Program Overview

Program Type

• Major

Format

• Online

Estimated Time to Complete

• 1-3 years

Credit Hours

• 33

This program prepares students to make a positive impact on programs for children, youth, and young adults with exceptionalities. The focus is on the identification of, and educational programming for, students with high-incidence disabilities; specifically, learning disabilities and/or emotional/behavioral disorders.

Emphasis

• Characteristics of students with high-incidence disabilities
• Academic and behavioral assessment
• Academic and behavioral programming

Why Earn a High-Incidence Disabilities Special Education Master's?

The program is led by faculty members who are nationally known in their field and have expertise in programs and procedures, establishing partnerships to facilitate services for exceptional individuals, systems for behavioral management of special populations, and parent and professional communication and collaboration.

Marketable Skills

• Collect, analyze, and interpret data
• Advocate on behalf of underrepresented populations
• Collaborate to improve educational outcomes
• Oral and written communication
• Creative problem-solving

Program Highlights

• Courses are offered on a rotation schedule via two 8-week terms during the fall and spring semesters and 3-week, 5-week, and 10-week terms during the summer.
• The College of Education is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
• The College of Education is one of Texas' top producers of teachers, administrators, counselors, and other school professionals.
• The Department of Educational Psychology, which oversees this degree program, is affiliated with various research and intervention centers that provide research and development opportunities for faculty and students.
• Students can also pursue a special education teaching certification through the IMPACT program if they do not already have one.
• The program can be completed in as little as 15 months (33 hours) or at a slower pace, choosing from five different starting points offered each year.

Career Opportunities

Graduates are employed as master teachers, instructional/intervention specialists, and community agency collaborators.

Top 3 Careers

• Special Education Teaching
• Paraprofessional
• Intervention Specialist

Sample Courses

• Classroom and Behavior Management Strategies for Exceptional Learners (3 hrs)
• Characteristics of Individuals with Learning Disabilities (3 hrs)
• Characteristics of Children/Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (3 hrs)
• Positive Behavioral Interventions in Educational and Related Settings (3 hrs)
• Teaching Social Skills to Children and Youth with Disabilities (3 hrs)
• Collaboration with Parents, Paraeducators and Professionals (3 hrs)