Special Education (M.A.)

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Program Overview

This master’s in special education is intended for individuals who wish to work with students with special needs. You will learn about effective teaching strategies and ways to create meaningful learning experiences for these children. Each student’s interests, background and needs are considered when developing the program of study. Areas of specialization include advanced specialist disabilities, early childhood special education and multicategorical special education K-12. This degree is flexible and provides additional opportunities for those not needing or wanting certification. Students who wish to pursue initial teacher licensure and/or special education certification may pursue the multicategorical specialization. Students are encouraged to discuss program specializations with an advisor at the time of admission to the program. Students who are seeking teacher certification are encouraged to meet with an advisor for clarification.The USD School of Education has been accredited by CAEP (formerly NCATE) since 1956. Learn more at usd.edu/ci.

Typically students seek the Master’s degree in Special Education while pursuing certification in one or more areas. A degree of flexibility provides additional opportunities for those not needing or wanting certification. Students wishing to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Special Education must select from the following specializations: Advanced Specialist in Disabilities, Early Childhood Special Education, or Multicategorical Special Education K-12. Students are encouraged to discuss program specializations with an advisor at the time of admission to the program.

NOTE: Students who do not hold either elementary or secondary education certification may only pursue the Multicategorical specialization and will need to complete additional coursework and certification requirements for initial teacher certification. A series of Praxis tests are required for successful completion of the program and to earn initial teaching certification in the state of South Dakota.

Students pursuing initial teacher certification must:

Pass the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test for admission to the Teacher Education Program. Students may be fully admitted to the Special Education Multicategorical program, however, admission to Teacher Education is provisional until the content knowledge test is successfully passed.
Pass the Praxis subject-specific Content Knowledge test to be eligible to student teach.
Pass the Principles of Learning Test (PLT) for successful program completion and teacher
Students who are seeking teacher certification are encouraged to meet with an advisor in Teacher Education for clarification of requirements for initial teacher certification.

DELIVERY: On campus

Master of Arts, Special Education Plan B (non-thesis): Total 30-34 credit hours

M.A. in Special Education - Advanced Specialist in Disabilities (ASD) Specialization: Total 30 credit hours

Major Area Coursework

ASD specialization core required course work:
SPED 702 - Diagnostic Teaching 3 cr
SPED 709 - Special Education Collaboration Or Consultation in the Schools 3 cr
SPED 794 - Internship (M.A.) (C) 1 to 8 cr (3 credit hours required)
SPED 517 - Vocational-Transitional Programming (C) 2 to 3 cr
SPED 519 - Medical Issues in Special Education 2 cr
Specialized coursework:
SPED 711 - Educating Students With Cognitive Disabilities 3 cr
SPED 737 - Educating Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders 3 cr
SPED 741 - Educating Students With Emotional & Behavior Disorders 3 cr

Supporting Area Coursework

EDER 761 - Graduate Research & Design (C) 3 cr
SPED 688 - Student Teaching 1-8 cr (4 cr hrs required)
Or
Electives approved by advisor (Plan A students can take 4 hours of Thesis credits here) 4cr hrs

Accelerated Master’s Program: B.A. or B.S./M.A.

Up to 12 credits applied toward the B.S. program may be used to satisfy graduate credit in the Special Education, M.A.-Advanced Specialist in Disabilities (ASD) specialization, M.A., Plan B (non-thesis) option.

The following restrictions apply:

Dual-listed courses taken at the 500-level can be applied to both the B.A. or B.S. and M.A. degrees. Dual-listed courses must be taken at the 500-level.
The student must apply to, and be admitted to, the acceleratedogram prior to taking courses to be credited toward the accelerated program.
No courses taken prior to admission to the accelerated program may be counted toward an accelerated graduate degree.
Courses that are “double counted” must be approved by the program coordinator for inclusion in the program of study prior to registration for the course or the credits will not be applied toward the accelerated graduate degree.
Only courses taken at the student’s home institution are eligible for accelerated program credit. No transferred courses from other institutions will be allowed to count toward the accelerated master’s degree.
Students admitted to the accelerated M.A. Program may be allowed to register for all courses included in his/her program of study and these credit hours may apply to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.

M.A. in Special Education - Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Specialization: Total 33 credit hours

Major Area Coursework

ECSE specialization core required course work:
SPED 705 - Advanced Family/Professional Collaboration 2 cr
SPED 710 - Survey Cognitive Disabilities 2 cr
SPED 715 - Behavior Management 2 to 3 cr (3 credit hours required)
Select one of the following two courses:
SPED 780 - Assessment of Persons With Disabilities 3 cr
SPSY 893 - Workshop in Preschool Assessment (C) 3 cr
Specialized course work:
SPED 519 - Medical Issues in Special Education 2 cr
SPED 770 - Survey: Early Childhood Special Education 3 cr
SPED 771 - Strategies, Planning & Assessment in Early Childhood Special Ed. 3 cr
SPED 772 - Atypical Development (Birth-5) 3 cr
SPED 794 - Internship (M.A.) (C) 1 to 8 cr (3 credit hours required)

Supporting Area Coursework

EDER 761 - Graduate Research & Design (C) 3 cr
Approved Elective 3 credit hours required
Select one course from the following:
ELED 592 - Special Topics (C) 1 to 3 cr EARLY LANGUAGE AND LITERACY (3 credit hours required)
Or
ELED 713 - Advanced Curriculum & Practices in Early Childhood Education 3 cr

M.A. in Special Education - Multicategorical SPED K-12 (MSEK-12) Specialization: Total 33-46 credit hours

Major Area Coursework

MSEK-12 specialization core required course work (15 credit hours):
SPED 517 - Vocational-Transitional Programming (C) 2 to 3 cr (2 cr hrs required)
SPED 705 - Advanced Family/Professional Collaboration 2 cr
SPED 708 - Low Incidence Disabilities 2 cr
SPED 715 - Behavior Management 2 to 3 cr (3 cr hrs required)
SPED 731 - Educating Students With Learning Disabilities 3 cr
SPED 780 - Assessment of Persons With Disabilities 3 cr
Select two survey courses (4 credit hours):
SPED 710 - Survey Cognitive Disabilities 2 cr
SPED 730 - Survey: Learning Disabilities 2 cr
SPED 735 - Survey: Autism Spectrum Disorders 2-3 cr (2 credit hours required)
SPED 740 - Survey of Emotional & Behavior Disorders 2 cr
Select one disability curriculum and instruction course. (3 credit hours)
SPED 711 - Educating Students With Cognitive Disabilities 3 cr
SPED 737 - Educating Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders 3 cr
SPED 741 - Educating Students With Emotional & Behavior Disorders 3 cr

Supporting Area Coursework (6-9 credit hours)

EDER 761 - Graduate Research & Design (C) 3 cr
ELED 757 - Assessment and Interventions for Struggling and Dyslexic Readers 3 cr
Elective 2-3 cr (Not needed if completing initial certification route)

Field Experience (3-6 credit hours required)

Complete one of the following combinations listed below:

Combination 1 Multicategorical Specialization + Endorsement in Special Education & Initial Teacher Certification (3-6 credit hours):

0-5 credit hours required from the courses below (SPED 688 is the recommended course per the department):
SPED 688 - Student Teaching 1-8 cr (i.e., initial teacher licensure with endorsement in multicategorical SPED) 0-5 cr hrs required
ELED 688 - Student Teaching (C) 1-8 cr
SEED 688 - Student Teaching (C) 1-8 cr
1 credit hour required from the courses below (SPED 795 is the recommended course per the department):
SPED 795 - Practicum in Special Education 1 to 6 cr
ELED 795 - Practicum 1 to 3 cr
SEED 795 - Practicum in Secondary Education (M.A.) 1 to 6 cr

Courses for initial certification

Combination 1 Multicategorical Specialization + Endorsement in Special Education & Initial Teacher Certification - 0-15 credit hours

The School of Education Certification Officer will be a resource to audit coursework related to teacher certification. Students are expected to confirm the needed coursework for certification with the School of Education Certification Officer prior to completing a program of study.

*Certification courses taken at the undergraduate level may be considered equivalent to the below courses needed for certification.

Combination 2 Multicategorical Specialization without endorsement (3-6 credit hours):

Select one of the following (i.e. non-endorsement track) 3 cr hrs required (SPED 794 is the recommended course per the department):
SPED 794 - Internship (M.A.) (C) 1 to 8 cr
ELED 794 - Internship (M.A.) (C) 2 to 8 cr
SEED 794 - Internship (M.A.) (C) 1 to 8 cr

Application Requirements

Completed application
$35 application fee
Official transcripts*
Letters of recommendation*
Admission test scores*
Statement of purpose
Resume/CV*

*Requirements for admission vary by program and may require different documentation and have different deadlines. For specific program requirements and submission deadline, visit: catalog.usd.edu.

Courses or Programs Leading to Professional Licensure or Certification

The educational curriculum for your academic program may or may not meet educational prerequisites for professional licensure or certification in states other than South Dakota. If you are planning to apply for licensure/certification in a state other than South Dakota after completion of your program, please review that state and your program on USD’s Licensure-Track Programs webpage. Licensure-Track Programs

If your learning placement course (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) or your online course will be taken outside South Dakota, please reference USD’s State Authorization webpage.

State Authorization

Questions?

Division of Curriculum and Instruction
605-658-6639 | ci@usd.edu | usd.edu/ci

Graduate Admissions
605-658-6200 | gradadmissions@usd.edu | usd.edu/grad