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Master's degree

Master of Arts in Education/Special Education

21 months

Approximate Program Length

46

Total Credits

$540

Cost per Credit

Online

Format

Start when you're ready

Choose an upcoming start date:

Register by: May 5, 2021

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Exceptional students need teachers with extraordinary skills. If you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree in another discipline and have been thinking of making a positive impact on students with learning disabilities, start your Master of Arts in Education/Special Education. The curriculum is aligned with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and ISTE standards, and helps cultivate strategies for teaching students with disabilities and collaborating to create individualized learning plans.

You won’t be in this alone. Our program support specialist can help you navigate teacher licensure and credentialing requirements. We’ll also help you with school placements for your clinical experience and clinical practice through our close partnerships with hundreds of school districts nationwide.

You'll learn how to:

  • Assess students’ strengths and needs

  • Understand special education laws and their implications for identification, placement and instruction

  • Teach students with a range of disabilities, including behavioral, physical, developmental and the autism spectrum

  • Manage a classroom using inclusion strategies

Download program details

Courses

1

Course at a time

3 to 8

Weeks per course

9

Courses per year

COE Central

College of Education students will find many helpful resources on COE Central. Program handbooks provide a wealth of information on topics such as professional expectations, clinical experiences, clinical practice, internships, edTPA and much more. Milestone roadmaps, technology and multimedia resources, and various toolkits are also available.

Schedule

Your academic counselor will help you schedule your classes.

Plus, you’ll find plenty of support from our dedicated program support specialists who partner with you during your 100 required hours of field experience and student teaching. Our program support specialists also help you navigate the world of state licensure requirements, special education teacher certification and any questions or obstacles you encounter along the way.

What you'll learn

When you earn your online Master of Arts in Education/Special Education, you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job. 

Topics covered in this degree include:

  • Design individualized education programs (IEPs) to meet the needs of students with specialized learning needs
  • Design and implement effective instruction in the P-12 classroom to produce a positive impact in special education classrooms
  • Evaluate effective professional practice in special education classrooms
  • Apply professional ethics to their instructional practices in special education classrooms
  • Evaluate learning principles to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of diverse special education student populations
  • Create innovative strategies and incorporate technology in a special education classroom setting
  • Learn how to work in inclusive classrooms and partner with general education teachers

Learning Outcomes

Along with the knowledge and skills related to the University Learning Goals, students who graduate from the College of Education should gain program-specific knowledge, skills and abilities. Each college or school creates a set of Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs) to describe the knowledge, skills or attitudes students will possess upon completion of the program of study. By the time you complete your Master of Arts in Education/Special Education, you should be able to perform these learning outcomes.

Program Purpose Statement

The Master of Arts in Education/Special Education is a graduate degree program intended to prepare students with no prior teaching experience for initial teacher licensure. The program is designed for students who want to become special education teachers. Candidates for this program already have a bachelor’s degree. There may be additional qualifications and/or disqualifications applicable in order to work as a teacher with any local, state or federal entity. Requirements for licensure vary by state. View your state’s teacher licensure requirements.

Careers & Outcomes

What can you do with a Master of Arts in Education/Special Education?

A MAEd/SPE can prepare you to be a: 

  • Special education teacher
  • Intervention specialist
  • Resource teacher
  • Learning support teacher
  • Special education inclusion teacher
3 %

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for special education teachers is projected to be slower than average between 2018 and 2028.

BLS projections are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.

Tuition

Paying for school

Keep the same fixed, affordable tuition from start to finish of your degree program, even if it takes longer than you planned. That’s our promise: no matter what surprises life brings, you can count on us.

Enrollment representative

NEED SOME HELP?

Our enrollment representatives can help answer your questions, so you can make an informed choice about going back to school. Reach us by phone at (844) 937-8679 or chat with us 5 days a week.

NEED SOME HELP?

Our enrollment representatives can help answer your questions, so you can make an informed choice about going back to school. Reach us by phone at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 5 days a week.

Connect with us

Student Experience

An education that fits your busy life

Balancing family, work and school

Work toward your degree without giving up what matters most. Take one class at a time and choose a start date that works for your schedule.

Learn about our flexibility

Online or campus-based learning

Enroll in online classes and study anytime of the day or night, 24/7/365. Or enroll at a campus in your state to attend classes virtually with your peers.

Read about online classes
Find a campus near you

Around-the-clock support and resources

Access our online resources 24/7 or reach our trained representatives by phone or chat 20 hours a day, 5 days a week.

See student resources

Accreditation & Faculty

Count on the quality of your education

Institutional accreditation

University of Phoenix is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org. Since 1978, University of Phoenix has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and its predecessor.

Real-world faculty

24

Average years of industry experience

60

Principals

19:1

Student-faculty ratio

Faculty Spotlight

As a faculty member, I'm on your team. I'm your coach and your cheerleader."

Doris Savron

Vice Provost of Colleges, University of Phoenix

Read her story

The following programs — BSEd/E, BSEd/ECH, MAEd/TED-E, MAEd/TED-S, MAEd/SPE, CERT/AP-E, CERT/AP-S, and CERT/AP-SE — provide the academic preparation to sit for initial teacher certification exams in select states.

Educator/Principal licensure requirements vary by state. Candidates located in a state that does not provide a direct path to licensure will be required to obtain Arizona certification first, prior to seeking licensure in their home state as an out-of-state prepared teacher/principal candidate. Arizona certification requires candidates to pass all Arizona-specific licensure requirements, including any Arizona-specific exams (or home state equivalents if recognized by Arizona Department of Education.) After obtaining an Arizona teacher/principal certificate, candidates can then apply for licensure in their home state and may be required to complete additional testing and/or requirements at additional cost. Program requirements may change based upon your home state’s agency licensure requirements. Please visit the teacher licensure page https://www.phoenix.edu/colleges/college-of-education/teacher-licensure/state-requirements.html  or the principal licensure page https://www.phoenix.edu/colleges/college-of-education/principal-licensure.html for state specific requirements prior to reaching out to your state agency.

While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.

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