Special Education M.S.: Specialization for Special Educators
Program Rationale:
This interdisciplinary program is designed for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree and/or certification in special education. In this specialization students take course work designed to broaden and/or deepen their knowledge of the field in one of three tracks: Language Arts Instruction for Exceptional Learners, STEM Instruction for Exceptional Learners, or Advanced Studies in Disability. The candidate’s Planned Program of Graduate Study is developed by the candidate and their assigned Academic Advisor to fulfill professional and personal goals. Courses for this program are aligned with the Advanced Preparation Standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).
Program Learning Outcomes:
1. Possess strong knowledge of content, content pedagogy, and learner development (typical and atypical).
2. Create an inclusive and culturally responsive learning environment.
3. Use data, content knowledge, and evidence-based pedagogical content knowledge to critically examine practice for the purpose of improving student learning.
4. Design and deliver instructional and assessment strategies that facilitate significant learning for all students including struggling learners and those with disabilities.
5. Design, deliver, and assess individualized instructional strategies to deepen literacy and content learning.
6. Act collaboratively, ethically, and responsibly to ensure student growth and advance the profession.
Admission Requirements:
Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree and/or certification in special education from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Applicants must also have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.70 on a 4.00 point scale (where A is 4.00) or its equivalent, and good standing (3.00 GPA) in all post-baccalaureate course work.
The admissions application, application fee, and official transcripts from each college and university attended (except Central Connecticut State University) must be submitted to the Graduate Recruitment and Admissions Office.
Contact: 860-832-2400
Professional Requirements
| SPED 532 | Contemporary Issues in Special Education | 3 |
| (Students are required to take SPED 532 for 3 credits) | |
Tracks
Students take 18 credits of advanced-level course work in special education. Up to 6 credits of related interdisciplinary course work from other departments may be included in consultation with an Academic Advisor.
Language Arts Instruction for Learners with Exceptionalities Track
| Directed electives | 12 |
| SPED 506 | Foundations of Language for the Exceptional Child | 3 |
| or | |
| SPED 517 | Special Education Methods in Teaching Reading (K-12) | 3 |
| or | |
| SPED 518 | Special Education Methods in Teaching Writing (K-12) | 3 |
| SPED 529/LLA 529 | Multisensory Structured Language Instruction Practicum | 3 |
| or | |
| SPED 528/LLA 528 | Multisensory Structured Language Instruction | 3 |
Up to 6 credits in Literacy Education may be included in consultation with an Academic Advisor.
STEM Instruction for Learners with Exceptionalities Track
| SPED 519 | Special Education Methods in Content Area Instruction (K-12) | 3 |
| SPED 581 | Assistive Technology in Special Education | 3 |
| STEM 506 | Problem Based Learning in STEM Education | 3 |
| STEM 520 | STEM Practices in the Physical Sciences | 3 |
| or | |
| STEM 530 | STEM Practices in the Earth/Space Sciences | 3 |
| or | |
| STEM 540 | STEM Practices in the Life Sciences | 3 |
The remaining 6 credits are decided in consultation with an Academic Advisor.
Advanced Studies in Disability Track
| SPED 504 | Universal Design, Inclusion and Accessibility in Learning, Teaching, and Beyond | 3 |
| SPED 506 | Foundations of Language for the Exceptional Child | 3 |
| SPED 536 | Autism Spectrum Disorder | 3 |
| SPED 537 | Executive Function, ADHD, and Learning | 3 |
The remaining 6 credits are decided in consultation with Academic Advisor.
Research and Capstone Requirements
| SPED 596 | Capstone Intervention Project I | 3 |
| SPED 597 | Capstone Intervention Project II | 3 |
| SPED 598 | Research in Special Education | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 30