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Special Education

Program Information

M.S. in Education with a major in Special Education

 

The Master of Science in Education with a major in Special Education will lead to a Mild Intervention Teaching Certification. A master of science in education program requires a minimum of 36 credit hours. This program includes graduate coursework in Special Education and research methods. Students are eligible to complete the coursework if they hold a current general education teaching license and wish to continue on for the special education certification and masters degree.

Research Sequence and Thesis or Special Project in Special Education

 

The program based on the scholar-practitioner model is designed to produce teacher candidates who are able to read, interpret, and apply research in the special education classroom. Candidates may choose if their culminating project in the Master’s program is a Master’s Thesis or a Special Project in Special Education. Candidates should discuss with their academic advisor their preferred path in order to complete the necessary courses within the allotted six and one-half years.

All candidates are required to take EDUC P503, Introduction to Research, which will introduce candidates to various models of research. This course may be taken early in the program and will assist candidates in understanding the special education research articles that are required reading for the courses.

If the Master’s Thesis is the choice, then the candidate should take EDUC P501, Statistical Methods Applied to Education, which will give the candidate the necessary knowledge to design his/her own research thesis. The culminating activity of the Master’s in Education with a major in Special Education is a two-semester sequence consisting of EDUC K500, Current Trends in Special Education, and EDUC K599, Master’s Thesis in Special Education.  During this sequence, candidates will explore current trends and issues in special education, choose a thesis topic, write a literature review, develop a research study, implement the study, and write a thesis. The candidate will complete an Institutional Review Board approved research study. The final thesis will be bound and registered in the IPFW library. The thesis will consist of five-chapters: introduction, literature review, method, results, and discussion. Guidelines for the thesis will be provided to candidates during this two-course sequence.

If the Special Project in Special Education is the choice, then the student should take EDUC P501, Statistical Methods Applied to Education, or another advisor approved graduate level course. The culminating activity of the Special Project in Special Education consists of EDUC K500, Current Trends in Special Education, and EDUC K500 Special Project in Special Education. During this sequence, candidates will explore current trends and issues in special education, choose a special education topic, develop and implement a special project related to special education (i.e. curriculum material, original classroom management program). Guidelines for the special project will be provided to candidates during this two-course sequence.

The required courses are listed below; location of the course description is under the course information on this site. Please check Oasis for the most current course offerings. The first course is EDUC K505. The other prerequisites and co-requisites are listed with each course. For both courses EDUC K535 and EDUC K536 there is a co-requisite course (M501) which consists of 30 hours each of field experience in a school with P-12 students with disabilities. If the student is currently employed by a school system arrangements can be made for the 60 hours to be incorporated into the duties of the classroom or school. One of the last courses in the program of study is EDUC K595 which is a practicum in special education. In order to meet the state of Indiana licensing requirements this practicum must be completed within the duties of the special education teacher (not a general education teacher of an inclusive classroom). This practicum may require the student to make modifications to his/her current work position and/or responsibilities. Please talk with a Special Education Faculty advisor about the specific situation.

Masters of Education in Special Education Program Foundation Block: (27 semester hours )

  • EDUC K505 Introduction to Special Education for Graduate Students
  • EDUC K525 Survey of Mild Handicaps
  • EDUC K535 Assessment and Remediation of the Mildly Handicapped I (Co-requisite: EDUC M501 Service Learning for Diversity)
  • EDUC K536 Assessment and Remediation of the Mildly Handicapped II (Co-requisite: EDUC M501 Service Learning for Diversity)
  • EDUC K541 Transitions across the Life Span
  • EDUC K553 Classroom Management and Behavior Support
  • EDUC K565 Collaboration and Service Delivery
  • EDUC K595 Practicum in Special Education (3 credit hours)
  • EDUC K500 Current Trends in Special Education
  • Research Block: 6 semester hours
  • EDUC P501 Statistical Method Applied to Education
    • Or an advisor approved graduate level course
  • EDUC P503 Introduction to Research
  • Capstone to M.S. Program: 3 semester hours (Last Course)
    • EDUC K599 Master’s Thesis in Special Education
      • Or
    • EDUC K500 Special Project in Special Education

For more information about the Special Education Certification Options and Masters of Education in Special Education contact:

Dr. Jane Leatherman

Program Director

 

IPFW is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access University.