Special Education MS

Major: Special Education
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 48.0
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 13.1001
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 25-2051; 25-2052; 25-2053; 25-2054; 25-2059

About the Program

The Master of Science in Special Education program is intended for those interested in gaining greater skills and expertise in special education and/or acquiring a teaching certificate in the area of special education. 

The courses address all required state and federal regulations as well as the Pennsylvania General Standards for Special Education and the competencies and standards outlined by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Graduates seeking Pennsylvania special education certification must either have an active Pennsylvania Instructional I or II teaching certificate or select the initial certification concentration to gain eligibility while in the program. 

The Master of Science in Special Education prepares professionals who are equipped with the fundamental skills, knowledge, and competencies they need to meet the needs of students with disabilities. The program is a flexible, part-time graduate program consisting of a minimum of 48.0 credits: 27.0 credits in core special education certification courses, 12.0 credits in concentration courses*, and 9.0 credits in capstone research*. Most courses have a fieldwork component that has the student apply what they are learning to classroom experiences. Clearances and field placement applications must be submitted before participating in coursework with classroom-based field components. 

Available Concentrations

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Within the past decade, the number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased dramatically. Consequently, the need for professionals trained in this specialized area has significantly increased. This concentration is designed for those who seek additional expertise in this critical need area. It will provide knowledge and skills for working with students with ASD as well as effective teaching methods, interventions, and supports. Students who have an active PA Instructional I or Instructional II teaching certificate are eligible to apply for the Autism Spectrum Disorders endorsement offered through the Pennsylvania Department of Education upon completion of EDEX 555 and the concentration courses.

Collaborative Special Education Law and Process

Meeting the needs of children with disabilities through school-family-community collaboration is an ambitious goal of educational policy in the United States. The goal is to develop highly qualified special education teachers and administrators in schools and the community, as well as to offer special education collaborative knowledge and practical skills training to parents and advocates. The Collaborative Special Education Law and Process concentration will benefit participants by providing them with the specialized training necessary to be collaborative partners in the complex process of implementing federal and state mandates to appropriately educate students with disabilities. 

Initial Certification

The Initial Certification concentration seeks to produce professionals who are equipped with the fundamental skills, knowledge, and competencies necessary to meet the needs of students at risk for academic failure and students with disabilities in multiple settings. Most courses include a fieldwork component that helps the student apply the skills and content learned in the classroom to real world educational environments. Successful completion of the core pedagogy courses with a grade of B or better and 3.0 cumulative GPA, satisfactory participation in all required field-based experiences, and state licensure exams allows for recommendation for PA Instructional I certification. 

*Students enrolled in the Initial Certification concentration will alternate courses required for Pennsylvania certification in lieu of the concentration and capstone courses.               

Additional Information

For more information about this program, please visit the School of Education's website. 

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the program will follow the university standards for admission to graduate study. Prospective students must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher to be considered for admission (graduate degree GPAs will be considered along with the undergraduate GPA).

In addition, prospective students are required to submit the following:

  • Completed application form including official transcripts from all universities or colleges attended
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Personal essay
  • Resume

The admissions committee will evaluate the applicant’s potential and commitment to succeed in graduate study in the online environment. The applicant’s potential to contribute to the overall quality of the program of study will also be considered.

Degree Requirements 

The Master of Science in Special Education requires a minimum of 48.0 credits consisting of 27.0 credits in core special education certification courses, a minimum of 12.0 credits in concentration courses, and 9.0 credits in capstone research. For a certification in special education, students must have completed 9.0 prerequisite credits in special education accommodations to apply for certification in Pennsylvania.

A field component is required in most courses.

Program Requirements 

Requirements for Students obtaining Initial Certification

Required Courses
EDEX 536Special Education Law and Process3.0
EDEX 543Emotional and Behavioral Support of Individuals with Disabilities3.0
EDEX 549Teaching Individuals with High Incident Disabilities3.0
EDEX 550Teaching Individuals with Low Incident Disabilities3.0
EDEX 552Integrating Technology for Learning & Achievement3.0
EDEX 555Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder3.0
EDEX 578Special Education Practicum PK-123.0
EDEX 588Implementing Academic Interventions in Inclusive Educational Environments3.0
Initial Certification Concentration
Students obtaining the initial certification will complete the following courses:
EDEX 514Special Education Student Teaching Seminar6.0
EDEX 542Fundamentals of Special Education3.0
EDEX 544Inclusive Practices3.0
EDEX 568Literacy and Content Skill Development PK-123.0
EDUC 515Adolescent Learners3.0
EDUC 521Typical and Atypical Development in Early Childhood Education3.0
EDUC 565Foundations in Instructing English Language Learners3.0
Total Credits48.0

Requirements for Students not obtaining Initial Certification 

Required Courses
EDEX 536Special Education Law and Process3.0
EDEX 543Emotional and Behavioral Support of Individuals with Disabilities3.0
EDEX 549Teaching Individuals with High Incident Disabilities3.0
EDEX 550Teaching Individuals with Low Incident Disabilities3.0
EDEX 552Integrating Technology for Learning & Achievement3.0
EDEX 555Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder3.0
EDEX 575Teaching STEAM in an Inclusive Environment PK-123.0
EDEX 578Special Education Practicum PK-123.0
EDEX 588Implementing Academic Interventions in Inclusive Educational Environments3.0
EDU 780Capstone Research3.0
Students have the option to select from one of the Capstone tracks:6.0-7.5
Practitioner
Practitioner Capstone Course I
Practitioner Capstone Course II
Thesis
Thesis Capstone Course I
Thesis Capstone Course II
Students not obtaining an initial certification must also complete one of the following concentrations:
Concentration Options12.0
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Characteristics & Methods: Autism
Characteristics & Methods: High Functioning Autism
Communication & Language Interventions: Autism Spectrum Disorders
Behavior & Sensory Support: Autism Spectrum Disorders
Collaborative Special Education Law & Process
Family, School and Community Engagement in Special Education
Special Education Advocacy
Special Education Dispute Resolution and Skills Training
School Law & Policy in Special Education
Custom-Designed Concentration
A custom-designed concentration will consist of 4 professional elective courses that will be selected in consultation with the Program Director and/or Advisor.
Total Credits48.0-49.5

 

Sample Plan of Study

MS Special Education Plan of Study (students obtaining an initial certification)

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
EDEX 5423.0EDEX 5683.0EDEX 5883.0EDEX 555*3.0
EDEX 5443.0EDUC 5153.0EDUC 5653.0 
 EDUC 5213.0  
 6 9 6 3
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
EDEX 5363.0EDEX 5146.0EDEX 5503.0 
EDEX 5493.0EDEX 5433.0EDEX 5523.0 
EDEX 5783.0   
 9 9 6 
Total Credits 48
*

Note: This term is less than the 4.5-credit minimum required (considered half-time status) of graduate programs to be considered financial aid eligible. As a result, aid will not be disbursed to students this term.

MS Special Education Plan of Study (for students not obtaining an initial certification)

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
EDEX 5493.0EDEX 5433.0EDEX 5503.0EDU 7803.0
EDEX 5753.0EDEX 5553.0EDEX 5523.0Concentration Course3.0
  EDEX 5883.0 
 6 6 9 6
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
EDEX 5363.0EDUP 7803.0EDUP 7813.0-4.5 
EDEX 5783.0Concentration Course3.0Concentration Course3.0 
Concentration Course3.0   
 9 6 6-7.5 
Total Credits 48-49.5

Program Level Outcomes

  • Use multiple reliable and valid methods to assess student strengths and needs and make instructional recommendations based on assessment data.
  • Demonstrate collaborative partnerships with stakeholders (including educational team members, family members and students) in the development, implementation and assessment of individualized educational plans and goals.
  • Create and support inclusive learning environments where all learners are welcomed, challenged and held to high expectations.
  • Demonstrate competency with the legal requirements as well as ethical and professional standards that undergird the practice of Special Education.
  • Exhibit competence in selecting and executing evidence-based behavioral, instructional, and technology strategies to address the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

Education Faculty

Jennifer Adams, EdD (Harvard University). Associate Professor. Comparative and international education; Poverty and education; Child welfare; Educational policy.
Ayana Allen, PhD (Texas A&M University ). Associate Professor. Urban education; Identity construction in school contexts; Urban school transformation.
Kristen Betts, EdD (George Washington University). Clinical Professor. Higher education administration and governance, online blended education, instructional design and educational technology, program assessment and evaluation.
Eric Brewe, PhD (Arizona State University). Associate Professor. Physics Education Research, introductory course reform, network analysis in learning, neuromechanisms of learning.
Stephanie Smith Budhai, PhD (Drexel University). Associate Clinical Professor. Teacher and higher education, culturally responsive teaching, equity and social justice, online learning, community engagement and service-learning, family involvement and partnerships, and learning technologies.
José Luis Chávez, EdD (University of Southern California). Clinical Professor. Higher education leadership and administration.
Rebecca Clothey, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) Department Head, Global Studies and Modern Languages. Professor. Comparative and international education, education of ethnic and linguistic minorities, refugees, China studies.
James Connell, PhD (Louisiana State University) Founding Clinical Core Director and Research Fellow, A.J. Drexel Autism Institute. Associate Professor. Identifying the variables that influence adult behavior change in community settings; autism intervention; widespread dissemination of evidence-based interventions in school and community settings.
Kareem Edouard, PhD (Stanford University). Assistant Professor. Educational technology; internet-based STEM learning; equity and inclusion in STEM education
Salvatore V. Falletta, EdD (North Carolina State University). Clinical Professor. Human Resource intelligence (i.e., HR research and analytics practices); HRD assessment, measurement, and evaluation models and taxonomies; organizational diagnostic models; web-based employee and organizational survey methods, and computational modeling.
Aroutis N. Foster, PhD (Michigan State University) Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies. Professor. Educational psychology and educational technology, especially the following: Motivation; Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK); Immersive Interactive Digital Environments (simulation, games, virtual realities.
Rajashi Ghosh, PhD (University of Louisville, Kentucky) Department Chair for Policy, Organization & Leadership. Associate Professor. Mentoring and leader development, workplace Incivility, workplace learning and development.
John M. Gould, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) Harrisburg EdD Educational Leadership & Change Program. Clinical Professor. Change leadership, curriculum re-design, the impact of technology on learning.
Dominic F. Gullo, PhD (Indiana University). Professor. Studying the relative and long-range effects of early schooling experiences in prekindergarten and kindergarten on children's achievement and social adaptation to school routine.
H. Bernard Hall, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Professor. Hip-hop Pedagogy, English Education, Urban Teacher Education.
Paul Harrington, PhD (University of Massachusetts, Boston) Director, Center for Labor Markets and Policy. Professor. Teen and young adult job access; economic outlook, college labor market; workforce development, planning, and development; vocational rehabilitation and job market transition.
Michael J. Haslip, PhD (Old Dominion University). Assistant Professor. Early childhood education, social and emotional learning, child guidance strategies, effects of public pre-school attendance.
Deanna Hill, JD, PhD (University of Pittsburgh). Associate Clinical Professor. Higher education, international education, education law, education policy
Erin Horvat, PhD (University of California, Los Angeles) Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Professor. Urban education, access and equity, high school dropout, parent involvement/family involvement, community engagement in research.
Jennifer Katz-Buonincontro, PhD (University of Oregon) Associate Dean of Research. Associate Professor. Educational administration, leadership development, survey & instrument design.
Larry Keiser, PhD (Drexel University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Education and corporate/business leaders’ creativity and entrepreneurial mindsets; creative school/work environments; neuroscience of creativity; everyday creativity for teachers and educators.
Kristy Kelly, PhD (University of Wisconsin, Madison). Associate Clinical Professor. Sociology of gender and development; anthropology of policy; comparative and international education; qualitative research methods; Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Cameron Kiosoglous, PhD (Virginia Tech University) Program Director. Assistant Clinical Professor. Coached on the USRowing National Team staff since 2002, including the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games; coaching development; measuring coaching quality; self-insight and reflective practices; coaching leadership; conference presenter; published author.
Valerie Klein, PhD (Amherst College). Associate Clinical Professor. Mathematics learning and teaching; teacher's use of formative assessment in mathematics; creating opportunities for rich problem solving in the classroom; examining teachers growth and change; qualitative research methods.
Peggy Kong, PhD (Harvard University). Associate Clinical Professor. Comparative and international education, equity in education, family and community, Chinese education and society, sociology of education
Michael G. Kozak, Ed.D. (Rowan University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Leadership, STEAM, online and blended learning environments, systems thinking, experiential learning, K-12 education, and facilitating change
Amanda Lannie, PhD (Syracuse University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Applied behavior analysis and special education; School-based consultation; system-wide interventions as a mechanism for delivery supports to all students; Designing effective and efficient interventions for students with emotional/behavioral disorders.
Vera Lee, EdD (University of Pennsylvania) Department Chair for Teaching, Learning & Curriculum. Associate Clinical Professor. Practitioner Research in online courses to explore inservice/preservice teachers’ emerging understandings about issues of diversity; the development of information/digital literacies of urban youth; English language learners.
Bruce Levine, JD (New York University). Associate Clinical Professor. Educational policy, school law, public-private partnerships, intersection of business and education.
Kristine Lewis-Grant, PhD (Temple University). Clinical Professor. Experiences of students of African descent at predominantly white colleges and universities, college access and college student development, youth civic engagement in urban school reform, qualitative research and evaluation.
William Lynch, PhD (University of Maryland). Professor. Curriculum and educational leadership, educational technology, distance learning policy development, higher and adult education.
Constance Lyttle, PhD, JD (University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University). Clinical Professor. Legal rights of gifted and talented children and children with disabilities; inclusive education of exceptional children; special education mediation; special education IEP/IFSP facilitation; resolution session facilitation
Joy Phillips, PhD (The University of Texas at Austin). Associate Clinical Professor. Visionary leadership in theory and practice, school reform as innovative problem-setting, thinking qualitatively about school reform. thinking about school reform by drawing, Educational Leadership Program Assessment.
Kathleen Provinzano, PhD (Marywood University). Assistant Professor. Educational administration.
Harriette Rasmussen, EdD (Fielding Graduate University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Educational leadership and change.
Lori Severino, EdD (Neumann University). Assistant Professor. Special education, differentiated instruction, reading, Wilson language, multi-sensory instruction, reading comprehension, assessment, adolescent literacy.
Jason Silverman, PhD (Vanderbilt University). Professor. Teaching and learning of advanced mathematical ideas (algebra and calculus); improving teachers' ability to orchestrate and sustain inquiry-based and discussion-based instruction; technology in mathematics education.
Janet Sloand, EdD (Duquesne University) Department Chair for Teaching, Learning & Curriculum. Associate Clinical Professor. Special Education Leadership, Trauma-informed care, Parent engagement in special education service delivery.
Toni A. Sondergeld, PhD (University of Toledo). Associate Professor. Cognitive and affective assessment development; program/grant evaluation; high stakes testing measurement; STEM education; urban education
Bridget Sweeney Blakely, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Consultation; Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS); Response to Intervention (Rtl); Systems-level change; performance feedback
Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, EdD (University of Pennsylvania). Associate Clinical Professor. Early literacy development, learning differences, knowledge construction, urban education.
Sarah P. Ulrich, EdD (Saint Joseph’s University) Associate Dean of Teacher Education and Undergraduate Affairs. Clinical Professor. Cross-cultural, language and academic development, school reform, teacher preparation, teacher retention, teacher residencies in urban contexts.
Sheila Vaidya, PhD (Temple University). Professor. Educational psychology, school psychology, research design.
Christina Vorndran, PhD (Louisiana State University) Program Director, Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education. Clinical Professor. Designing effective and efficient community-based interventions, Severe behavior disorders, Functional behavior assessment
Christopher G. Wright, PhD (Tufts University). Assistant Professor. Engineering and science education, Urban education, elementary teacher education.

Emeritus Faculty

Mary Jo Grdina, PhD (Case Western Reserve University). Clinical Professor. Undergraduate studies, science education, curriculum design.
Joyce Pittman, PhD (Iowa State University of Science and Technology). Clinical Professor. Curriculum and instruction K-16; teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL); instructional design business education and administration; industrial and career technology; oral and written communication; research methodology; instructional and assistive technology assessment; online learning pedagogy
Fredricka K. Reisman, PhD (Syracuse University) School of Education, Founder, Drexel School of Education. Professor Emerita. Director, Freddie Reisman Center for Translational Research in Creativity and Motivation, Creator and Former Director-Creativity and Innovation Programs, Co-Director- Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation, Drexel University Named Recognition- Freddie Reisman Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity Awards