Program Rationale:
The Master of Science in Special Education: Specialization in Inclusion and Transition is designed to prepare general education teachers or candidates with an earned bachelors degree in a related area of study (eg., Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Human Services, Disability, and related disciplines) to gain the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions to develop effective teaching and learning environments for individuals with disabilities in K-12 educational settings and/or transition planning. Completion of this program does not lead to a cross endorsements in special education. The curriculum for this program is aligned with the standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).
Program Learning Outcomes:
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of foundational issues in special education and their impact on the field.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of the development and characteristics of learners, individual learning differences, and appropriate instructional strategies.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze multiple forms of standardized and curriculum-based assessments and use that information for a variety of educational decisions.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use their knowledge of general and specialized curricula to individualize learning for students with exceptional learning needs.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to select, adopt, and use instructional strategies to promote learning and to modify learning environments for students with exceptional learning needs.
- Students will promote professional, ethical, and collaborative practices in the field of special education.
Requirements
Admitted students are required to have taken SPED 315 Introduction of Educating Learners with Exceptionalities, SPED 501 Education of Exceptional Learner (3 credits), or an equivalent course before beginning the program.
*Course Requirements for eligibility for Official Certificate Program in Transition Planning (16-18 credits) include SPED 503, SPED 527, SPED 541, SPED 566, CNSL 522, and CNSL 560.
Professional Requirements
| SPED 532 | Contemporary Issues in Special Education | 3 |
| SPED 566 | Legal and Administrative Issues in Special Education | 3 |
Specialization Required Courses
| SPED 503 | Evidence-Based Practices for Diverse Learners | 3 |
Specialization Electives - Choice Block I (Choose 9 credits)
Specialization Electives - Choice Block II (Choose 6 credits)
| SPED 517/SPED 417 | Special Education Methods in Teaching Reading (K-12) | 3 |
| SPED 518 | Special Education Methods in Teaching Writing (K-12) | 3 |
| SPED 519/SPED 419 | Special Education Methods in Content Area Instruction (K-12) | 3 |
| SPED 536 | Autism Spectrum Disorder | 3 |
| SPED 581 | Assistive Technology in Special Education | 3 |
| CNSL 522 | Appraisal Procedures in Counseling | 3 |
| CNSL 560 | Introduction to Rehabilitation Counseling | 3 |
Transition Specialist Official Certificate Program requires : SPED 527, SPED 541, SPED 566, CNSL 522, and CNSL 560.
SPED 514, SPED 515, SPED 516, SPED 517, SPED 518, SPED 519 also can count toward state requirements for teacher certification in Special Education.
Program Prerequisites
| SPED 315 | Introduction to Educating Learners with Exceptionalities | 3 |
| or | |
| SPED 501 | Education of the Exceptional Learner | 3 |
Research and Capstone Requirements
SPED 596 and SPED 597: Plan E