Master of Education in Special Education (M.Ed.)

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Design and implement effective lessons based on knowledge of students, curricula, and best pedagogical practices.
2. Integrate technology to improve teaching, learning, and professional productivity.
3. Adapt learning environments, instructional strategies, and assessment techniques to meet the needs of culturally and developmentally diverse students.
4. Demonstrate leadership behaviors and dispositions in professional contexts.
5. Engage in reflective practice to improve teaching and learning.
6. Apply knowledge of special education principles, theories, laws, policies, and ethical practice in the comprehensive delivery of services to individuals with exceptional learning needs associated with emotional, intellectual, learning, or severe disabilities, as well as students with a gift and a disability.
7. Design learning environments and provide evidence-based instructional strategies to individualize instruction for positive learning results in general and special curricula.
8. Select, conduct, and interpret appropriate assessments for purposes of identification, eligibility determination, instructional planning, evaluation, and collaborative decision-making appropriate for individuals with disabilities.
9. Effectively review and utilize current research in the field to improve teaching and student outcomes.
10. Conduct and evaluate classroom-based research that can be disseminated in their schools, district, and for professional audiences through publications and presentations.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for M. Ed. program admission must meet the following requirements:

1. A completed graduate degree application and payment of application fee.
2. An official transcript from each school or college previously attended (all prior undergraduate academic study must be represented as well as other graduate study if such study has been completed).
3. Official transcripts reflecting an undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 (overall) OR, report of minimum scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (minimum score of 286 with no less than 146 on the verbal and 140 on the quantitative portions). Scores must be no more than five years old.
4. Evidence of teacher certification.
5. Statement of educational/career goals and how this program will help to meet those goals.
6. If a non-native speaker of English, provide official results from tests taken within the last three (3) years or one of the following acceptable means of documenting English language proficiency consistent with success in graduate programs (Note that higher scores may be required of some graduate programs so applicants are urged to consult their desired program to identify whether a higher score is required):
   1. A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based (PBT) or 79 on the internet (iBT) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL);
   2. A minimum score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam;
   3. Certificate of Completion of level 112 of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) from an ELS Language Center;
   4. Pearson Test of English (PTED) Academic with a score of 59;
   5. Cambridge CAE (Certificate of Advanced English ) with a minimum level of C1;
   6. Cambridge CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) with a minimum level of C1;
   7. MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery) with a score of 77:
   8. TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) with a score of 745:
   9. Bachelor’s degree earned from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of higher education within the last three (3) years.

Degree Requirements

ll Master of Education (M.Ed.) degrees in the Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences include the following requirements. Every degree seeking student will meet with an assigned faculty advisor to plan the program of study. The appointment of an advisor is not intended as an assurance to the student that he or she has been officially admitted to any particular program of study. No more than twelve (12) hours of study may be taken or applied to meet program requirements prior to full admission to the program.

1. Successful completion of an approved program of study, 30-36 semester hours, of which at least 50 percent must be earned in courses numbered 600 or above.
2. Successful completion of the prescribed culminating experience.
3. A minimum grade of ‘B’ is expected on all required education courses. Grades below B on 12 hours of graduate work will disqualify a student for a graduate degree in the College.

No academic program can be approved until the student has been admitted to the graduate program as a degree-seeking graduate student. Students are cautioned that graduate credit earned prior to full admission to a degree may not be applicable toward the degree requirements. The program should be established, at the latest, by the end of the first semester of study.

Students seeking admission to a degree program where the program represents a notable difference from their baccalaureate level study may be expected to engage in additional study in the specialized degree area beyond basic degree requirements.

*Eligibility for licensure is determined by the South Carolina Department of Education.

Degree Requirements (33-39 Graduate Credit Hours)