.

Learn More about the Departments

Dean's Office

The Dean's office serves the School by assisting with creating, developing, and implementing administrative operations. These operations include strategic initiatives, enrollment, student recruitment, business operations, communications, research, faculty affairs, and advancement. The Dean, associate deans, assistant Dean, department chairs, and administrative staff members work together to achieve the School's mission.

Meet the Dean’s Office

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The UAB School of Education and Human Sciences is in the Education and Engineering Complex (EEC), which is off 10th Avenue South near the Alys Stephens Center. The dean's office is on the second floor in room 216. For campus directions, please use the UAB Campus Map opens a new website.

Contact Information