Special Education, M.Ed.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Learn more about the Master of Education in Special Education.
About the Program
The Special Education (SPED) program in the College of Education and Human Development equips teachers with deep understanding of the socio-cultural context of education; high-impact instructional practices; and empirically supported, preventative approaches to provide equitable education to children with disabilities. The program features uphold and further both the College’s and the University's mission in the following ways:
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Promoting evidence-based practice and effective implementation in the classroom;
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Recognizing and ameliorating the impact of socio-cultural factors on the education of children with disabilities;
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Advocating inclusive practices both within schools and within society as a whole; and
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Emphasizing preventative approaches to support improved teaching and learning.
Time Limit for Degree Completion: 4 years
Campus Location: Main
Full-Time/Part-Time Status: Students complete the degree program through classes offered after 5:30 p.m. The degree program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis.
Accreditation: The program is approved as a teacher certification program by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).
Areas of Specialization: The scope of the Special Education certificate is grades PreK-8.
Job Prospects: The market for highly qualified special education teachers remains unabated. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an increased need for special education teachers. The shortage of special education teachers has been identified regionally (i.e., Pennsylvania and New Jersey) and is particularly prevalent in urban centers in the immediate environs of Temple University.
Licensure: Upon successful completion of the degree requirements and passing all required licensure examinations, candidates may apply for Pennsylvania Special Education PreK-12 certification.
Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Students may take up to, but not more than, 9 credits of graduate study in the program before being admitted to the program. The credits transfer into the program, if the student is admitted. Students completing non-matriculated courses before being admitted to the program are NOT guaranteed admission.
Financing Opportunities: Financial support opportunities may include scholarships, tuition remission, and other financial aid such as grants, loans, and federal work study.
Admission Requirements and Deadlines
Application Deadline:
Fall: March 1
Spring: November 1
Applicants should submit all required admissions documents by the application deadline to receive priority consideration for admission and financial support.
APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program.
Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 2
From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained to provide insight regarding the applicant's academic competence and should ideally attest to the candidate's academic ability and readiness to work with students at the middle- and secondary-grade levels. References from college/university faculty are recommended.
Coursework Required for Admission Consideration: Significant coursework (i.e., the equivalent of a minor or better) and/or professional experience related to the intended certification area are preferred.
Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A bachelor's degree is required. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is expected.
International applicants should also submit an official document that validates completion and conferral of a degree, diploma, and/or certificate. While not required, international applicants are encouraged to submit transcript(s) to the World Education Services (WES) for evaluation.
Statement of Goals: In 500 to 1,000 words, outline your interest in seeking a master’s degree with a specific focus on the career to which you aspire, your interests, and your academic and job-related experiences that are relevant to the program.
Standardized Test Scores:
Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:
- TOEFL iBT: 79
- IELTS Academic: 6.5
- PTE Academic: 53
Resume: Current resume required.
Transfer Credit: Courses may be transferred from an accredited institution provided they were completed less than five years ago and are relevant to the program. The academic advisor makes the decision about the relevancy of the courses that the student desires to transfer. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 6.
Coursework Waivers: Each student is assigned a faculty advisor at the time of admission. The advisor reviews the student's credentials and determines which, if any, of the required courses can be waived. In general, this waiver covers the beginning-level courses in the program. Waiving a specific requirement, however, does not reduce the total number of credits needed to graduate.
Clearances: All admitted students must submit copies of the required Pennsylvania criminal background check, FBI criminal history, Child Abuse check, and TB test to the College of Education and Human Development's Office of Field Placement prior to enrolling in their first term. These clearances are required by law prior to entering pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade classrooms to complete field experience requirements, starting with the first term and continuing throughout the program.
Pennsylvania clearances are not required for application completion. All new students who possess required Pennsylvania clearances more than one year old must submit updated clearances to the Office of Field Placement. Please note that obtaining these clearances may take up to six weeks. For instructions, please visit the Office of Field Placement's website at https://education.temple.edu/ofp/clearances.
Other Requirement: Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts from all accredited institutions attended and/or from which credit was earned must be submitted.
Program Requirements
General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 37
Required Courses:
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
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Core Courses | ||
EDUC 5402 | Child and Adol Develop | 3 |
SPED 5105 | Assessment in Special Education | 3 |
SPED 5106 | Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities | 3 |
SPED 5107 | Understanding and Using Special Education Research | 3 |
SPED 5109 | Classroom Management and Positive Behavior Support | 3 |
SPED 5201 | Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities: Effective Teaching Strategies | 3 |
SPED 5211 | Effective Instruction for Students with Disabilities | 3 |
SPED 5402 | Effective Transition Practices for Students with Mild Disabilities | 3 |
SPED 5666 | Introduction to Special Education | 3 |
TESL 5631 | Foundations of Language Teaching: Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners | 3 |
Culminating Courses | ||
EDUC 5409 | Research Methods and Induction Capstone | 3 |
EDUC 5888 | Supervised Teaching | 4 |
Total Credit Hours | 37 |
Culminating Events: Student teaching and its related seminar constitute the culminating events for this program.
Courses
SPED 5105. Assessment in Special Education. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
College Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Colleges: Education & Human Development.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5106. Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
College Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Colleges: Education & Human Development.
Student Attribute Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Student Attributes: Clearance for Education.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5107. Understanding and Using Special Education Research. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5108. Assistive Technology and Universal Design. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5109. Classroom Management and Positive Behavior Support. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5111. Educating Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings. 2 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
College Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Colleges: Education & Human Development.
Student Attribute Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Student Attributes: Clearance for Education.
Co-requisites: MGRE 5102, SPED 5187.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5187. Graduate Assessment Practicum in Early Childhood Special Education. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
College Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Colleges: Education & Human Development.
Student Attribute Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Student Attributes: Clearance for Education.
Co-requisites: MGRE 5102, SPED 5111.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
SPED 5201. Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities: Effective Teaching Strategies. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5211. Effective Instruction for Students with Disabilities. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
College Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Colleges: Education & Human Development.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5287. Integrated Literacy and Special Education Practicum. 2 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Co-requisites: MGRE 5102, SPED 5111.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Pre-requisites:
(EDUC 5402|Minimum Grade of B-|May not be taken concurrently
AND MGRE 5101|Minimum Grade of B-|May not be taken concurrently)
SPED 5301. Building Communication in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Severe Disabilities. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5302. Effective Teaching Strategies and Academic Interventions. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Student Attribute Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Student Attributes: Clearance for Education.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5303. Ethics and Applied Behavior Analysis. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5304. Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5305. Single Subject Research Design. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5401. Students with Mild Disabilities: Effective Teaching Strategies. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5402. Effective Transition Practices for Students with Mild Disabilities. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5501. Learning Environments. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5511. Managing Learning Environments. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5512. Methods and Curriculum. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5521. Issues in Social, Emotional, and Physical Development. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5522. Cognition, Language, and Literacy. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5587. Special Education Practicum. 6 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
SPED 5611. Total Inclusion Seminar. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 5666. Introduction to Special Education. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 8101. Trends and Issues in Special Education. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 8701. Proseminar in Individual Differences. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 8711. Seminar in Special Education Research. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 8741. Seminar in Exceptionalities. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 8742. Seminar in Exceptionalities. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
SPED 9187. Practicum in Special Education. 3 to 9 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
SPED 9287. Practicum in Special Education. 3 to 6 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
SPED 9387. Practicum in Special Education. 3 to 6 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
SPED 9485. Augmen Comm Empow Intern. 1 to 3 Credit Hour.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
SPED 9489. Fld Exp Spec Ed Supervis. 3 Credit Hours.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.
Contacts
Program Web Address:
https://www.temple.edu/academics/degree-programs/special-education-med-ed-sped-med
Department Information:
Dept. of Teaching and Learning
College of Education and Human Development
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091
215-204-0999