Special Education: Generalist 7-12 and Students with Disabilities 7-12 Subject Area Extensions, M.S.Ed

About the Program

Accredited: Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (formerly NCATE)

Enrollment in all teacher education programs follows the guidelines for "Admission to Teacher Education Programs" found in this catalog. Applicants who do not yet meet all admissions criteria should consult with the department.

The special education programs lead to a master of science in education degree and eligibility for New York State certification in special education. The teaching bilingual exceptional individuals program leads to eligibility for a New York State Bilingual Education Extension. The early childhood and childhood special education graduate programs are designed for students with undergraduate majors in early childhood, childhood, or special education.

The Exceptional Education Department offers three specialty master of science in education degree programs in special education: early childhood (B-2), childhood (1-6), and generalist (7-12) secondary. Students who are not provisionally/initially certified in special education must complete up to 18 credit hours of preliminary coursework in addition to the program area requirements. Students in the generalist (7-12) secondary program may require additional New York State content core and/or specific subject area coursework. Required preliminary courses are listed under each program area below. All three programs require the completion of a research component: EXE 684 and EXE 690, which must be taken in sequential order at the end of the program. The Exceptional Education Department also offers a Special Education Bilingual Certificate Program. Successful completion of this program leads to recommendation for New York State certification extension in bilingual education. Students are able to complete this certificate program concurrently with one of the special education masters of science in education programs offered by the department.

Advisement
Because of the variety of options available in the department, it is imperative that majors and premajors seek advisement as early as possible. Students should contact their assigned academic advisers. Each student designs programs of study with his or her adviser according to the student’s goals and background.

Practicum
Practicum assignments link theoretical coursework with the applied demands of a wide variety of internship settings. Practicum sites are available to meet the needs and interests of nearly all students and are selected by the program coordinator.

Premajor Status
Students may not apply for premajor status. They apply to the graduate program, and the department decides if they are accepted to the program as majors or premajors. Premajors may enroll, by advisement, in two EXE courses at the 500 level (e.g., EXE 500, EXE 501) only.

Premajors must reapply for admission as majors by submitting a change of major form to the Graduate Studies Office during or after the completion of two EXE courses. Premajors are not guaranteed admission to the program. At the point of admission to the major, candidates must have a 3.0 GPA and a grade of B or higher in each of the courses completed as a premajor.

About the Students with Disabilities Programs
These programs prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities at the secondary level. The programs are intended to develop highly qualified teachers who possess the knowledge and skills to develop and facilitate effective instruction and programs. Secondary special education teacher candidates are prepared to work collaboratively with general education subject matter specialists, as well as with career education personnel. Graduates of this program become knowledgeable in subject matter content, as well as best practices for transition planning. They also acquire a solid base in the technology of teaching, with knowledge related to direct and interactive instruction (cooperative learning, peer tutoring, differentiated instruction, and responsive instructional strategies).

The programs recognize the unique needs of adolescents with learning problems. A major goal of this program is to prepare teachers to address secondary students’ skill deficits, social adaptation problems, and vocational competence.

The program leads to a master of science in education degree and eligibility for New York State certification in Students with Disabilities (SWD) Generalist 7-12. The additional SWD Generalist 7-12 with subject extension programs lead to a master of science in education degree and eligibility for New York State certification in SWD Generalist 7-12 as well as 7-12 subject area extensions. The 7-12 subject area extensions to the SWD Generalist 7-12 program are: Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Social Studies, Mathematics, English Language Arts, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, and Urdu.

The candidate designs programs of study with his or her adviser according to the candidate's goals and background. The process will require an analysis of candidate's transcripts. Transcript analysis will include a review of previous courses in accordance with part 80 of the Regulations and Requirements from the Office of Teaching Initiatives will be used to determine if this requirement was met. Recommendation will include a review of the teacher candidate’s transcripts to ensure 24 credit hours in the content core requirement have been met. In addition, students pursuing one of the 17 subject area extensions must complete a minimum of 18 semester hours in the chosen subject area. Recommendation will be contingent on upon completion of this requirement. The Student with Disabilities Checklist will be used to document completion of this requirement.

Candidates should consult the Teacher Certification website for current seminars and workshops.

To view the program requirement checklist and/or the list of subject area extensions, visit the Graduate Studies Office website.