Special Education, Ed.S.

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The EdS-SPED degree is designed to meet the needs of teachers certified in Special Education who have completed a master’s degree in special education. The program consists of a minimum of 27 graduate credit hours, including an option to select the Tier One Leadership track. The Tier One Leadership track embeds four of the six required Educational Leadership (EDLE) courses into our 27-credit hour program, requiring two additional EDLE courses at completion of the EDS to finish the Tier One Certificate. In this program, candidates will be required to read, write, and research the major topics in Special Education. Candidates enroll in 15 hours of 7000 and 8000 level special education Content Specialization courses. Most of the required courses include a designated artifact that is utilized as part of the assessment plan for each candidate. Students may begin the program any semester. During the initial advising session, a projected sequence of courses is developed for each student. Any changes in the projected sequence need to be determined jointly between student and advisor in order for the student to be able to complete the program in a timely manner.

Admission Requirements

The program has been designed to meet the needs of individuals who wish to obtain advanced training in Special Education.

-Provide proof of a Master’s degree in education from an accredited institution.
-Present a cumulative 3.0 (4.0 scale) grade point average or higher on the last graduate degree earned.
-Present a clear and renewable T-5 teaching certificate in special education or service certificate in speech-language pathology.
-Document 2 or more years of successful experience as a special education teacher, a collaborative teacher working directly with students with disabilities or speech-language pathologist in the school setting.

All out-of-state students must verify with their local certification agency to determine if sought after degree will result in a certification upgrade.

The courses and experiences of the Ed.S. program require a minimum of 27 semester hours.

Program Requirements

Special Education Core Courses (15 semester hours)

SPED 7701 - Program Planning and Evaluation in Special Education 3 Credit Hours
SPED 7704 - Leadership and Administration of Special Education Programs 3 Credit Hours
SPED 7729 - Special Education Law 3 Credit Hours
SPED 8704 - Multiculturalism and Special Education 3 Credit Hours
SPED 8771 - Curriculum Design and Implementation in Special Education 3 Credit Hours

Traditional Concentration Courses (12 semester hours)

Students enrolled in the Traditional Concentration would enroll in 3 elective courses (9 credit hours) relevant to K-12 schools/teachers. Areas of allowable elective coursework include Educational Leadership, Instructional Technology, Autism Endorsement, Reading Endorsement, Dyslexia Endorsement, and ESOL Endorsement.

SPED 8784 - Research Seminar 3 Credit Hours
Elective (3 credit hours)
Elective (3 credit hours)
Elective (3 credit hours)

Tier One Leadership Concentration (12 hours)

EDLE 7000 - Principles of Instructional Leadership 3 Credit Hours
EDLE 7100 - School Law, Policy, and Ethics 3 Credit Hours
EDLE 7200 - Using Data to Improve the School 3 Credit Hours
EDLE 7300 - School Operations for Student Learning 3 Credit Hours

Comprehensive Exam (0 credit hours)

SPED 8795 - Comprehensive Exam for the Specialist of Education: Special Education 0 Credit Hours