Students with Disabilities who Access the Adapted Curriculum Certificate (E1-CERG-SDAC)

This certificate offers the required coursework for K-12 teacher licensure in Teaching Students with Disabilities who Access the Adapted Curriculum. There are no pre-requisites in the coursework, but students are strongly encouraged to completed EDSE 501 Introduction to Special Education in their first semester.

15-36 credits – Students who have completed graduate or undergraduate coursework in a university program prior to admission to the certificate, may request that courses in the certificate program be waived based on completion of the content in prior coursework. Students waiving coursework must complete a minimum of 15 credits to be eligible for the certificate.

Courses offered in fall, spring and summer:

EDSE 501: Introduction to Special Education (3 credit hours)
EDSE 791: Midpoint Portfolio (1 credit hour) (Must be taken concurrently with the fourth or fifth course in the program.)
EDSE 792: Final Portfolio (1 credit hour) (Must be taken concurrently with the last course in the program.)
EDSE 790: Internship in Special Education (1-6 credit hours) (Students meet the internship requirement either by completing two 2-credit internships, one at the elementary level and one at the secondary level (OR) by completing the 1-credit practicum experiences that are co-requisites with courses designated with an asterisk. )

Fall course offerings:

EDSE 532: Positive Behavior Supports (3 credit hours) (OR)
EDSE 502: Classroom Management and Applied Behavior Analysis (3 credit hours) (This course is offered spring, summer and fall and is an alternative to EDSE 532 but is not eligible for tuition benefits as part of the Severe Disabilities Consortium.)
EDSE 533: Curriculum and Assessment in Severe Disabilities (3 credit hours) (OR)
EDSE 627: Assessment (3 credit hours) (This course is offered spring, summer and fall and is an alternative to EDSE 533 but is not eligible for tuition benefits as part of the Severe Disabilities Consortium.)
EDSE 669: Interdisciplinary Approach for Children with Sensory and Motor Disabilities (3 credit hours)

Spring course offerings:

EDSE 661: Curriculum and Methods: Severe Disabilities (3 credit hours)
EDSE 662: Consultation and Collaboration (3 credit hours) (Fall and summer sections are offered but are not part of the Severe Disabilities Consortium)
EDSE 534: Communication and Severe Disabilities (3 credit hours)

Summer course offerings:

EDSE 547: Medical and Developmental Risk Factors for Children with Disabilities (3 credit hours)
EDSE 531: Transition and Community-Based Instruction (3 credit hours)
EDSE 557: Foundations of Language and Literacy for Diverse Learners (3 credit hours)

Exit Requirement

Students enrolled in the Students with Disabilities who Access the Adapted Curriculum Certificate must demonstrate evidence of either: a) passing the Praxis II Elementary Education Content Knowledge Exam, or b) successful completion of an approved Praxis II Elementary Preparation course.

Students who are completing the Masters in Special Education in conjunction with their licensure program will need to complete the following courses to meet the MEd course requirements. The courses can be taken at any point in a student’s program. Click here for a chart showing overlap in coursework of the licensure and MEd. The MEd courses can be taken at any point in a student's program.

EDSE 517: Computer Applications for Special Populations (3 credit hours)
EDSE 590: Special Education Research (3 credit hours)

Tuition Assistance and Grant Funding

Severe Disabilities Consortium: The Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Severe Disabilities is comprised of five state approved teacher preparation programs for endorsement in teaching students with disabilities who access an adapted curriculum. The consortium’s primary goal is to prepare teachers across the state to be highly skilled at working with learners with severe disabilities. The consortium is supported by grants from the Virginia Department of Education and the US Department of Education. Every semester, a limited number of tuition stipends are awarded to qualified applicants.

LIFE Graduate Assistantships: The Learning Into Future Environments (LIFE) Program is an innovative post-secondary program at Mason for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who desire a university experience in a supportive academic environment. Graduate students with a major in special education have an opportunity to work as instructors in the LIFE program which provides them with field experience in a supportive, supervised setting.

Graduate Research Assistantships: Part time positions are available for students interested in providing research support to faculty.