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.
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.
