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:
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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.
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Seven credit hours that focus on general and specific teaching methodologies, practicum, and the reading process.
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Eighteen credit hours that focus on developing candidates’ understanding of working with learners with special needs.
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Twelve credit hours will be included to foster an understanding of literacy development and mathematical reasoning.
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Student teaching
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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 Education 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 – One full fay 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 90 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 100 hours)
Student Teaching – Candidates are assigned as a full-time student teacher 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. candidates seeking Special Education PK-12 certification are required to take a student teaching seminar during the student teaching semester.
Intern Certification
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) provides an intern teaching certification for candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree and desire to work as a classroom teacher while simultaneously enrolled in a graduate-level teacher preparation program.
Marywood University is one of a select number of institutions approved to participate in the commonwealth’s alternate Teacher Intern Certification Program.
PDE specifies several eligibility requirements for the Intern certificate:
- Bachelor’s Degree in a Related Area: To enroll in a Teacher Intern Program, a candidate must possess a minimum of a baccalaureate degree related to the area of certification requested. For example, an individual with a B.S. degree in biology may seek biology certification. (Most degrees permit a candidate to pursue Intern Certification in Prekindergarten to Grade 4, PK-4.)
- Minimum 3.0 Undergraduate GPA: Candidates entering must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in their baccalaureate degree. Candidates must exit the Intern Program with at least the same GPA required for entrance.
- Acceptance into University Program: The candidate must apply to and complete an approved institution of higher education's (IHE) pre-admission screening and be accepted into the teacher-preparation program.
- Passing Scores on all required tests: The candidate must achieve satisfactory scores on the appropriate test(s) required by the Pennsylvania Teacher Certification Testing Program before applying for a Teacher Intern certificate.
- Continuous Enrollment: The candidate must be continuously enrolled in a Teacher Intern Program.
Marywood requires candidates to complete a minimum of three courses covering educational psychology or foundations, special education, and teaching methods to receive university recommendation for the Intern cert.
After meeting the eligibility requirements and when a candidate obtains a teaching position or a potential offer, the Intern candidate applies to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for an Intern Certificate
Intern Cert holders can teach in Pennsylvania for up to three years while completing their M.A. in Teaching with Pk-4 Certification, M.A. in Teaching with Secondary/K-12 Education Certification or Post Bac Teacher Certification Program. The Intern certificate cannot be renewed if all coursework is not completed in 3 years.
The only difference in course requirements is a modified field experience requirement and use of a minimum 12-week internship in place of student teaching. Scheduling of the teaching internship may occur any time after the first semester when the intern student demonstrates readiness to teach in their own classrooms.
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 & Remedial Strategies Im | 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 | 1.5 |
| EDUC 598B | ST: 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.