Graduate Certificate: Mental Retardation K-12 (E1-CERG-SPMR)

Due to changes in Virginia licensure categories, as of fall 2008, the certificate program in Mental Retardation (MR) will no longer be available to incoming students. Students interested in teacher licensure in Special Education should consider the licensure certificate in Teaching Students with Disabilities who Access the General Curriculum or Teaching Students with Disabilities who Access an Adapted Curriculum which aligns with the current VDOE teacher licensure categories.

Students who have already begun the MR licensure certificate should contact the Special Education program to determine if they should remain in the MR program or pursue a program in Teaching Students with Disabilities who Access the General Curriculum or Teaching Students with Disabilities who Access an Adapted Curriculum.

Coursework (15-33 credits)

This certificate offers the required course work for teacher licensure in mental retardation.

There are no pre-requisites in the coursework, but students are strongly encouraged to complete 1st tier courses before, or in conjunction with, 2nd tier courses and 2nd tier courses before, or in conjunction with, 3rd tier courses. All courses are offered every semester (fall, spring, summer) unless otherwise indicated

First Tier

EDSE 501: Introduction to Special Education (3 credit hours)
EDSE 542: Characteristics of Students with Mental Retardation (3 credit hours) (OR)
EDSE 547: Medical and Developmental Risk Factors for Children with Disabilities (3 credit hours) (Offered in summer only.)

Second Tier

EDSE 502: Classroom Management and Applied Behavior Analysis (3 credit hours)
EDSE 503: Language Development and Reading (3 credit hours)
EDSE 791: Midpoint Portfolio (1 credit hour) (Must be taken concurrently with the fourth or fifth special education course. Available in fall and spring. May be offered in summer.)

Third Tier

EDSE 627: Assessment (3 credit hours)
EDSE 628: Elementary Reading, Curriculum, and Strategies for Students who Access the General Education Curriculum (3 credit hours) (OR-EDSE 626: The Inclusive Classroom (3 credit hours))
EDSE 629: Secondary Curriculum and Strategies for Students with Disabilities who Access the General Curriculum (3 credit hours)
EDSE 662: Consultation and Collaboration (3 credit hours)
EDSE 661: Curriculum and Methods: Severe Disabilities (3 credit hours) ( Offered in fall only.)
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) (Two experiences - elementary and secondary students with MR.)

It is recommended that internship be taken concurrently with EDSE 628, EDSE 629 and/or EDSE 661.

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.

Tuition Assistance and Grant Funding

Cohort program: The Special Education program works collaboratively with a number of Northern Virginia school divisions to offer special education certificates and degree programs to school employees using a cohort model. This model provides convenience to the students and forms a better link between academia and school realities. Additional benefits of the cohort model include tuition discounts, classes located in the students’ school divisions and course scheduling in alignment with school division calendars.

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.