Master of Science in Special Education with Preliminary Level 1 Credential Option

Lead Faculty: Dr. Joan Sebastian

The Master of Science in Special Education is designed for educators and other professionals who want to become knowledgeable about educational learning problems and teaching strategies to enhance student performance.

Students enrolled in the joint degree credential program are not awarded the master’s degree until they have completed all graduate and credential coursework, including student teaching. Although many of the following courses are available online, EXC 630 and certain field experiences must be taken onsite.

Please see additional Credential admissions requirements under Education Specialist programs in the School of Education’s Credential Programs section of the website.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, candidates are expected to:

• Demonstrate competence in the application of research methods including critiquing and synthesizing current educational literature
• Demonstrate competence in the ability to apply research methods including technology for research
• Demonstrate appropriate standards of conduct; practice within legal and ethical parameters.
• Develop skills to become a change agent and advocate for exceptional individual, including diverse learners
• Demonstrate an understanding of federal and state laws, legislation and judicial decisions regarding exceptional individuals
• Demonstrate competence in instructional design including adaptations required to assist diverse special education learners achieve the state standards for curriculum
• Demonstrate competence in positive behavioral support
• Demonstrate expertise in use of adaptive and augmentative technology.
• Demonstrate the knowledge, skills and dispositions to actively and creatively engage and support all students in learning
• Strive to become a continuous learner, a scholar, a collaborative community service member and a responsible citizen

Requirements

Degree Requirements (17 courses; 64.5 quarter units)
To receive a Master of Science in Special Education, students must complete at least 64.5 quarter units of graduate work. A total of 13.5 quarter units of graduate credit may be granted for equivalent graduate work completed at another institution, as it applies to this degree and if the units were not used in earning another advanced degree. Course equivalence cannot be granted for life experience. Students must complete all coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or better within seven years. Any courses taken more than seven years ago must be repeated.

Core Requirements (9 courses; 37.5 quarter units)
Field experience courses must be taken at the beginning of the program and may be taken concurrently with other courses.

EXC 602A - Field Experience: Spc Ed (3 quarter units)
EXC 602B - Fld Exper: Inclusive Settings (3 quarter units)
EXC 604 - Excep & Diversity in Clsrm
ILD 625 - Educational Research
TED 611 - Educational Psychology
TED 621A - Lang. Dev. Methods: Elem. Sch.
   Prerequisite: TED 615
or
TED 623 - Lang. Dev. Methods: Secondary
   Prerequisite: TED 615
EXC 620 - Positive Behavior Support
EXC 630 - Assess/Instr Planning in SpEd
EXC 650 - Consultation and Collaboration

Advanced Specialist Requirements (7 courses; 22.5 quarter units)
Please see Advanced Specialization and Clinical Practice requirements under Education Specialist in the School of Education’s Credential Programs section of the catalog.

EXC 644 - Reading Methods for Special Ed
EXC 644A - Field Study: Reading and Langu (1.5 quarter units)
   Prerequisite Completion of Generic Core Requirements.
EXC 660 - Instruct of Learners w/ MM Dis
   Prerequisite Completion of Generic Core Requirements
EXC 660A - Field Study: Learners w/MM Dis (1.5 quarter units)
   Prerequisite Generic Core Requirements.
or
EXC 665 - Inst Lrners Mod/Svr Disabs
   Prerequisite Completion of Generic Core Requirements.
EXC 665A - Field Stdy: Mod/Severe Disabls (1.5 quarter units)
   Prerequisite Completion of Generic Core Requirements
plus
EXC 615 - Tech for Persons w/ Disab.
   Prerequisite Completion of Generic Core Requirements.
EXC 615A - Fld Study: Technology (1.5 quarter units)
   Prerequisite Completion of Generic Core Requirements.
EXC 694 - Thesis
   Prerequisite: ILD 625, and Successful completion of either an undergraduate or graduate statistics course. Must have written permission of lead faculty. and
or
EXC 637 - Action Research

(Note: students register for two months for the research courses; but individual projects may take 6-12 months.)

Although many of the courses in this credential program are offered online, certain testing courses and fieldwork in the Advanced Specialization sequence must be taken on-site.

Students seeking the Preliminary Level I Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate Disabilities credential must take:
EXC 603A - Supervised Teaching Seminar (1.5 quarter units)
EXC 685A** - Std. Teaching Mild/Moderate
   Prerequisite: Candidates must successfully complete all other course work in the Level 1 Mild/Moderate credential program.
EXC 685B** Std. Teaching Mild/Moderate
   Prerequisite: All other course work in the Level I Mild/Moderate credential program.

Please see additional Credential completion requirements under Education Specialist in the School of Education’s Credential Programs section of the website.

Additional co-requisites are required for students completing the credential. Please see the Preliminary level 1 Education Specialist Credential requirements

Students seeking the Preliminary Level I Education Specialist: Moderate/Severe Disabilities credential must take:

EXC 603A - Supervised Teaching Seminar (1.5 quarter units)
EXC 690A** - Std. Teaching Mod/Severe
   Prerequisite: Candidates must successfully complete all other course work in the Level 1 Moderate/Severe credential program.
EXC 690B** - Std Teaching Mod/Severe
   Prerequisite: Candidates must successfully complete EXC690A and all other course work in the Level 1 Moderate/Severe credential program.

Please see additional Credential completion requirements under Education Specialist in the School of Education’s Credential Programs section of the website.

Additional co-requisites are required for students completing the credential. Please see the Preliminary level 1 Education Specialist Credential requirements

(Note: students register for two months for the research courses; but individual projects may take 6-12 months.)

Program Elective (1 course; 4.5 quarter units)
To complete the Special Education degree program, students can select one elective from the School of Education graduate course offerings approved by the Special Education faculty. Students who plan to teach at the secondary level are encouraged to take TED 624.

** EXC685A,B,EXC690A,B,EXC685I and EXC690I may not be used to fulfill graduate unit requirements for a Masters degree.

Program Information

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Program Locations

• Bakersfield Campus
• Camarillo Campus
• Carlsbad Campus
• Costa Mesa Campus
• Fresno Campus
• Los Angeles Campus
• Redding Campus
• Sacramento Campus
• San Bernardino Campus
• San Jose Campus
• Sherman Oaks Campus
• Spectrum Business Park Campus
• Stockton Campus
• Technology and Health Sciences Center

Related Downloads

• Careers in Special Education