Earn your Master’s degree in Special Education
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The Department of Special Education at Florida Atlantic University offers a fully online Master’s in Special Education (M.Ed.) that is carefully crafted to meet the needs of a variety of professionals seeking to expand their knowledge of the field of special education. This fully online degree program offers a combination of synchronous and asynchronous, traditional semester-long and fact-track courses, which can be completed in as little as 16-24 months. The tuition costs at FAU are among the lowest in the nation, thus students are able to earn their Master’s degree for less than $14K in tuition costs.
The M.Ed. in Special Education prepares students to work with individuals with various disabilities across many settings. This degree is based on the most up-to-date professional standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)- Advanced Preparation Standards. Our faculty hold terminal degrees (i.e., Doctoral–level), are highly respected in their field, and are well-connected within professional organizations. Our focus is on preparing highly qualified professional educators and personnel to work with special populations.
Areas of Concentration
Students completing the M.Ed. in Special Education choose a specific area of concentration in one or more of the following areas of concentration: Applied Behavior Analysis, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Early Childhood Special Education, or Special Education Intervention Specialist.
Applied Behavior Analysis
This concentration offers specialized training in the design and implementation of intervention strategies to teach socially valid behavior, intended to increase social participation and enhance quality of life. The knowledge and skills gained from this concentration serve as the foundation and preparation for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA) examination. The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI®) verified the program sequence (#51327) as meeting the coursework requirement for eligibility to apply for the BCBA certification exam. Additional requirements by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB®) include supervised fieldwork experience, degree status, and examination.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
This concentration offers specialized training to work with children and adults with an ASD diagnosis across a variety of school and community settings. The ASD concentration is based on Accreditation Standards for ASD Endorsement: Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)- Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD); Florida Department of Education Autism Spectrum Disorders Specialization Competencies; Educator Accomplished Practices: Florida Education Standards Commission (EAP); and, Subject Matter Content Standards for Teachers: ESOL = (ESOL). By completing this area of concentration, students are eligible to apply for the State of Florida teaching endorsement in ASD.
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
This concentration offers specialized training to work with young children (birth to age 8) with special needs or disabilities across a variety of education and care settings. The ECSE concentration is based on these Accreditation Standards for Early Childhood: State of Florida Prekindergarten–grade 3 Specialization Competencies (PK/P); National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) personnel standards; Educator Accomplished Practices: Florida Education Standards Commission (EAP); Subject Matter Content Standards for Florida's Teachers: ESOL; and, Florida's Early Intervention Professional Competencies (ITDS Appendix A). By completing this area of concentration, students are eligible to apply for the State of Florida Pre-Kindergarten Disabilities Endorsement (Pre-K –grade 3) and the Department of Health/Early Steps Infant Toddler Developmental Specialist (ITDS) Certificate.
Special Education Intervention Specialist
This concentration offers specialized training to provide learning and behavioral interventions to students with disabilities in school settings. The Intervention Specialist concentration is based on the most up-to-date Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Advanced Preparation Intervention Specialist Standards. By completing this area of concentration, students may seek certification initial teacher certification in Exceptional Students Education (K-12).
Depending on the concentration chosen, students completing the M.Ed. in Special Education have the option of seeking teacher certification/endorsement in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Exceptional Student Education (ESE) K-12, Pre-K Disabilities, Early Intervention Infant Toddler Developmental Specialist training (ITDS), or preparation for the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) exam.