Special Education, M.A.
Non-Education Certification Program
The Non-Education Certification Program is designed to allow candidates from non-education backgrounds to obtain West Virginia teacher licensure in Visual Impairments, Multicategorical, and Autism at the 5-Adult level. The non-education program does not include a general education teaching endorsement.
Admission Requirements
Special Education M.A.
All applicants (including those seeking admission as professional development (certification only), should follow the admissions process described in this catalog or at the Graduate Admissions website at www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission.
Applicants must:
- Have an undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.50 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- Meet one of the following two requirements:
- A total of 286 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or
- A raw score of at least 30 or a scaled score of 378 on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
Non-Education Certification Program
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 Non-Education 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.
Program Requirements
Special Education M.A.
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 Non-Education Certification program (see Section 6 under Program of Study). The Preschool Special Education certification is exempt from this requirement.
Plan of Study
A Plan of Study approved by the student’s advisor must be submitted for approval to the Graduate College Dean before the student registers for his or her 12th semester hour. The Plan of Study is a student’s “blueprint” for completing graduation requirements.
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 these tests.
Special Note
The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has strengthened the requirements in the definition of “highly qualified” for special education teachers if they provide direct instruction in core academic subject areas (English, mathematics, science, etc.). Applicants’ transcripts and teacher licenses will be analyzed upon admission to determine what, if any, additional coursework may be required to meet the federal requirements.
Plan of Study
M.A. in Special Education
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Master's Degree Requirements | ||
| CISP 611 | Special Ed Research I | 3 |
| CISP 615 | Special Ed Research II | 3 |
| CISP 627 | Issues Special Education | 3 |
| or CISP 629 | Special Education Seminar | |
| Special Education Core | ||
| CISP 520 | Intro to Exceptional Child | 3 |
| CIEC 534 | Appli Software Class Curr Area | 3 |
| CISP 606 | Reading Strat Except Student | 3 |
| CISP 607 | Math Strat Except Students | 3 |
| CIRG 644 | Literacy in the Content Area | 3 |
| CISP 626 | Diagnostic-Clin Practices | 3 |
| Certification Area | ||
| Select one of the following: | 9-15 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 0 - 9 credit hours | 0-9 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 36-51 | |
Certification Areas
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Special education core not required.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CIDH 501 | American Sign Language I | 3 |
| CIDH 502 | American Sign Language II | 3 |
| CIDH 504 | Auditory Habilitation | 3 |
| CIDH 505 | Intro Deaf & Hard of Hearing | 3 |
| CIDH 506 | Curr & Meth Deaf/Hard of Hear | 3 |
| CIDH 601 | Teach Intern & Pract I (Deaf/Hard of Hearing) (Residential) | 3 |
| CIDH 602 | Tech Intern & Pract II (Deaf/Hard of Hearing) (Local School District) | 3 |
| CIDH 607 | Dev & Remed of Rdg/Writ/Disc (for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) | 3 |
| CISP 607 | Math Strat Except Students | 3 |
| CIEC 534 | Appli Software Class Curr Area | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Vision Impaired
Special education core not required.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CIVI 500 | Intro Visual Impair | 3 |
| CIVI 501 | Reading/Writing Strat Vis Imp | 3 |
| CIVI 502 | Anat Phys Human Vis Sys | 3 |
| CIVI 503 | Assess/Prog Plan Vis Impaired | 3 |
| CIVI 504 | Assess/Plan Vis Imp Add'l Dis | 3 |
| CIVI 505 | Braille | 3 |
| CIVI 600 | Math Methods/Visual Impairment | 3 |
| CIVI 601 | Practicum Vis Imp I | 1-6 |
| CIVI 602 | Pract in Visual Imp II | 3 |
| CIVI 603 | Orientation & Mobility Skills | 3 |
| CIEC 534 | Appli Software Class Curr Area | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 31-36 | |
Multicategorical
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CISP 553 | Characteristics Methods ID | 3 |
| CISP 647 | Char/Mthd Spec Lrn Disabilties | 3 |
| CISP 645 | Characteristics Methods E/BD | 3 |
| CISP 655 | Field Exp: Multi-Categorical | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
Preschool Special Education
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| EDF 621 | Educ Research & Writing | 3 |
| or EDF 625 | Qualitative Research Educ | |
| CISP 627 | Issues Special Education | 3 |
| or CISP 629 | Special Education Seminar | |
| Early Childhood Education | ||
| CI 632 | Early Childhood Programs | 3 |
| CI 634 | Lang/Cog Early Childhood | 3 |
| Special Education | ||
| CISP 520 | Intro to Exceptional Child | 3 |
| CISP 529 | Intro to Develop Disabilities | 3 |
| CISP 554 | Families of Except Students | 3 |
| CISP 661 | Intro Preschool Sp Ed | 3 |
| CISP 663 | Dev Issue Preschool Hand | 3 |
| CISP 665 | Assess Preschool Sp Ed | 3 |
| CISP 666 | Curr/Meth Preschool Sp Ed | 3 |
| CISP 673 | Field Exp Preschool Sp Ed | 3 |
| CISP 674 | Clinical: Preschool Special Ed | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 39 | |
Due to the nature of a student’s undergraduate program the total required in Preschool Special Education may only be 36.
Non-Education Certification Program
In addition to the Special Education Core and Certification Area course requirements, students in the Non-Education Certification program must complete EDF 619 Educational Psychology and EDF 616 Adv Studies Human Develop for certification. Additional master’s degree requirements are the same as for all other Special Education master’s degree programs.