Special Education (Grades P-12), M.Ed. (Online)

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Degree Requirements: 36 Credit Hours

Concentrations

Candidates must select one area of concentration from the areas in which they are currently certified: Adaptive Curriculum or General Curriculum.

Certificate Upgrade Information: An educator who holds a level four Georgia certificate in Special Education Adaptive Curriculum or General Curriculum will qualify for a level five certificate upgrade upon successful completion of all program requirements. (See catalog section on Certification.)

Regular Admission

Complete requirements for a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Possess or be eligible for a Georgia level four certificate or equivalent. Certification must be in Special Education: Adaptive Curriculum or Special Education: General Curriculum.
Present a cumulative 2.50 (4.0 scale) grade point average or higher on all undergraduate and graduate work combined.
Submit a personal statement of purpose, not to exceed 200 words, that identifies the applicant’s reasons for pursuing graduate study and how admission into the program relates to the applicant’s professional aspirations.
Submit a completed “Disclosure and Affirmation Form” that addresses misconduct disclosure, the Code of Ethics for Educators, and tort liability insurance.

Provisional Admission

Applicants may be approved for provisional admission based on the quality of the admission material presented. Provisional students must earn grades of “B” or higher in their first nine (9) credits of course work after admission and meet any other stipulations outlined by the department to be converted to regular status.

Program of Study for Certification Areas

Core Requirements Completed by Candidates in Both Concentrations Credit Hours: 15

Concentration Area Courses Credit Hours: 21

Select one of the following Curriculum Areas in which one is currently certified: ¹

Moderate-Severe Disabilities-Adaptive Curriculum

Mild Disabilities - General Curriculum

Total Credit Hours: 36

¹Concentration must be in a curriculum area in which one is currently certified: Adaptive Curriculum or General Curriculum.
²Nature and Needs of Students with Autism (SPED 8531 ), Implementing Evidence Based Practices in Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (SPED 8532 ), and Assessment and Procedures for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (SPED 8533 )
³Implementing Evidence Based Practices in Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (SPED 8532 ) and Assessment and Procedures for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (SPED 8533 ).
⁴Approaches to Literacy Instruction (READ 7131 ) and Literacy in the Content Areas (READ 7330 )

Other Program Requirements

All new master’s level candidates must schedule and meet with their assigned Special Education Advisor for a brief advisement orientation meeting prior to their first semester of course work in order to meet the registration requirements of the program.
Candidates must take courses in sequenced order to meet Special Education Program Key Assessment criteria.
Successfully complete assessments identified at each program transition point.
Maintain an active account with the COE electronic data management system.
Claim Georgia Southern University as your program provider in your MyPSC Account during your first term of enrollment.

Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) Special Education (Grades P-12) M.Ed. (Online) (General or Adaptive)

Degree Requirements: 36 Credit Hours

In accordance with SACSCOC requirements, 120 unique credit hours are required in a bachelor’s degree program, and at least 30 unique credit hours are required for a master’s degree program. The Special Education (Grades P-12) M.Ed. (Online) ABM program combines 124 hours from the Special Education B.S.Ed. (Certification Track) and 36 hours from the Special Education (Grades P-12) M.Ed. (Online), exceeding the required 150 unique hours between undergraduate and graduate degree programs by 10 hours. The Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies Handbook for Program Directors and Graduate Advisors permits a maximum of 9 shared credit hours between the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Therefore, Special Education (Grades P-12) M.Ed. (Online) ABM students may share a maximum of 3 credit hours of graduate level courses in satisfying the requirements of both degree programs. The graduate course will include EDUR 7130 Educational Research.

Admission Requirements

For regular admission to the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) Special Education (Grades P-12) M.Ed. (Online) program, the applicant must have:

Enrollment as a current Georgia Southern undergraduate student majoring in the Special Education B.S.Ed. (Certification Track) program.
Between 60 and 95 credit hours in progress in the undergraduate program; including the courses, Assessment in Special Education (SPED 3131 ), Special Education Procedures (SPED 3134 ), and The Teaching of Reading (READ 4131 ) with a “C” or better.
Complete Characteristics of Learners with Disabilities (SPED 3130 ) with a “B” or better.
A 3.0 (4.0 scale) GPA or higher in undergraduate core coursework.
A 3.0 (4.0 scale) GPA in Special Education B.S.Ed. (Certification Track) undergraduate coursework.
Must complete a graduate school application to the Special Education (Grades P-12) M.Ed. (Online) program and select the ABM option in the fall of the student’s junior year. The application must include a letter of recommendation from a current Special Education faculty member.
Must be on track to complete certification in the teaching area prior to admission.

ABM programs do not allow provisional admission. ABM programs are designed for students who have demonstrated a high level of undergraduate academic performance that validates their ability to be successful graduate students.

Advisement

Undergraduate advisors will work closely with ABM students until all undergraduate degree requirements are complete. Graduate students are advised by their program. Graduate students should reach out to their graduate program director for information regarding the structures in place to facilitate advisement. For more information visit the Graduate Academic Advisement catalog page.