弗吉尼亚联邦大学

Program goal

The Master of Education in Special Education program prepares graduates for work in one of three areas: early childhood, severe disabilities or general education. Applicants who do not already hold a teaching license must meet both licensure and degree requirements prior to the awarding of the Master of Education degree unless exempted as a professional from another discipline. Students should plan carefully with their adviser to ensure that the appropriate courses and experiences are completed.

The Master of Education in Special Education severe disabilities concentration is designed to prepare teachers to work with students in grades K-12 in public school settings. Throughout the program, emphasis is placed on person-centered planning, school and community inclusion, transdisciplinary teamwork and the role of the family. Successful completion of the degree program leads to licensure endorsement in special education, adapted curriculum K-12.

Courses address physical and medical management issues, functional assessment strategies, longitudinal curriculum planning, systematic instruction, augmentative and alternative communication systems, assistive technology, transition from school to adulthood, positive behavioral supports and the special needs of students with physical, sensory and health-related disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder.

All core courses are offered through the Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Special Education Adapted Curriculum: Supporting Students with Severe Disabilities and Autism. Core courses are accessed through VCU. Students enrolled in the program complete a field-based externship in their school (if they currently serve students with severe disabilities) or in one of the many public schools in the Richmond area. A total of six credit hours of externship experience is spread throughout the course of study and is designed to meet the students’ needs for professional development.

All candidates are required to submit a final portfolio as the capstone requirement of the program. Successful completion of the 42-credit-hour program results in eligibility for Virginia endorsement in special education, adapted curriculum in addition to the Master of Education degree.

Student learning outcomes

• Learner and learning: Understand human development and learning theory appropriate to the age group they will teach and acquire an awareness of the diversity of the school-age population in cultural backgrounds and styles of learning
• Content: Demonstrate knowledge of the subjects they will teach
• Instructional practice: Demonstrate an ability to plan and implement effective teaching and measure student learning in ways that lead to sustained development and learning
• Professional responsibility: Develop an understanding of purposes for education and a defensible philosophical approach toward teaching and demonstrate professional dispositions