Special Education (M.Ed.)

Location(s): Online Campus

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Program Overview

The Master of Education in Special Education is designed to prepare high-quality special educators to teach students who have mild to moderate disabilities in grades K-12. Students successfully completing this degree program will receive a Master of Education and, if necessary, a Utah professional teaching license in mild/moderate disabilities for grades K-12. Licensed teachers, administrators, and other school professionals, as well as teachers who are seeking alternate routes to licensure, are encouraged to apply.

In order to earn an initial Utah professional teaching license in mild/moderate disabilities, students must either:

Hold a current elementary or secondary Utah teaching license
Be enrolled in the APPEL-SPED program through Utah State Board of Education.

Note: Initial Utah professional teaching license cannot be earned through this program.

Program Admission

See Admissions Requirements for this program.

Program Information

Graduate students must complete their program within six (6) years of matriculation.
All required courses must be passed with a “B” (3.0) or better to be counted in the degree. If a student earns a “B-” (2.7) or below in a course, the course must be retaken. NO OTHER courses may be taken (even concurrently) until the grade has been raised to the minimum “B.” Failure to raise the grade in two (2) subsequent attempts will result in the student being dropped from the program. Students dropped from the program may apply for readmission after a period of five (5) years has passed.
Graduate students must earn a 3.0 GPA each semester. If the overall GPA falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on probation for one (1) semester. At the end of the probationary semester, if the GPA is not at or above 3.0, the student will be dropped from the program.

Special Education Curriculum (30 Credits)

Core Special Education Requirements (24 Credits)

EDUC 6030 - Principles of Practitioner Research 3 Credit(s)
SPED 6100 - Programming and Management 3 Credit(s)
SPED 6110 - History and Law 3 Credit(s)
SPED 6120 - Creating and Managing a Learning Environment 3 Credit(s)
SPED 6130 - Intervention Strategies in ELA for Students with Disabilities 3 Credit(s)
SPED 6145 - Assistive Technology, Collaboration, and Post-Secondary Transition 3 Credit(s)
SPED 6160 - Assessment for Learning and Data-Driven Decisions for Special Education 3 Credit(s)
SPED 6170 - Intervention Strategies in Math for Students with Disabilities 3 Credit(s)

Capstone Requirements (6 Credits)

EDUC 6650 - Practitioner Research I 3 Credit(s)
EDUC 6933 - Practitioner Research II 3 Credit(s)

Electives (0-6 Credits)

May be selected from graduate-level endorsement courses or from other SUU graduate programs with approval of the M.Ed. Program Director.
SUU undergraduate students who have already taken SPED 6120 and/or SPED 6160 at the undergraduate level will complete 3 or 6 credits of electives in place of those courses.

Total Credits, M.Ed. Degree: 30

Licensure Notification

This program typically leads to licensure/certification and was designed to meet such qualifications for the state of Utah. Students who are or may be planning to pursue licensure/certification in any other U.S. state or territory may need to meet additional education requirements. This is not a reflection of SUU’s accreditation or quality, as each state and territory regulates their own education requirements for occupational licensure.

Students enrolled in a teacher preparation program may potentially be able to use a Utah educator license to obtain licensure through reciprocity. Additional information may be found through the Department of Teacher Education’s reciprocity table.

An overview of all of SUU’s programs that lead to licensure/certification and the programs’ current determination statuses may be found at www.suu.edu/provost/licensure.html.

Program Learning Outcomes

Core special education courses fulfill all competency requirements of Utah’s Board Rule R-277-304-7 for special education teacher preparation programs. Students will learn evidence-based practices for teaching students with disabilities through rigorous coursework, practical classroom application, and collaboration with peers and instructors.

Learn to design, adapt, and deliver instruction to address each student’s diverse learning strengths and needs.
Understand compliance with federal and state laws as they relate to the provision of special education.
Support learning of all students through the establishment of a positive learning climate that values multiple experiences, diversity, and respectful interactions.
Demonstrate collaboration and shared responsibility for decision-making with other school professionals to plan and jointly facilitate learning to meet diverse needs of students.
Researches, designs, and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences in collaboration with families, colleagues, and students.
Develops professional autonomy and advocates for students, schools, communities, and teaching.