Masters In Special Education

Overview

The M.Ed. in special education is a graduate online program focused on educator preparation for meeting the needs of students with disabilities. This program offers an opportunity to tailor your graduate studies to meet your career needs, whether you are seeking initial certification as a special education teacher in Texas or want to increase expertise in working with individuals with disabilities.

About The Program

• Graduate candidates can be admitted to one of two programs: 1) master’s degree with initial teacher certification in Texas or 2) master’s degree only— applied focus (high-and-low-incidence focus), high-incidence disability focus, or low-incidence focus.
• The master’s degree with initial teacher certification leads to licensure in Early Childhood-Grade 12 Special Education.
• The Project Match Made in Schools provides generous funding and another option for the master’s degree with initial teacher certification.
• The initial teacher certification is available only to Texas residents.
• Those outsides of Texas who would like initial teacher certification should consult with their state education agency to confirm eligibility in meeting the state’s certification/licensure requirements.
• Candidates of the master’s-degree-only program can work with the program contact in choosing high-, low-, or high-and-low-incidence focus.
• All programs of study require 30 credit hours.

Career Opportunities

• Special education classroom teacher
• Interventionist
• Transition coordinator with school or communities
• Community disability support coordinator
• Special education leader within the district
• Behavior specialist
• Individualized Education Program (IEP/ARD) coordinator

Degree Options

Master of Education in Special Education with Initial Special Education Certification

• 30 credit hours (9 courses)
• Field experiences (40 hours, practicum experience in school)
• Clinical teaching (full time five days a week, one semester)

Master of Education in Special Education with Initial Special Education Certification via Federally Funded Project Match Made in Schools

• Generous funding and courses shared with graduate students in social work
• 30 credit hours (nine courses)
• Field experiences (40 hours, practicum experience in school)
• Clinical teaching (full time five days a week, one semester)

Master of Education Special Education

• 30 credit hours (10 courses)
• Field experiences (40 hours, practicum experiences in schools/community)
• Open to graduate students nationally and internationally

Josh Appel / unsplash

Why Choose Us?

• Nationally and internationally recognized faculty leaders in special education
• Focus on research- and evidence-based practices, applied behavior analysis, and multi-tiered systems of support
• The highly affordable graduate program
• Opportunities for grant funding and scholarships
• Coursework focused on the practical application of research to practice

Admission Requirements

All students must meet university, college, department, and Texas Administrative Code qualifications in order to participate in educator preparation programs. Out-of-state students will not qualify for Texas educator certification. Therefore, students should review their state's requirements to determine if completion of a program at UTA will lead to certification in their state.

Unconditional Admission Criteria

1. Proof of two or more years of relevant experience.
2. Undergraduate transcripts with at least a 3.0 GPA during the last 60 hours or at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. The higher of these GPAs will be used for admission purposes. A 3.0 GPA on the last 9 hours of graduate coursework may be considered in place of the undergraduate GPA.
3. Two professional letters of reference. Letters from supervisors are strongly encouraged. Applicants for the M.Ed. in Special Education submit a personal statement of interest. M.Ed. in Special Education applicants who are not certification seeking submit only a personal statement of interest rather than letters of reference.

Program areas have additional requirements including documents for TEA reporting, including 1) a written response to the given prompt (fulfills “other screening instrument” as required by The Texas Education Agency), and 2) completion of Attestation and FERPA forms. In addition, some programs require access to an approved Pre K-12 setting. The overall grade point average (GPA) of each incoming class admitted between September 1 and August 31 of each year by an educator preparation program (EPP) may not be less than 3.0 on a four-point scale or the equivalent. Certification programs have additional TAC requirements for GPA (used by the program in addition to, not in lieu of, the requirements stated above).

Probationary Admission Criteria

1. Applicants who have less than 2 years of relevant experience, AND have a GPA of at least 3.0 and two letters of reference, may be granted probationary admission. The faculty admissions committee may require additional documents (e.g., GRE scores) for consideration. M.Ed. in Special Education program applicants may also be admitted on probationary status with less than 2 years of relevant work experience, and a personal statement of interest.
2. Students granted probationary admission must maintain a 3.0 (B or better) GPA in the first 9 credit hours of graduate coursework in the College of Education program to be converted from probationary to unconditional admission.

Program areas have additional requirements including documents for TEA reporting, including 1) a written response to the given prompt (fulfills “other screening instrument” as required by The Texas Education Agency), and 2) completion of Attestation and FERPA forms. In addition, some programs require access to an approved Pre K-12 setting. The overall grade point average (GPA) of each incoming class admitted between September 1 and August 31 of each year by an educator preparation program (EPP) may not be less than 3.0 on a four-point scale or the equivalent. Certification programs have additional TAC requirements for GPA (used by the program in addition to, not in lieu of, the requirements stated above).