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Special Education

Students seeking admission as degree or professional development (certification only) students must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. All applicants must have an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.5. In addition, for full admission to the program, applicants must meet one of the following two requirements:

A total of 800 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) OR
A score of at least 30 or a scaled score of 378 on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT)

GRE or MAT scores are required for all applicants including those holding
a masters degree.

If for any reason the student is admitted provisionally, he/she must maintain a Grade Point Average of 3.25 for the first 12 hours of study.

A master's degree may be earned with a specialization in any of the areas
of emphasis listed below. Students without a background in education must acquire certification in regular education prior to endorsement in Special Education, or they can enter the Alternative Certification Program (see below). The Preschool Special Education endorsement is exempt from this requirement.

Program of Study - M.A. in Special Education

Master's Degree Requirements (Preschool Special Education - see below)
CISP 611 and CISP 615	6 hrs.
CISP 627 or CISP 629	6 hrs.

Special Education Core
CISP 520, CISP 606, CISP 607, CIRG 644, CSIP 626, CIEC 534 (CISP 626 is not required for the degree in gifted)	18 hrs.

Certification Area (select one)	9 hrs.

Autism CISP 527, 662, 664

Behavioral Disorders CISP 645, 649

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (special education core not required) CIDH 501,502, 504, 505, 506, 601, 602, CIDH 607, CISP 607

Mentally Impaired CISP 553, 651

Specific Learning Disabilities CISP 646, 647

Gifted CISP 526, 601, 602, 603

Vision Impaired (special education core not required) CIVI 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 600, 601, 602, 603

Multicategorical CISP 553, 647, 645, 655

Electives	0-9 hrs.

Total Hours	39 hrs. minimum

Preschool Special Education
General Education: EDF 621 or 625 and CISP 627 or 629	6 hrs.

Early Childhood Education: CI 632 and 634	6 hrs.

Special Education: CISP 520, 529, 554, 661, 663, 665, 666, 674	27 hrs.

Due to the nature of a student's undergraduate program the total required in Preschool Special Education may only be 36.

Total Hours for Preschool Special Education	39 hrs. minimum

Alternative Certification Program
The Alternative Certification Program is designed to allow candidates from non-education backgrounds to obtain West Virginia teacher licensure in Specific Learning Disabilities, Mental Impairments, Visual Impairments, Behavior Disorders, Multicategorical, and Autism at the 5-Adult level. The alternative program does not include a general education teaching endorsement. Students must meet all Special Education Program admission requirements. In addition to the general Special Education Admission requirements, applicants must pass the Praxis I (Pre-Professional Skills Test) in Reading, Mathematics and Writing within their first twelve hours of coursework. The Praxis I requirement is waived for applicants with an enhanced ACT score of 26 or higher, a re-centered SAT score of 1125 or higher or if the applicant holds a master's degree. Current West Virginia Department of Education initial certification requirements also require a minimum overall GPA of 2.5, as well as a 2.5 GPA in the content specialization area. Candidates in the Alternative Certification program must also meet the WVDE Praxis II testing requirements including the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test at the 5-9 or 7-12 levels. In addition to the Special Education Core and Certification Area course requirements, students in the Alternative Certification program must complete EDF 619 and EDF 616, for certification. Additional master's degree requirements are the same as for all other Special Education master's degree programs.

Additional Certification Requirements

All Special Education majors must pass the Praxis II Test in the area(s) in which they seek endorsement. The Special Education Content Specialization Test is taken at or near the end of the certification coursework in Special Education. Students should contact the Special Education Program Area for additional information about this test.

Special Note:

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has structured the requirements in the definition of "highly qualified" for special education teachers if they provide direct instruction in core academic subject areas (i.e. English, Math, Science, etc.) Applicants' transcripts and teacher licenses will be analyzed upon admission to determine what, if any, additional coursework may be required to meet these federal requirements.

For More Information Contact:

Dr. Mike Sullivan
(304) 746-2076 or 800-642-9842, ext. 62076
Email: msullivan@marshall.edu

last updated 6/08

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