Special Education, M.A.

Special Education Focus

This option is open to general and special educators who seek a master’s degree and wish flexibility in creating a program of study that reflects their professional interests. Three courses are required and the remaining 7 courses selected to complete the planned program of study are selected in collaboration with an advisor.

Areas of focus within special education include: 

• Reading and writing disabilities
• Inclusion
• Social-emotional learning
• Autism

All courses in special education use assessment to inform instruction, consistent with a response to intervention framework. Advanced coursework provides additional opportunities for focus, including courses in technology and working with culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

Special Education with Teacher Licensure

This program is designed for candidates who want a master of arts in Special Education with initial Special Education teacher licensure. Candidates interested in teaching at the elementary level are encouraged to pass the Praxis II tests in elementary education. To become recognized as “highly qualified” in a content area, special education teachers at the middle and secondary levels need to have a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree (typically 30 credits) in Mathematics, English, or a science, or pass the Praxis II test in one of these content areas.

Special Education with Cross-Endorsement

This option is available for licensed teachers interested in obtaining an M.A. degree while simultaneously working towards a cross-endorsement in Comprehensive Special Education (K-12), license #165. Courses that fulfill degree requirements have been approved by the state. The courses address competencies needed to meet the academic and social learning needs of K-12 students who have disabilities.

Licensed candidates seeking a cross-endorsement in Special Education must apply directly to the Connecticut State Department of Education, which has the exclusive authority to issue cross-endorsements. A state consultant will review your transcripts and provide a written response. This letter and a copy of the initial teaching license are required to apply. You must meet with an advisor in Special Education and complete a planned program of study, which must include the cross-endorsement licensure requirements outlined in the state education department’s review.

Following successful completion of all coursework, student teaching, and Praxis II, you will apply directly to the state education department for the endorsement.

Licensed teachers seeking cross-endorsement in Special Education have the option to complete the required summer practica (no less than 5 weeks per practica). Two summer practica are required, but the state has granted a single practica waiver if you have successfully completed an on-campus section of SPEC 542 - Reading Disabilities: Connecting Assessment and Instruction  or SPEC 554 - Research-Based Math Interventions . They include field-embedded, faculty supervised experience.

The state education department’s missing credentials letter will be used to select courses that simultaneously count toward cross-endorsement and a master’s degree. These courses may be completed initially to expedite cross-endorsement. This M.A. requires 30 credits and does not include practica.

Cross-Endorsement

Non-Matriculated

This is a non-degree, graduate credit-bearing program for licensed teachers who do not want a formal master’s degree program. Coursework fulfills specific requirements provided by the Connecticut State Department of Education for a Comprehensive Special Education (K-12) license, #165.
Benefits of program:

• No need for matriculation to the graduate school
• Customized, value-added advisement. Licensed teachers select courses that simultaneously fulfill requirements, while focusing on their own professional interests in reading, writing, inclusion, autism or social-emotional learning
• Required student teaching practica can be taken during the summer with two different exceptionalities, without interruption to school year employment

Application Requirements:

• A copy of the written response from the state education department consultant, based on an individual transcript review, with additional requirements needed for cross endorsement
• A copy of current teaching license
• Application to student teach in summer is required by February 1 of that year. For student teaching, you must have completed all credits required by the state in the identified regulatory areas.

Student Teaching:

• Practica is open only to candidates who have completed at least 12 graduate credits at USJ approved for cross-endorsement
• To student teach in the summer, you must apply by February 1

Other Opportunities In Education

Cross-Endorsement

Licensed teachers who wish to add an additional area of endorsement to their teaching credentials have several options. Only the Connecticut State Department of Education can determine required coursework. To pursue cross-endorsement, please contact the Connecticut Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Preparation and Licensure, to obtain a list of required courses for the desired cross-endorsement.

Laboratory Schools

The School of Education benefits from two laboratory schools. The Gengras Center, an on campus school for students with significant disabilities, and the School for Young Children, an early childhood school nearby, offer opportunities for on-site observations, field work, practicum, internships and course-related applications.

Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society

Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education has been active at USJ since 2009. The society has a long-standing commitment to “recognizing excellence and fostering mutual cooperative, support, and professional growth for educational professionals.” Letters of invitation are sent in February to students eligible for membership informing them of a March orientation meeting and an initiation ceremony in the spring.

Partnerships

The School of Education has partnerships with several school districts and agencies, which provide candidates the opportunity to interact with K-12 students under faculty supervision. Longstanding partnerships include: Bloomfield School District, Connecticut Department of Children and Family Services, and West Hartford Schools. Candidates are provided authentic opportunities to assess, teach and collaborate with others.

Internships

Literacy Internship

This internship is for licensed teachers. Selected interns, with a minimum GPA of 3.25, receive 15-30 credits of coursework plus a stipend for working in a school district as a reading tutor for up to two years. The program places an emphasis on developing candidates’ reading intervention skills. This program is directed by the teacher licensure officer. Also see Education - Literacy Internship, M.A.  for details.

Internship in Pre K-12 Schools

The University of Saint Joseph provides opportunities for students completing graduate studies or licensure courses to serve as interns in public school classrooms during the school year. The participating schools provide 18 graduate credits that the intern may apply to tuition costs at the University of Saint Joseph. In addition, a small stipend is provided for books and materials each semester. Contact the director of student teaching and clinical experiences for more information.