Special Education Accelerated Graduate Pathway Leading to Initial Certification (MSEd)

The Accelerated Special Education Initial Certification Pathway allows USM undergraduate students with an interest in special education certification to have courses taken in their undergraduate sequence apply toward the graduate Master of Science in Special Education degree. This allows for exposure to education related courses over multiple years and a reduced course load while in the graduate program.

Requirements at the undergraduate level:

SED 235 - Students with Exceptionalities in General Education Credits: 3
(Culture, Power, and Equity)

Recommended Courses and Core

SED 300 - Ethics and Serving Individuals with Disabilities Credits: 3 (Ethical Inquiry)
EDU 310 - Education, Schooling, and Democracy Credits: 3 (Ethical Inquiry/International)
Apply for Accelerated Program prior to the first semester of junior standing (e.g. 60 credits).

Prerequisite to the M.S. in Special Education: Teaching Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities (certification)

Students applying to the M.S. in Special Education certification concentration are required to successfully complete an exceptionality course approved by the Maine Department of Education.

Required Courses (18 credits)

SED 518 - Targeted and Individualized Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities
SED 615 - Multi-Tiered Behavioral Intervention and Assessment
SED 653 - Assessment of Academic Achievement
SED 682 - Special Education Regulations, Procedures, and IEP Team
SED 687 - Technology for Learning and Communicating
SPY 501 - Variability in Human Development

Requirements at the graduate level:

Required courses (18 credits)

EDU 562 - Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the Classroom (3)
SED 625 - Multi-Tier Mathematics Instruction and Assessment (3)
SED 627 - Multi-Tier Reading Instruction and Assessment (3)
SED 688 - Internship in Special Education for Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities (6)
EDU 600 - Research Methods and Techniques (3)
SED 699 - Special Education Research Capstone (3)

The MS in Special Education requires a total of 39 graduate credits. Once a student has completed the 3-credit undergraduate prerequisite and the 39 credits of graduate courses, they are eligible for the MS in Special Education degree and the Maine DOE 282 Special Education certification.

For Graduate-level course descriptions, Click Here.