Special Education, In-Service (certified educators), M.S.

In-Service Concentration (certified educators)

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This concentration is especially designed for educators who are interested in working with students who have disabilities and/or are gifted and talented. Through this concentration, students can also apply to the Applied Behavior Analysis certificate program. In addition, the courses that graduate students may select for their electives range from working with students with mild disabilities in a general education classroom to working with students who are gifted and talented.

Area of Expertise in Gifted and Talented

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The In-service concentration has an area of expertise in Gifted and Talented (G/T). It is designed for educators who want to focus study on students who are gifted and talented. This course of study requires 18 credits in G/T courses which can also be applied to the State for the Gifted and Talented endorsement. The remaining 9 credits are open for electives, of which 6 credits can be filled with additional Gifted and Talented courses or the student may branch out and support other areas of interest. All courses must be graduate level. They can be taken from any graduate department at USM or through the Professional Development Center at USM with prior approval by the advisor. The Master’s completion courses are a 3 credit capstone and a 3 credit research methods prerequisite.

Area of Expertise in Core Knowledge and Skills

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The In-service concentration with an area of expertise in core knowledge and skills provides the applicant the opportunity to strengthen core knowledge and skills in educating students with mild to moderate disabilities and set a foundation in applied behavior analysis. There are 24 required credits, and the final 6 credits are electives which can be taken from any graduate department at USM or through the Professional Development Center at USM with prior approval by the advisor. If the applicant wants to continue to strengthen the core knowledge and skills, there are recommended courses. If the applicant is interested in moving toward the ABA certification, there are recommended courses to move toward this goal. The Master’s completion courses are a 3 credit capstone and a 3 credit research methods prerequisite.