MASTER OF
EDUCATION DEGREE
Special Education
The Master of Education in Special Education
is designed not only to develop and improve
knowledge of and performance in core profes-
sional competencies related to the field of spe-
cial education, but also to reflect the specific
career aspirations of each student. Plans of
study can be individualized, for example, to
enable a student to develop additional expert-
ise in a certain area of exceptionality (e.g.,
learning disabilities, low-incidence disabili-
ties, or giftedness) or to allow a student to
acquire specific skills needed to perform the
duties associated with a new position in the
field (one requiring specialization in, e.g., col-
laborative consultation or early childhood).
Individuals may select from among several
program options:
Degree-only Program M.Ed. in Special
Education for students who have prior special
education teacher certification.
Degree + Certification Program M.Ed. in
Special Education with concomitant special
education certification.
Certification-only Program a non-degree
course of study toward special education certi-
fication.
Also available to those who hold an under-
graduate degree is the nine-credit Behavior
Management Specialist Certificate program,
an area of specialization that may be taken
alone or as part of the M.Ed. program.
Online Program
Students who live a considerable distance
from the University, and/or non-traditional
students, may be particularly interested in
investigating the online version of the Master
of Education in Special Education program.
For further information about this option,
please contact the Department of Special Edu-
cation and School Psychology or the Office of
Graduate Studies and Research.
Admission Requirements and
Procedures
Individuals seeking admission as degree stu-
dents in the Master of Education in Special
Education program must comply with the gen-
eral admissions requirements for graduate
studies at Edinboro University. Upon accept-
ance to the program, students should contact
their assigned advisor to complete a plan of
graduate study that is individualized to meet
their specific needs, including special educa-
tion certification for those who do not already
possess such certification.
Curriculum
A minimum of thirty (30) semester hours of
graduate credit is required for the Master of
Education degree in Special Education. Each
student's program of study consists of four
major components: educational foundations,
educational research, core special education,
and individualized special education:
I. Research
3 sem. hrs.
EDUC788 Research in Education* (3)
II. Foundations
3 sem. hrs.
EDUC783 Philosophical Foundations
of Education (3) or
EDUC784 Psychological Foundations
of Education (3)
III. Special Education Core
9 sem. hrs.
SPED710
Seminar in Special
Education and
Exceptionalities (3)
SPED720
Advanced Assessment in
Special Education (3)
SPED730
Analysis of Special
Education Curricula (3)
Courses selected in the following area will
constitute the remainder of each individual's
graduate program plan, which is designed col-
laboratively by the student and his/her advisor.
IV. Individualized Component 15 sem. hrs.
Special Education Electives (choose five;
other courses may also be available)
SPED525
Collaborative Consultation (3)
SPED560
Young Children with
Disabilities (3)
SPED570
Teaching Strats. for
Multiple Disabilities (3)
SPED650
Ed. Strategies for Gifted
Children (3)
SPED694
Workshop in Special
Education (3)
SPED695
Field Experience in
Exceptionalities (3)
SPED750
Seminar in Behavior
Disorders (3)
SPED760
Admin. and Supervision
in Special Education (3)
SPED780
Learning Disabilities (3)
SPED790
Instruct. Techniques for
Learning Dis. (3)
SPED793
Independent Study in
Special Education (3)
SPED628
Class. and School-wide
B.Manage. Strats. for
Inclusive Settings (3)
APSY794 Management of Serious
Behavior Problems in
Applied Settings (3)
APSY796 Crisis Management and
Violence Prevention in the
Schools (3)
Degree Requirements
Students in this program must comply with the
degree requirements for the master of educa-
tion degree. In addition, students must satis-
factorily complete:
1.
A written comprehensive examination
(for which they must register).
2.
A non-credit master's project.
Students who enter the Master of Education in
Special Education program without teacher
certification in special education must also
meet the requirements for such certification,
before the M.Ed. is conferred.
Special Education Courses
SPED525
COLLABORATIVE
CONSULTATION IN
EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS
3 sem. hrs.
This course prepares the student to participate
in collaborative consultation services for stu-
dents experiencing learning or adjustment
problems. It emphasizes enhancing communi-
cation skills, interactive teaming, problem
solving, case management skills, and imple-
mentation with culturally diverse students.
Prerequisites: SPED215, APSY213 or permis-
sion of instructor.
SPED533
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE
PROBLEMS OF
EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN
3 sem. hrs.
The development of the communicational
processes as they relate to the normal child and
how they deviate in the exceptional child will
be presented. The course will provide the
classroom teacher with the academic knowl-
edge to better understand communicational
pathologies, the ability to identify specific
hearing, speech, language, and voice devia-
tions, and practical suggestions for classroom
management of children with communication-
al disorders.
SPED541
TEACHING STRATEGIES I
FOR MENTALLY AND/OR
PHYSICALLY
HANDICAPPED* 3 sem. hrs.
This course presents the basic principles of
designing and implementing instruction
appropriate for students with mental and/or
physical disabilities. It emphasizes the curric-
ular domains of oral language, reading, and
written expression. Prerequisite: SPED325.
*Does not count toward master's degree.
SPED545
MENTAL RETARDATION*
3 sem. hrs.
This course emphasizes psychological and
educational perspectives of mental retardation
and studies definitions, sources, classification,
characteristics, education, and prevention of
mental retardation. Prerequisites: SPED215 or
APSY213. *Does not count toward master's
degree.
88/Special Education and School Psychology Programs