Special Education

Special Education, MEd
(E1-MED-EDSE)

The 30-credit master's degree in special education is designed to prepare both educators for the classroom and individuals working in a special education context outside of the classroom with the specialized skills and content knowledge needed to support the needs of individuals with disabilities. Students may focus their program on a specific area in the field by completing a licensure or non-licensure certificate program in conjunction with the MEd by using certificate coursework to fulfill the elective credits for the MEd degree program.

Students who wish to focus their program on a specific area in the field are advised to consider completing a certificate program in conjunction with the MEd. Students may use their certificate coursework to fulfill the elective credits for the MEd degree program.

Coursework - Effective Fall 2013

Required Courses (15 credits)

• EDSE 501: Introduction to Special Education (3 credit hours)

• EDSE 503: Language Development and Reading (3 credit hours) (OR)
• EDSE 557: Foundations of Language and Literacy for Diverse Learners (3 credit hours) (OR)
• EDSE 625: Applied Behavior Analysis: Verbal Behavior (3 credit hours)

• EDSE 517: Computer Applications for Special Populations (3 credit hours)

• EDSE 590: Special Education Research (3 credit hours)

• EDSE 662: Consultation and Collaboration (3 credit hours) (OR)
• EDSE 664: Ethical and Professional Conduct for Behavior Analysis (3 credit hours) (OR)
• EDSE 665: Families of Children with Special Needs (3 credit hours)

Electives (15 credits)

Select 15 credits of electives from Graduate EDSE or EDAT prefixes courses.

Coursework - Prior to Fall 2013

Required Courses (15 credits)

• EDSE 501: Introduction to Special Education (3 credit hours)
• EDSE 503: Language Development and Reading (3 credit hours) (OR)
• EDSE 557: Foundations of Language and Literacy for Diverse Learners (3 credit hours)
• EDSE 517: Computer Applications for Special Populations (3 credit hours)
• EDSE 590: Special Education Research (3 credit hours)
• EDSE 662: Consultation and Collaboration (3 credit hours)

Electives (15 credits)

Select 15 credits of elective courses from EDSE courses.

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.