Special Education, M.Ed.

At MTSU, the Special Education Graduate Program is predominantly online and consists of 10 three-hour courses. Almost all coursework will be completed through online-asynchronous learning, meaning that you will rarely travel to campus for classes. Instead, you will complete coursework through a series of self-paced modules that are closely linked to important concepts and relevant skills needed in the field. Candidates in the M.Ed. Program can complete their graduate degrees in one rolling year, beginning in the summer or fall semesters and finishing in the spring semester.

The Program offers the option to add a teaching license in Special Education. There are multiple tracks for initial teaching license, including Special Education Intervention K-8, or 6-12 grades as well as Special Education Comprehension K-12 grades. Applicants wanting to add a teaching license must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university and must meet all initial licensure clinical practice program requirements, including a semester of residency. An intervention teacher is specifically trained and certified to teach students who require limited supports in their academic progress, and who typically have been diagnosed with a mild/moderate disability (e.g., dyslexia, autism). Intervention teachers are also knowledgeable about the general education curriculum, modified curricula, and intervention strategies to support instruction in academics and behavior. Additionally, a comprehensive teacher prepares candidates to work with individuals who will require more extensive supports and who have been diagnosed with severe/profound disabilities. Comprehensive teachers typically teach priority areas related to academics and functional-life skills.

Add-on endorsements are also an option. Persons licensed in other teaching areas, such as early childhood or elementary education, may take graduate level courses, and pass a praxis exam, for an add-on endorsement in either K-8 or 6-12 Interventionist or K-12 Comprehensive licensure.