Grand Canyon University | MEd in Special Education: Moderate to Severe (Initial Teacher Licensure)
Grand Canyon University's Master of Education in Special Education: Moderate to Severe (Initial Teacher Licensure) program is designed to prepare individuals holding a bachelor's degree to prepare for teaching licensure needed to instruct K-12 special needs students. Get more detailed information about this online program here.
Official Program Name:
Master of Education in Special Education: Moderate to Severe (Initial Teacher Licensure)
School Offering Program:
Grand Canyon University
Degree Level:
Master's
Program Prerequisites:
To be eligible for enrollment in the MEd in Special Education: Moderate to Severe teacher licensure program, students must have earned a bachelor's degree. They should have some understanding of learning disabilities and strong communication, collaborative, and analytical skills, as courses will tend to focus on methods for communicating with students as well as parents and other professionals, collaborative efforts in special education, and the evaluation of students for entry into special needs programs as well as academic progress. Applicants to Grand Canyon University should have a high school diploma or equivalent; some programs may have additional requirements.
Program Description:
How are moderate to severe special needs students assessed and monitored? Which instructional planning strategies are employed in preparing specialized curricula? What technologies, accommodations, and modifications are used to enhance the communication skills of moderate to severe special education students? These are among the topics likely to be explored in the Master of Education in Special Education: Moderate to Severe (Initial Teacher Licensure) program at Grand Canyon University. Courses also address classroom management methods, collaborative techniques, behavior assessment and improvement, transitional planning processes, and methods for teaching math, English, and language arts for special needs students. After all coursework is completed, students must participate in a 15 week, full-time teaching experience with a certified special educator in which they work with special needs students in actual classroom settings.
Learning Format:
Online and on-campus
Program Length:
47 credits.
Financial Aid Available:
Eligible students could be able to receive financial aid in the forms of grants, loans, and scholarships. Contact Grand Canyon University's financial aid office for more information.
Required Courses for a Master of Education in Special Education: Moderate to Severe (Initial Teacher Licensure):
To earn this master's degree, students must complete 13 three credit courses/practicums in addition to an 8 credit student teaching field experience for a total of 47 credits. Degree program and course requirements are subject to change. Contact Grand Canyon University to confirm the most accurate information before enrolling in a program.
Degree Requirements (47 credits)
- Foundations in Special Education Graduate Studies
- U.S. and Arizona Constitutions for Teacher Candidates
- Survey of Moderate to Severe Special Education
- Moderate to Severe: Professional, Ethical, and Legal Practices
- Assessment and Eligibility in Moderate to Severe Special Education
- Moderate to Severe: Care, Collaboration, and Communication
- Moderate to Severe: Instructional Planning, Strategies, and Assessment
- Moderate to Severe: Classroom Management and Behavior Analysis
- Postsecondary Transitional Planning for Moderate to Severe Exceptionalities
- Moderate to Severe: Adaptive Communication
- Methods of Structured English Immersion for K-12 Education
- Moderate to Severe: Methods of Teaching Functional Mathematics and Science
- Moderate to Severe: Methods of Teaching Functional Language Arts
- Student Teaching for Special Education: Moderate to Severe
Post-Graduation Opportunities
Furthering Your Education:
Graduates of the MEd - Special Education: Moderate to Severe program who wish to continue their studies with the intentions of pursuing advanced positions in colleges/universities or in educational research should enter a doctoral degree program. Doctoral students could expect to more closely examine topics focusing on leadership practices, intervention strategies, and research methodologies in special education.
Possible doctorates that graduates could pursue include, but are not limited to:
- PhD in Special Education
- Doctor of Education in Special Education
- Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership - Special Education
Career Paths:
Once students have successfully completed the Master of Education in Special Education: Moderate to Severe (Initial Teacher Licensure) program and obtain necessary initial teacher licensure, they could pursue instructional opportunities in K-12 classrooms. They could teach various subject areas and possess the knowledge needed to develop lesson plans, assess special needs students, and work with school administrators and parents in ensuring student success.
In addition to becoming licensed K-12 special education teachers, graduates could also pursue the following careers:
- Behavior analyst
- Social worker
- Autism coordinator
- Special education supervisor
- Special education consultant
