$398

Undergraduate Tuition Guarantee
(Cost Per Credit)

UNIVERSITY	COST PER CREDIT	COURSE FEES
UoPX	$398	One Fee per Course
GCU	$470 + multiple fees	Multiple Fees per Course
DeVry	$514 + multiple fees	Multiple Fees per Course

Information based on a BS in Business degree. Click the link below for source of data.

$698

Graduate Tuition Guarantee
(Cost Per Credit)

UNIVERSITY	COST PER CREDIT	COURSE FEES
UoPX	$698	One Fee per Course
DeVry	$776 + multiple fees	Multiple Fees per Course
Capella	$805 + multiple fees	Multiple Fees per Course

Information based on an MBA degree. Click the link below for source of data.

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Overview

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Certificate

Graduate Alternative Pathway/Special Education Certificate

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Location:

13 months

Approximate Program Length

Total Credits

$540

Cost per Credit

Online

Format

Start when you're ready

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Are you changing careers, using an emergency teaching certification or preparing for teaching licensure? Help students with disabilities thrive in education with our accelerated certificate program for a Graduate Alternative Pathway/Special Education Certificate. You’ll focus on assessing how students with mild to moderate learning disabilities learn and on providing necessary support for various behavioral and learning disorders. Credits from this certificate can transfer toward a Master of Arts in Education/Special Education.

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:

Design and implement effective instruction
Apply professional ethics to teaching practices in special education
Create and modify instructional and behavioral plans for a variety of learning needs
Create innovative strategies and incorporate technology into the classroom

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Courses

Course at a time

Weeks per course

Courses per year

Program Details

Requirements

You’ll need 24 credits to complete this Graduate Alternative Pathway/Special Education Certificate. Your course schedule may vary based on previous experience, training or transferable credits.

General Education Courses

8 Core Courses

Here’s where you’ll pick up the bulk of your program-specific knowledge. By the time you finish these courses, you should have the confidence and skills needed in this field.

Elective Courses

1 Clinical Practice/Student Teaching Course

During your clinical practice experience — one of the final steps to complete your degree — you’ll complete a rigorous student teaching experience where you will apply your instruction and classroom management skills full time. Working under the supervision of a teacher and a University of Phoenix faculty advisor, you’ll develop lesson plans, teach, work with diverse student populations and incorporate technology into the classroom.

General Education Courses:

Core Courses:

MTE/503: ORIENTATION TO ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY CERTIFICATE
APSE/559: Foundations of Special Education
APSE/578: SPED -MODEL THEORIES AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
APSE/576: CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
SEI/504: STRUCTURED ENGLISH IMMERSION-ELEMENTARY
APSE/584: LEARNING DISABILITIES AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT DISORDERS
APSE/575: MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION FOR SPED
APSE/570: SPED CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT-READING/ELA

Elective Courses:

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.

Licensure Requirements

The Graduate Alternative Pathway/Special Education Certificate prepares candidates for initial teacher licensure as a K-12, mild-moderate special education teacher. Program requirements may change based upon state agency licensure requirements and they can be found at https://www.phoenix.edu/colleges/college-of-education/teacher-licensure/state-requirements.html. Please check this list regularly prior to contacting your state agency for state-specific requirements.

Schedule

Your academic counselor will help you schedule your classes for the Graduate Alternative Pathway/Special Education Certificate.

Program Purpose Statement

The Alternative Teaching Certificate in Special Education is a graduate-level certificate program intended to prepare students with no prior teaching experience for initial teacher licensure. The certificate program is designed for students who want to become special education teachers. Candidates for this certificate program have already earned a bachelor’s degree. The certificate program includes a clinical component requiring field experiences and student teaching above and beyond program coursework. 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.

Tuition

Paying for school

locked-in tuition

$540

Cost per credit

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.

Save time and money on your certificate

Credit transfer made easy
Graduate faster by transferring in prior eligible credits from another accredited institution.

Transfer credits

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

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

Average years of industry experience

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

You might also want to check out:

Continuing Education for Teachers:

Master of Arts in Education/ Special Education:

Graduate Alternative Pathway/Elementary Education Certificate

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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.