Special Education: Master of Education

The graduate program in Special Education prepares graduate students for positions as professional clinical practitioners who work with exceptional individuals. The majority of these clinical practitioners become teachers in self-contained classes or resource rooms while others serve in positions such as consulting teacher, behavior analyst, parent-infant specialist or sign language interpreter. Practitioners may serve individuals with special needs ranging in age from preschool through adulthood. Additionally they may work with the families of individuals with special needs.

Admission to the Program

Admission into the special education graduate program requires a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of a 3.0. In addition, scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller's Analogies Test (MAT) are required. Students not meeting minimum criteria for admission may be considered for admission under the UNF/College exceptions policy. The program makes special provisions for admitting students with disabilities. Admission also requires the submission of three letters of recommendation. During the application process, inquiries concerning the status of your application should be directed to either The Graduate School or the Office of Academic Advising.

Majors in special education consist of a minimum of 36 credits of graduate study. The inital certification Master's degree program requires additoonal credit hours. An individually designed program of study for each student is developed by the student in collaboration with his or her faculty advisor.

Note: All applications, transcripts, test scores, and supporting documents must be sent directly to The Graduate School, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224.

Graduate Special Education Concentrations

The graduate Special Education program offers multiple concentrations. One track is for students working toward state certification in Exceptional Student Education. This track is ESOL endorsed. The second option is a concentration in Disability Services designed for students interested in serving individuals with disabilities in general education classes or non-school settings. This course of study allows individuals to pursue graduate study in special education and in various cognate areas, but does not lead to certification. The third option is for students seeking certification in Deaf Education. This track typically is a five-year program that begins at the undergraduate level with emphasis in Deaf Studies. The fourth option is designed to meet the needs of students who are interested in becoming nationally certified sign language interpreters.

• Applied Behavior Analysis
• ASL / English Interpreting
• Autism 
• Deaf Education
• Disability Services
• Exceptional Student Education  

 Certification

All of the certification programs in Special Education have been approved by the Florida Department of Education. The preparation program in deaf education is approved by the Council on Education of the Deaf (CED). The College of Education and Human Services is accredited by the National Council on Accreditation in Teacher Education (NCATE).

All students enrolled in College of Education and Human Services courses that require a field or clinical component and/or are taught at a school site are mandated by state law to be fingerprinted and cleared prior to being permitted on elementary and secondary school campuses. Students should be aware that noncompliance with fingerprinting requirements will result in the inability to complete course requirements. Contact the Office of Educational Field Experiences, (904) 620-3934, for information regarding fingerprinting procedures.