Masters in Special Education

Master’s Programs

We have four options for Master’s programs.

The Master's Only option is ideal for current teachers interested in pursuing advanced graduate training. The option is also ideal for individuals with a bachelors degree who want to learn more about special education but who do not necessarily want to pursue a career in teaching and instead want to pursue a career in the private sector, in a non-profit organization, or in another setting where an advanced degree (without license) would be beneficial.
For the M.A. degree the candidate must demonstrate proficiency in a second language.
All other graduates receive an M.S. degree upon program completion.
For the M.Ed. degree the candidate must have a valid teaching license and have completed at least one year of successful classroom teaching.

Licensure

The College of Education offers two programs leading to the Oregon Special Educator preliminary teaching license or add-on endorsement at the following levels of authorization:

The Special Educator license program may be completed as part of a planned degree program leading to a master’s degree or as a stand-alone endorsement for educators who already hold master’s degrees and/or preliminary teaching licensure in other subject areas. Follow the application instructions to apply or contact the academic secretary at sped@uoregon.edu if you have questions about the application process.

Special Education Master’s Degree

Minimum requirements for the general master’s degree in Special Education include:

  • 45 credits as an officially admitted master’s degree student*
  • 9 credit hours of 600 level courses
  • 30 graduate hours in (SPED) special education courses
  • 24 graded hours in UO courses

*15 credit hours may be transferred into your program pending advisor approval

Terminal activity selected from one of the following options:

  • Early Intervention emphasis only
    • Oral Comprehensive Exam
  • General, Elementary, Secondary emphasis
    • Master’s Project (3)
    • Thesis (9)
    • Specialization Area (3 graduate courses of at least 9 credits; requires a minimum of 51 total credits)

Master’s/Licensure Student Funding

Available Funding by Specialization Area

  • American Indian/Alaskan Native (Sapsikwala Project)
  • Secondary Special Education and Transition (Project HI-TEKS)
    • Potential Support:5 terms of tuition and $2500 stipend
    • How to Apply: Return a completed HI-TEKS application (available from sped@uoregon.edu)

Note: These are personnel preparation funds from the Federal government Office of Special Education Programs. Acceptance of these funds will require that you agree to meet a post-graduation service obligation commensurate with the amount of support you receive. For more information, contact the grant’s contact person.

Program Plan

The master’s degree in Special Education: Generalist K-12 requires the completion of 45 credits of graduate work. A minimum of 20 credits make up the required core coursework, including either the 3-credit master’s project or the 9-credit thesis. Additional electives, selected in consultation with a faculty adviser, allow the student to focus on an area of interest. Students can complete the master’s degree course of study in four to six consecutive terms. Students take at least one course from each of the following core areas:

  • Foundations
  • Behavioral Support
  • Legal Issues
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Diversity Issues
  • Research
  • Field Studies

Master’s students also complete a capstone project – either a master’s project, a master’s thesis, or a master’s specialization course sequence. Individual program emphases are developed in cooperation with the student’s advisor. Note:  For students in the combined K-12 licensure and master’s program, the capstone experience (specialization) is already built into the program plan – no additional capstone experience is required.

 Required Coursework

Minimum requirements for the master’s degree are satisfied from the following:

SPED 511 Foundations of Disability I (3) Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer SPED 512 Foundations of Disability II (3) Fall/Spring/Summer SPED 680 Foundations in Early Childhood & Early Intervention (3) Fall
SPED 526 Behavior & Classroom Management (4) Fall/Summer SPED 536 Advanced Behavior Management (3) Winter
Early Intervention emphasis: SPED 681 Family-Guided EI (3) Winter; SPED 682 Assessment & Evaluation (3) Winter; SPED 683 Curriculum ECh & EI (3) Spring. Elementary emphasis: SPED 540 Early Literacy for Diverse Learners (4) Fall; SPED 541 Intermediate Literacy for Diverse Learners (4) Winter; SPED 522 Special Education Math Instruction (4) Spring.
SPED 660 Design of Instruction (4) Fall SPED 610 Assessment in Special Education (3) Fall
SPED 628 Law & Special Education (3) Winter EDLD 627 Law and Governance (4) Fall/Spring/Summer
SPED 410/510 Diversity & Special Education (3) Summer
Master's Only: SPED 606 Field Studies (3) Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer. Early Intervention, Elementary, or Secondary licensure: SPED 609 Practicum (3) Fall/Winter/Spring.
EDUC 611 Survey of Educational Research Methods (4) Fall/Winter/Summer EDUC 612 Social Science Research Methods (4) Fall/Winter

Note: The Special Education & Clinical Sciences Department offers programs leading to special education initial teaching licenses or add-on endorsements in Special Education:Early Intervention  (Birth-Grade 4), or in Special Education: Generalist K-12 . Consult the required coursework for each program. Special Education Question and Answers clarifies the distinctions between master’s degree, teaching license, endorsement, and authorization.

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