Online MS in Education in Special Education
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Help children with disabilities learn and thrive.
Purdue University’s online Master of Science in Education in Special Education prepares you to educate and inspire children with disabilities in a wide range of teaching and administrative roles. In as few as 20 months, you can gain skills and strategies specific to the education of special needs students, whether you’re in front of a classroom or in school administration.
Complete Your edTPA
The curriculum of the online MSEd in Special Education is aligned with edTPA, a performance-based, subject-specific assessment and support system that is designed to meet state and national standards to ensure you are empowered to teach each student effectively.
The core curriculum of the MSEd in Special Education focuses on mild intervention for high-incidence conditions such as:
- Learning disabilities
- Mild developmental disabilities
- Emotional behavioral disorders
- High-functioning autism
The program also offers the option to add a focus in intense intervention with additional coursework. This covers such challenges as:
- Severe autism
- Multiple disabilities
- Moderate to severe intellectual and/or physical disabilities
The program offers several options to meet your career needs.
- Master’s only: Intended for those seeking knowledge in the area of special education. No practicum is required; an additional elective course is taken in its place.
- Master’s with initial special education licensure: Intended for those seeking a master’s degree as well as an initial license in special education in mild intervention or mild and intense intervention. This track requires practicum and student teaching field experiences.
- Master’s with advanced special education licensure: Intended for those who already have initial (teaching) licensure and are looking to add an advanced licensure in mild intervention or mild and intense intervention. This track requires practicum experiences.
- Master’s with advanced special education licensure – intense intervention only: Intended for those who already have a special education teaching license in mild intervention and looking for advanced licensure in intense intervention. This track requires practicum experiences.
Students who choose to add the intense intervention focus to their studies complete additional hours and coursework.
Why Students Choose Purdue
Purdue faculty strives for excellence in teaching and the programs they develop, which is reflected in their numerous, top-level rankings.