Requirements
Prior to admission to the M.A.T. program with certification in Special Education PK-12 all applicants must meet with the Chair of the School of Education or a designated department faculty member and the Director of Professional Field Experience.
The M.A.T. program in Special Education PK-12 is designed for the teaching candidate whose goals include initial certification in Special Education PK-12 and an M.A.T. degree. This program consists of a minimum of 34 hours of graduate work. Candidates with no education courses may need to take up to 52 semester hours.
The courses include:
-
Nine credits hours of coursework that give candidates an understanding of foundation of education, of human development and the psychology of the teaching/learning process.
-
Seven credit hours that focus on general and specific teaching methodologies, practicum, and the reading process.
-
Eighteen credit hours that focus on developing candidates’ understanding of working with learners with special needs.
-
Twelve credit hours will be included to foster an understanding of literacy development and mathematical reasoning.
-
Student teaching
-
Six credit hours in core courses, providing the candidate with the opportunity to integrate theory and practice in both research and learning theory.
These courses are certification requirements for those students seeking both the degree and Pennsylvania Instructional I certification. Eligibility for certification is determined by fulfillment of state requirements, including Pennsylvania Education Certification Tests (PRAXIS) taken upon completion of the program. Courses in the M.A.T. in Special Education PK-12 program fulfill these requirements.
All candidates are required to fulfill field experience and student teaching requirements.
Field Experience – Education certification candidates in all programs must maintain continuous registration for field experience and sign up each semester in the Office of Professional Educational Field Experience. Clearances (Criminal Background, Child Abuse Clearance; FBI Fingerprints, Mantoux test, and others required locally) must be active and on file in the Field Experience Office throughout field placement and student teaching semesters.
Level I – A three-hour block of time each week is required at the assigned school. In the early field experience placements, the candidate performs tasks that are considered legally permissible for the teacher’s aide. (Minimum 20 hours required)
Level II – Candidates at this level are enrolled in supervised practicum courses. Second level field experience students are to engage in specific activities such as
developing learning activities and participating in team teaching. Activities completed in this placement level are related to the objectives of the upper level methods courses in which they are currently enrolled. (Minimum 150 hours)
Candidates are required to spend seven weeks, three hours per week, in each of two pre-student teaching placements during the semester prior to student teaching. With a successful placement and teacher and district approval, the cooperating teachers would be the same for the pre-student teaching and student teaching placement.
Student Teaching – Candidates are assigned as full-time student teachers for one semester, usually during the last year of their program. This typically will include two placements representative of all content and levels of the certificate involved. Placements are made by the director of professional education field experience and are within an established radius from the University. No additional coursework may be taken during student teaching.
Course Work Required Prior to enrolling, all applicants must meet with the School of Education Director and the Field Experience Director.
Required Courses
| EDUC 000 | | 0 |
| EDUC 502 | Multidisciplinary Foundations of?Education | 3 |
| PSYC 513 | Child Development | 3 |
| RED 524A | Creative Teaching of Language Arts | 4 |
| RED 526 | Teaching Content Area Reading | 3 |
| EDUC 470F | Elementary Curriculum: Math | 3 |
| SPED 507 | Characteristics of Students with?Disabilities | 3 |
| SPED 523 | Programming for the At-Risk?Infant/Preschool Child | 3 |
| SPED 536 | Cognitive Assessment and Remediation | 3 |
| RED 530 | Reading Disabilities and Diagnosis | 3 |
| SPED 500 | The Law and Special Education and?Service Delivery | 3 |
| EDUC 520 | Universal Design for Learning | 3 |
| SPED 539 | Behavior Management Approaches | 3 |
| EDUC 561 | Methods Materials and Assessment in ESL?Teaching Esl | 3 |
| SPED 522 | Career Education for Students With?Disabilities | 3 |
| EDUC 005E | | 1 |
| EDUC 591 | Graduate Level Student Teaching | 6 |
| EDUC 598B | Special Topics in Student Teaching | 3 |
Candidates pursuing a Master's Degree must also successfully complete the following core coursework:
NOTE: The requirements discussed in this section are subject to change based on guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.