Special Education M.Ed.
Special Education M.Ed.
Total Semester Credit Hours = 36
The School of Education offers the Master of Education degree in Special Education. The Master of Education degree program is designed to fulfill academic requirements for certification as an educational diagnostician. The School of Education also offers an Educational Diagnostician Certification program.
Emphasis in educational diagnosis provides the student with the opportunity to assess the competencies of individuals in language, sociological, physical, and behavioral/emotional areas, intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, and educational performance using informal and formal measures, and prescribe individualized education plans based on test results. The educational diagnostician certificate requires three years of classroom teaching experience as defined by the Texas Administrative Code, an earned master’s degree, and successful completion of the TExES examination for certification.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the graduate program in special education, the individual must:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Hold a Texas teacher certification or currently seeking certification (any field).
- Submit Texas teaching service record and any other documents required by Texas governing units.
- Submit official transcripts from all institutions attended.
- Submit official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores obtained within the last five years. GRE will be waived if the applicant has a GPA of 3.25 (overall degree or last 60 hours of coursework) or higher.
- Complete admissions interview.
- Have an appropriate GPA as set by Texas Administrative Code and other administrative units.
- Submit a Student Information Sheet (SIS) which includes a Statement of Purpose.
- Submit three (3) recommendation forms.
- Admission is determined based on GPA and, if necessary, satisfactory scores on the GRE in combination with the GPA, successful admission interview, recommendations, successful completion of the Statement of Purpose, and the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to his or her chosen field of study.
- Upon admission, students must:
- Sign and submit an acknowledgement of admission and departmental agreements.
- Pay admission fee to the School of Education. This fee is separate from The University of Texas at Tyler’s Graduate School application.
- Only for applicants seeking the Educational Diagnostician certificate-only program, additional admission requirements are required. These requirements are:
- Hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
NOTE: In accordance with Texas Administrative Code, all applicants must be fully admitted prior to taking any coursework in the area in which they are seeking certification. Therefore, no provisional admission is allowed.
Degree Requirements
Total Semester Credit Hours = 36
| EDSP 5350 | Overview of Special Education (Birth -21) | |
| EDSP 5357 | Practicum in Special Education | |
| EDSP 5360 | Seminar: Learning and Neurological Disabilities | |
| EDSP 5361 | Overview of Transition Services | |
| EDSP 5363 | Behavioral Disorders | |
| EDSP 5364 | Seminar: Assessment in Special Education | |
| EDSP 5365 | Developmental Testing | |
| EDSP 5366 | Seminar: Full Individual Evaluation | |
| EDSP 5368 | Seminar: Educational Strategies for Special Education | |
| EDSP 5370 | Learning Theory as Applied to Individuals with Disabilities | |
| EDSP 5371 | Individual Assessment of Cognitive Functioning | |
| EDSP 5378 | Administrative and Legal Issues in Special Education | |
Substitutions require advisor approval.
Certification Preparation
Certification-Only Total Semester Credit Hours = 27
The Educational Diagnostician Certification Preparation Program is a 27-semester-hour program that requires a) possessing a master’s degree, b) holding a teacher’s certification (any field), and c) completion of the specified course sequence within six years.
| EDSP 5350 | Overview of Special Education (Birth -21) | |
| EDSP 5357 | Practicum in Special Education | |
| EDSP 5360 | Seminar: Learning and Neurological Disabilities | |
| EDSP 5363 | Behavioral Disorders | |
| EDSP 5364 | Seminar: Assessment in Special Education | |
| EDSP 5365 | Developmental Testing | |
| EDSP 5366 | Seminar: Full Individual Evaluation | |
| EDSP 5371 | Individual Assessment of Cognitive Functioning | |
| EDSP 5378 | Administrative and Legal Issues in Special Education | |
Substitutions require advisor approval.