Special Education, Severely/Profoundly Disabled Students Concentration, M.Ed.

Admission Requirements

Applicants who currently hold a teaching license and are seeking advancement of knowledge and skills in Special Education may apply for admission to the M.Ed. in Special Education Severely/Profoundly Disabled Students program. Applicants seeking initial licensure in either K-8 and/or 6-12 Interventionist 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 or meeting the requirements of a job-embedded candidate.

Students seeking admission to the Special Education program must have an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher or a minimum of twelve hours in special education at the graduate level with a GPA of 3.00 or higher.

Applicants can choose from the following admission requirements:

Applicants must take the Miller Analogies Test (and obtain a minimum score of 385) or the Graduate Record Exam (obtaining scores on the Verbal and Quantitative measures which normally exceed 146 and 140 respectively with a total combined score that normally exceeds 286.

OR

Applicants must provide

1. an electronic portfolio containing information according to the template that will be provided;
2. a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) describing previous education, work, teaching, research experience, honors and awards (no more than four pages);
3. a written personal statement (1-2 pages) explaining their interest in a career in special education and how the applicant will positively affect student achievement;
4. three letters of recommendation. Those making recommendations must give their personal impressions of applicant’s ability, aptitude in research or professional skills, character, and the quality of previous work and potential for future productive scholarship.

Special Notes:

• Faculty may request an interview with the applicant if needed.
• Applicants must contact the special education coordinator for the format of the electronic portfolio.
• Applicants will receive initial licensure clinical practice program requirements if enrolled in an initial licensure program.

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Applicant must

1. submit an application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php). Once this initial application has been accepted, the applicant will receive directions on how to enter the graduate portal to be able to submit other materials.
2. submit official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT).
3. submit official transcripts of all previous college work.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Education in Special Education with a concentration in Severely/Profoundly Disabled Students requires completion of a total of 36 semester hours.

Candidates must successfully complete a written comprehensive examination to be taken in the last semester of coursework (may be taken no more than twice).

Curriculum: Special Education, Severely/Profoundly Disabled Students

The following illustrates the coursework requirements.

Special Education Master’s-Non-Licensed

Applicants must have a teaching license in special education for admission to the program in Special Education. Candidates without the appropriate license may be admitted to the graduate program as a non-degree-seeking student. Once licensure requirements are met, candidate may reapply for admission to the program in special education. Candidates not licensed to teach must apply for a waiver to the license requirement by signing a waiver form stating they wish to receive a master’s degree in special education without a license to teach.

Program Notes

Any course requiring admission to Teacher Education may require observations, case studies, or other time in K-6 classes.