Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities Certified, Master of Education


Academic Information

This plan is no longer offered at the Flagstaff Mountain campus. See the Campus Availability tab below for alternate plan campus options.

Online programs leading to certification require fieldwork, internship, and/or student teaching which must be completed onsite in Arizona.

Online programs leading to certification may require synchronous online learning activities. Students must have access to technology with audio and video capabilities.

This plan is appropriate for candidates who are not already certified in special education. Candidates in this program of studies are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, and professional knowledge to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements. Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in specific courses. 
 

This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

This program is nationally recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities Certified, Master of Education


Careers

What Can I Do with a Master of Education in Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities Certified?

The demand for special education teachers currently outpaces the supply across the country. If you are entering the teaching force for the first time as a second or late career professionals or have teaching certification in another area-elementary education, secondary education- and want to become certified in special education as a second area of teaching expertise, our program can help.

By earning our degree, you'll be ready to enter a special education teaching job in the private sector, human services agencies, or in school settings. You'll focus on how to best help educate students with learning disabilities, emotional or behavioral disorders, mild-moderate intellectual disabilities, and orthopedic and health impairments.

With further education, one of these paths is possible:
  • Special education teacher
  • Educational administrator

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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities Certified, Master of Education


University Requirements

More Information

Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities Certified, Master of Education


Overview

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 throughout the program of study.

Minimum Units for Completion 34 - 49
Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

Fieldwork Experience/Internship Required
Arizona Endorsement

Prepares student for Arizona Endorsement.

Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching is required.
Some online/blended coursework Required
Progression Plan Link View Program of Study
Licensure

This program may lead to licensure.

Purpose Statement

The Mild to Moderate with certification MEd degree program leads to certification/licensure with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE).  The program is comprised of online, face-to-face, and blended courses. 

This graduate program prepares students to become a certified teacher of children and youth who have disabilities. This eclectic coursework in special education ranges from a foundational special education perspective to coursework in various methodologies related to teaching students with special needs. The program provides for an understanding of how the field of special education is an evolving and changing discipline based on philosophies, evidence-based principles and theories, relevant laws and policies, and diverse historical points of view. Through the varied coursework, the candidates demonstrate respect for their students first as unique human beings and demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences in human development and the characteristics between individuals with and without exceptional learning needs (ELN). Programmatic emphasis is placed on the importance of understanding the effects that an exceptional condition can have on an individual’s learning in school and throughout life that include beliefs, traditions, and values across and within cultures. Within the program, content is provided that helps the candidate select, adapt, and use these instructional strategies to promote positive learning results in general and special curricula and to appropriately modify learning environments for individuals with ELN. The program focuses on creating learning environments for individuals with ELN that foster cultural understanding, safety and emotional well-being, positive social interactions, and active engagement of individuals with ELN. The program also emphasizes the need to understand typical and atypical language development and the ways in which exceptional conditions can interact with an individual’s experience with and use of language. The program recognizes how assessment is integral to the decision-making and teaching and special educator candidates learn multiple types of assessment information for a variety of educational decisions. They also learn to use the results of assessments to help identify exceptional learning needs and to develop and implement individualized instructional programs, as well as to adjust instruction in response to ongoing learning progress. Emphasis is provided related to the teaching profession’s ethical and professional practice standards. Foundational to the program is the importance of how educators routinely and effectively collaborate with families, other educators, related service providers, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways.
 

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. 
Learning Environments:  Beginning special education professionals create safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments so that individuals with exceptionalities become active and effective learners and develop emotional well-being, positive social interactions, and self-determination. 
Curricular Content Knowledge: Beginning special education professionals use knowledge of general and specialized curricula to individualize learning for individuals with exceptionalities. 
Assessment: Beginning special education professionals use multiple methods of assessment and data-sources in making educational decisions. 
Instructional Planning and Strategies: Beginning special education professionals select, adapt, and use a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to advance learning of individuals with exceptionalities. 
Professional Learning and Ethical Practice: Beginning special education professionals use foundational knowledge of the field and their professional Ethical Principles and Practice Standards to inform special education practice, to engage in lifelong learning, and to advance the profession. 
Collaboration: Beginning special education professionals collaborate with families, other educators, related service providers, individuals with exceptionalities, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways to address the needs of individuals with exceptionalities across a range of learning experiences.

More Information

Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities Certified, Master of Education


Details

Graduate Admission Information
Additional Admission Requirements
Master's Requirements
Additional Information
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Academic Catalog - 2024-2025

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities Certified, Master of Education


Campus Availability

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