Special Education MEd, Early Childhood Special Education Emphasis
The M. Ed. Program in Special Education explores important core knowledge in Special Education. The program's primary goal is to empower professionals as thoughtful educators who use best practices when assisting and empowering students with disabilities. Research and data-based decision-making are emphasized throughout the program. Graduate students will apply learned and evaluated research into practice in their courses, and learn to analyze multiple types of assessment data. The M.Ed. Program in Special Education consists of an initial required core of courses, a concentration area corresponding to the chosen emphasis area, and a capstone or exit course block.
When graduate students are accepted into the program, their transcripts may be reviewed, as necessary, to identify compliance with state education certification guidelines. Students who wish to be certified in the education of children with cross-categorical disabilities will be required to fulfill general certification requirements, as well as graduate coursework. Upon completion of this advanced degree, professionals will have developed an in-depth knowledge-base related to
- various learning contexts within and outside of the school setting
- the multiple influences on educational practices in schools
- the characteristics and instructional needs of learners with disabilities
- assessment strategies for monitoring instruction
- instructional best practices
- using research to inform practice in the classroom
- diversity awareness
- contexts that affect student learning
- the powerful interactions between setting events and specific learner outcomes
- a life-perspective of students with exceptional learning needs, both young children who transition into kindergarten and those transitioning into adulthood.
| Required Foundation Courses | ||
| Students are required to complete the following courses within the first 15 hours of study. | ||
| TCH ED 6010 | Examining History, Community and Social Justice in Education | 3 |
| ED PSY 6030 | Instruction, Learning, and Assessment | 3 |
| Required Special Education Courses | ||
| ED PSY 6545 | Consultation in Schools and Related Settings | 3 |
| SPEC ED 6325 | Positive Behavior Interventions for Individual, Classroom, and School-wide Systems | 3 |
| or SPEC ED 6437 | Applied Behavior Analysis: Functional Assessment and Interventions | |
| SPEC ED 6415 | Disability Law and Policy | 3 |
| Special Education Concentration Electives | 9 | |
| Choose one of the following concentrations: | ||
Autism and Developmental Disabilities Concentration | ||
| Assessment and Interventions for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder | ||
| Foundations of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Research to Practice | ||
| Characteristics and Education of Individuals with Low-Incidence Disabilities | ||
Early Childhood Special Education Concentration | ||
| Screening and Diagnosis of Developmental Delays: Birth to 5 Years | ||
| Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education | ||
| Curriculum, Methods, and Materials for Early Childhood Special Ed | ||
Cross Categorical Disabilities Concentration | ||
Choose two courses from the following and an additional course from any concentration for a total of three courses. | ||
| Speech and Language Interventions for Children with Disabilities | ||
| Characteristics and Education of Students with High-Incidence Disabilities | ||
| Transition Issues & Planning | ||
| Reading Instruction and Intervention in Special Education | ||
| Social-Emotional and Behavior Interventions | ||
| Required Research Courses (6 hours) | ||
| These two research courses should be taken in sequence (not concurrently) at the end of the program. Candidates will design and execute a piece of original practitioner research and present their findings in a public forum. | ||
| TCH ED 6909 | Teacher Action Research I | 3 |
| TCH ED 6910 | Teacher Action Research Capstone | 3 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |