This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
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If your aspiration is to teach young children with disabilities, ages birth to eight, this degree plan is for you. This plan will guide you toward certification in early childhood special education as an area of expertise, and upon successfully completing the program you will be eligible to receive an institutional recommendation. The Early Childhood Special Education certification means you will be prepared to work with young children ages 0-8 with disabilities. The demand for early childhood special educators currently outpaces the supply across the country. By earning this degree you'll be ready to enter a special education teaching position in either early intervention, preschool and kindergarten to third grade settings in private, human service, and public school settings.
To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.
You must additionally complete:
Read the full policy here.
In addition to University Requirements:
Candidates in this program are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and professional dispositions to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements.
Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills, professional dispositions are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in the following course(s):
| Minimum Units for Completion | 37 - 46 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required. |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Required |
| Arizona Certification/Endorsement | Prepares student for Arizona Certification and/or Endorsement. |
| Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching | Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching is required. |
| Some online/blended coursework | Required |
| Progression Plan Link | View Program of Study |
Purpose Statement
To prepare early educators and early interventionists in evidence-based knowledge and practices through embedded and applied experiences to best serve children birth to eight years old with disabilities.
Student Learning Outcomes
Outcomes align with Standards from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC).
Learner Development and Individual Differences: Beginning special education professionals understand how exceptionalities may interact with development and learning and use this knowledge to provide meaningful and challenging learning experiences for individuals with exceptionalities.
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.
Admission requirements include the following:
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
Ready to apply? Begin your application now.
International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.
Take the following 37 - 46 units:
Block A (6-15 units):
For the Structured English Immersion (SEI) endorsement, candidates who have full SEI endorsement at admission must provide proof of the full endorsement. If proof of the full SEI endorsement is not presented at admission, the candidate is required to take the BME course (i.e., BME 631) as part of their program of study.
Be aware that Arizona state teacher certification requirements leading to Institutional Recommendations may change at any time, and may impact program of study requirements.
Also, some districts/schools in Arizona may require additional NES exams if the position is responsible for instruction, evaluation and assigns grades for core academic subjects, such as a Special Education teacher in a self-contained classroom.
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.