Special Education (M.Ed.) Requirements

Admission Requirements for the M.Ed.

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) is designed for those who do not have a previous degree in education.  This degree will have a pedagogy focus to build a foundation for the art and science of teaching. 

1. A bachelor’s degree.
2. For students seeking a North Dakota teaching endorsement, T&L 315 Education of Exceptional Students, or its equivalent taken as either a prerequisite or corequisite with the master’s coursework.
3. For students seeking a North Dakota teacher endorsement, an elementary reading methods course and an elementary math methods course taken as either prerequisites or corequisites with the master’s coursework.
4. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A = 4.00).
5. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Admissions Process

1. Complete the School of Graduate Studies online application.
2. Submit the application fee of $35.
3. Recommend three people who will complete the recommendation form:
   1. one from an employment supervisor or administrator;
   2. one from a professional colleague or university professor; and
   3. one from a professional of your choosing.
4. Send official transcripts from each institution attended to the School of Graduate Studies.
5. Complete the personal statement and attach it in the “essay” section of the application. The personal statement should address four questions:
   1. Explain how your experiences/interests reflect your capacity for the specialization area you are apply for specifically (i.e., LD, EBD, ID, VI, ECSE, ASD, SES, G&T, General).
   2. Identify a behavioral or learning need with an individual whom you know professionally or personally, then describe how you approached managing it.
   3. Graduate school may be challenging due to competing demands for your time.  Please address how you will navigate these challenges by utilizing your strengths.
   4. In this master’s program, you will receive constructive feedback to develop and/or enhance your skills.  Explain how you have perceived and managed this type of feedback in your past experiences.

Descriptions of the Specialization Areas

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): The ASD specialization area focuses on children, adolescents, and adults with ASD and addresses several aspects of ASD including characteristics, assessment, methods/strategies, interagency collaboration/support, and application in a field setting.

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE): The ECSE specialization area focuses on children from birth to age nine and addresses various disabilities, primarily developmental in nature, and addresses several aspects of ECSE including characteristics, assessment, methods/strategies, all forms of development, (e.g., language, physical), and application in a field setting.

Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD): The EBD specialization area focuses on children and adolescents with both emotional and behavior disorders and addresses several aspects of EBD including characteristics, assessment, behavior and academic methods/strategies, and application in a field setting.

General Special Education: The general specialization area is a “design your own program” option. Students can choose courses from all of the courses offered by the special education program.

Gifted/Talented Education (GT): The GT specialization area focuses on children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. The specialization area addresses characteristics, assessment, methods/strategies, and application in a field setting.

Intellectual Disabilities (ID): The ID specialization area focuses on children and adolescents with DCD (the federal law refers to this population as those with mental retardation) and addresses several aspects of ID including characteristics, assessment, methods/strategies, and application in a field setting.

Learning Disabilities (LD): The LD specialization area focuses on children and adolescents with learning problems that are not due to developmental, emotional, or cognitive disabilities and addresses several aspects of LD including characteristics, assessment, methods/strategies, and application in a field setting.

Special Education Strategist (SES): The SES specialization area is a cross-categorical area that encompasses all of the courses in the specialization areas of ID, ED, and LD. Since it addresses three disability areas, it is the largest specialization area in number of credits required.

Visual Impairment (VI): The VI specialization area focuses on children and adolescents who are visually impaired or blind and addresses several aspects of VI including characteristics, assessment, braille code, methods/strategies, orientation/mobility, and application in a field setting.

Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Master of Education degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Special Education Program. 

1. A minimum of 32 credits is required for the degree. Additional credits may be needed for teacher licensure.
2. At least one-half of the credits must be at or above the 500 level.
3. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours may be transferred from another institution.
4. Preparation of a written independent study or scholarly project approved by the faculty advisor:  Two credits of SPED 995 Scholarly Project or four credits of T&L 998 Thesis.
5. Passing of a written final comprehensive examination.
6. Nine credits of Special Education Core Coursework (excluding students in the ABA specialization).

   1. SPED 525	Legal/Ethical Aspects in Special Education	3
      SPED 578	Behavior Management	3
      Select 1 of the Following:
      SPED 500	Introduction to Visual Impairment	3
      SPED 510	Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education	3
      SPED 552	Inclusive Methods	3

7. Six credits of pedagogical coursework.

   1. T&L 590	Special Topics	1-4
      T&L 521	Differentiated Instruction	3
      T&L 542	Models of Teaching	3

8. In addition to #4 and #5 above, choose one or more specialization areas and complete the required courses and elective courses for a minimum total of 32 credits for the M.Ed. degree*:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)

Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD)

General Special Education

Note that there are no additional required courses. A minimum of 25 credits can be selected from the following courses:

Gifted/Talented (GT)

Intellectual (ID)

Learning Disabilities (LD)

Special Education Strategist (SES)

Visual Impairment (VI)