Master - Special Education

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With the proper training and education, you can learn to effectively teach children with learning and behavioral disabilities in a variety of environments. The Master's in Special Education program at Saint Joseph's University is designed to enable students to become instructional leaders competent of addressing the needs of their classrooms, so no impairment stands in the way of a child's educational success. Read on to discover more details about the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Kind of Program Is It?

The online Master's in Special Education at Saint Joseph's University is designed to instill the values, principles, and ethics of a contemporary special educational program. It features two specialization and certification options to allow students to tailor their skills to the unique needs of their classrooms. The program emphasizes topics such as diagnostic assessment and progress monitoring, intervention and prevention strategies, research-based instruction techniques for students with low and high incidence disabilities, and management of the classroom. Program studies are intended to help you function as a leading special education teacher across a variety of educational settings, including private and public schools.

What Are the Specialization Options Available?

Specializations are available in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the Wilson Reading System®. Additional certification options that can be added to the curriculum or taken separately include:

Special Education Certification
Wilson Reading System® Certification

What Are the Prerequisites?

To qualify for this Saint Joseph's University program, you should be an education professional who is seeking a graduate degree in special education. Or, you may be a Level-1 certification in early childhood or elementary-level teaching professional who now wants to focus on teaching special education courses. You should also be creative, patient, and understanding of other people's differences. Applicants to Saint Joseph University's programs should have earned at least a bachelor's degree; some programs may have additional requirements.

What Are the Course Requirements?

Students of the online Master's in Special Education at Saint Joseph's University will complete core courses in addition to choosing their path of advanced courses. The program includes ten core courses and three advanced special education courses with the option to customize the rest of your program by taking advanced specialization courses.

Special Education Master's Degree Core Courses

Course Code	Course Name
SPE 600	Current Issues in Special Education: Theoretical Practice and Procedures
SPE 602	Diagnostic Assessment and Progress Monitoring
SPE 603	Theory and Instructional Practice: Students with High Incidence Disabilities
SPE 604	Research-based Models and Procedures: Literacy, Written and Oral Language, and Reading in the Content Areas
SPE 605	Research-based Models and Procedures: Mathematics and Science Procedures
SPE 606	Theory and Instructional Practice: Students with Emotional / Social and Behavioral Disorders
SPE 607	Theory and Instructional Practice: Students with Low Incidence Disabilities
SPE 608	Families, Schools, and Communities: Communication and Collaboration
SPE 612	Inclusive Classroom Practices

Special Education Advanced Courses

Course Code	Course Name
SPE 700	Special Education School Law and Policy
SPE 701	Cognitive Processes: Research-based Brain Studies for the Educator
SPE 702	Culturally Responsive Teaching Structured Language Instruction

Wilson Reading Program Level 1 Courses

Course Code	Course Name
SPE 710	Wilson Reading Program: Introduction to Multisensory Structured Language Instruction	SPE 711	Wilson Reading Program: Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader (Basic Word Study 1-3)
SPE 712	Wilson Reading Program: Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader (Basic Word Study 4-6)

SPE 713 | Wilson Reading Program: Clinical Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader (Practicum)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Specialization Courses

Course Code	Course Name
SPE 720	Introduction to ASD: Overview of Causality, Diagnosis and Advocacy
SPE 721	Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Socialization Strategies
SPE 722	Evidenced-Based Practices: Assessment, Interventions, and Instructional Methodologies
SPE 723	Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis: Behavior Management Approaches

What Could I Do After I Graduate?

Career Opportunities

If you have cultivated the skills and amassed the credentials to do so, you can apply for many jobs in the field of special education. After completing the Special Education Master's Degree program, you might qualify for the following careers:

Pre-School and Elementary Special Education Teacher
Middle School Special Education Teacher
Secondary School Special Education Teacher
Special Education Specialist
Special Education Administrator

Advanced Degrees

To become a leader in special education or to teach special education courses at the college level, you should earn a doctorate degree. Other career options include becoming a special education consultant or researcher. You might enroll in a Ph.D. program such as:

Doctorate of Special Education

Saint Joseph's University

When people ask where I go to school, I can't help but smile when I say, "Saint Joe's!" Saint Joseph's University is more than just a school to me. From my days as an undergraduate, to my current graduate studies, Saint Joe's has been a constant positive and motivating force in my life. Everyday was an opportunity to learn; inside and outside of the classroom. The four years I spent as a student at Saint Joe's were the best years of my life.

When I decided to pursue Graduate School for Secondary Education, I looked no further than Saint Joe's. The support and encouragement I received from the faculty at Saint Joe's (both past and present), means more to me than I can ever express. Their unfailing dedication and belief in their students is what makes Saint Joe's stand above the rest.

— Catherine Zickel, '08

I was working in New York City, commuting two hours each way every day, working a 50 or 60 hour work week. I did not think it would be possible to keep working until I was qualified to switch careers from retail and eCommerce to teaching. The online OATCERT program at Saint Joe's gave me the opportunity to do so. I researched other programs but felt that Saint Joe's placed the right emphasis on training me how to teach as well as the online flexibility. I was nervous at first about going to school online, but the professors have been very involved and supportive and the interaction with the other students is just as rewarding as face to face classroom time. I am so much happier now that I am close to my goal of teaching and am growing intellectually.

— Hilary Donahue