Master of Arts in Education/ Special Education
Master of Arts in Education/Special Education
Next session begins SEPT 29. Some program start times may vary.
Call 844.YES.UOPX for full schedule and details.
Zip code:
Overview
Approx. program length:
21 months*
*Individual student completion time may vary depending on calendaring and student teaching schedule.
Credits:
46
Bring your special talents to special education
Exceptional students needs 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, our Master of Arts in Education/Special Education could be the program for you. The curriculum is aligned with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and helps cultivate strategies for teaching students with disabilities and collaborating with others to create individualized learning plans. You’ll take just one course at a time, and most are only 6 weeks long. That way, you can balance work and life on the path to your degree.
In the MAEd/Special Education program, you’ll study:
- Strategies for measuring students’ strengths and needs
- Special education laws and their implications for identification, placement, and instruction
- A range of disabilities, including behavioral, physical, developmental, and the autism spectrum
- Classroom management and inclusion strategies
- Structured English immersion
Play an important part in an exceptional student’s educational journey. Our MAEd/Special Education can help you get there.
Support for every step
Wondering how you’ll do it all? We’ve got you covered. You can complete your coursework in as little as 21 months, and you’ll take just one course at a time so you can balance your education with your life.
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, single-subject certification, and any questions or obstacles you encounter along the way.
Courses
Course length:
6 weeks
* Course lengths may vary.
Total credits required:
46
Max. number of transfer credits:
6
Requirements and prerequisites
You’ll need 46 credits to complete this program. These may be earned from a combination of required and elective courses. Required courses may vary based on previous experience, training or transferable credits.
Transfer credits
Earn your degree faster. Transfer eligible college credits or you can apply to have relevant experience evaluated for potential college credit. Contact an enrollment representative at 844.YES.UOPX for more information.
Student teaching
During your student teaching experience — one of the final steps to prepare you to pursue employment in the teaching field — you’ll apply your instruction and classroom management skills full time. Working under the supervision of a teacher and a University of Phoenix Faculty Supervisor, you’ll develop lesson plans, teach, work with diverse student populations and incorporate technology into the classroom.
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.
Core courses
Careers & Outcomes
Job opportunities
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job growth for special education teachers is projected to be 3 percent between 2018 and 2028. A Master of Arts in Education/Special Education can help prepare you to be a:
- Special education teacher
- Intervention specialist
- Resource teacher
- Learning support teacher
- Special education inclusion teacher
Networking opportunities
Access powerful networking tools through our PhoenixLinkTM career services platform. Take advantage of personal career coaching. Search and apply for jobs, or make your resumé visible to employers. And connect with employers and alumni through career fairs and mixers. It’s all about connections. And we help you make them.
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 MAED/SPE, you should be able to perform these learning outcomes.
Program purpose statement
The Master of Arts in Education/Special Education (MAED/SPE) is a graduate degree program preparing candidates for initial teacher licensure. The graduate degree program is intended for 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 have already earned a bachelor’s degree.
The program includes a clinical component requiring field experience and student teaching above and beyond program coursework. As licensure requirements may vary by state, it’s the student’s responsibility to ascertain and meet licensure requirements in any state in which the student desires to practice and to contact the applicable state educator licensure agency to verify current requirements to become a licensed teacher. There may be additional qualifications and/or disqualifications applicable in order to work as a teacher with any local, state or federal entity.
Accreditation
The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Accreditation is your assurance the University meets quality standards.
Institutional accreditation
Regional accreditation is an institution-level accreditation status granted by one of six U.S. regional accrediting bodies. Accreditation by more than one regional accrediting body is not permitted by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
Download program info
Save this program information as a PDF to share or read at a later time.
What sets us apart?
When you choose our Master of Arts in Education/Special Education program, you’ll discover:
You’ll work with dedicated program support staff who will help you through state licensures and other credential processes.
Take one course at a time through a curriculum that focuses on diagnosis and assessment of disabilities and inclusion strategies.
We’ll help you with school placements for your field experience and student teaching through our close partnerships with hundreds of school districts nationwide.
Take the next step
It’s time to let your education prepare you for the next phase of your career. You’ve got the will. And, with a Master of Arts in Education/Special Education degree that can be completed in 21 months, you’ve got the way.
Or call 844.YES.UOPX for more details.
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 required by most states to sit for initial teacher certification exams.
Residents of Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Utah and West Virginia: This is an Arizona-based program. As an out-of-state-prepared candidate for initial teacher licensure, your state requires you to obtain Arizona certification first prior to seeking licensure in your home state.
Candidates located in Virginia enrolled in the Alternative Pathway Certificate Program will also be required to obtain Arizona certification first, prior to seeking licensure, in their home state.
For more information on licensure requirements, application materials and website information for your state’s board or department of education, click on your state in the link below:
http://www.phoenix.edu/colleges/college-of-education/teacher-licensure/state-requirements.html
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.
