SPECIAL EDUCATION AND DISABILITY POLICY

Programs

M.Ed. in Special Education

Master in Education - Mental Retardation

Graduates of the Master of Education in Special Education – Mental Retardation Program may fill roles as resource room, modified resource room, or self-contained classroom teachers in varied urban, suburban or rural areas. Some graduates are employed in residential programs for individuals with mental retardation or in programs in community or state department settings. The commonwealth of Virginia licenses their employment in public or private settings serving students from kindergarten through secondary school age. The course of study includes a minimum of 42 credits designed around three components: foundations, special education core and specialization in mental retardation. The foundations component is comprised of nine semester hours that focus on three distinct content areas: human development and learning, cultural, philosophical and historical foundations, and research and evaluation methods. The special education core of 18 semester hours focuses on curriculum that is rooted in special education for individuals with mental retardation as well as other disabilities. The specialization in mental retardation is comprised of 15 semester hours that focus on the development of specific advanced competencies for filling the varying roles of professionals in mental retardation. With previous licensure in mental retardation, the program will require approximately one year of full-time study for completion. Students seeking initial licensure should consider the master of teaching which is designed for initial licensure seekers.

Required Courses and Field Work

Foundations 9 credits

EDUS 660 Research Methods in Education (3)

(one of the following)
EDUS 602 Adolescent Growth and Development
EDUS 603 Seminar in Child Growth and Development
EDUS 604 Adult Development
EDUS 607/PSYC 607 Advanced Educational Psychology
EDUS 609 Learning Theories in Education Cultural, historical and philosophical (3)

(one of the following)
EDUS 601 Philosophy of Education
EDUS 608 History of Western Education
EDUS 610 Social Foundations of Education
EDUS 612 Education and the World’s Future
EDUS 614 Contemporary Educational Thought
EDUS 673 Seminar on Educational Issues, Ethics and Policy

Special Education Core 21 credits

TEDU 533 Education Assessment of the Exceptional Individual
TEDU 630 Trends in Special Education
TEDU 631 Behavior Management
TEDU 632 Secondary Programming
SELD 530 Language Disabilities: Assessment and Teaching
TEDU 531 Collaborative/Consultation Skills for Working with Families and Professionals
TEDU 561 Reading Foundations (pre-requisite for TEDU 566)


Specialization core 9 credits

MNRT 556 Introduction to Mental Retardation (3)
MNRT 560 Curriculum Design for Students with Mental Retardation (3)
TEDU 566 Diagnosis and Remediation in Reading (3)

Clinical 6 Credits

TEDU 700 Externship: MR
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