Graduate Programs
Master of Special Education
UMD Graduate School
Program Overview
- Designed for P-12 special education teachers or people preparing for post-secondary teaching careers.
- Aligned with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Standards for Advanced Training of special educators, which advocates the importance of commitment to learners and their learning, pedagogy, assessing and monitoring student learning, leadership, reflective practice, and participation in professional learning communities.
- Summer coursework with academic year projects to allow for participants to live in rural Minnesota and surrounding states and to continue full-time employment while completing their degrees.
The cohort will meet for a period of three years. Classes will be conducted in person for one week during the first summer with project assignments connected to coursework throughout the academic year and online monthly asynchronous web discussions.
Admission and Application Requirements
All applicants to the program must have:
- Bachelors degree
- 2.8 undergraduate GPA
- Current teaching license in Special Education
- One to two-page goals statement
- Three letters of recommendation
- Preliminary writing exercise, used to assess writing skills
Degree Requirements
Courses are aligned with CEC standards and will emphasize:
- Special Education Law
- Behavior Management Practices
- Diversity, Student Learning Assessment
- Critical Pedagogy
- Research and Writing
- Educational Evaluation and Leadership
Deadlines and Dates
Click here to download an application to the Master of Special Education program.
Financial Aid
Apply for Financial Aid by completing the form online at: www.fafsa.ed.gov. Students seeking eligibility should contact the UMD Student Assistance Center to speak with a financial aid counselor: 218.726.8000. University of Minnesota employees may be eligible for academic tuition waivers.
Contact Information:
Collegiate Graduate Programs: Karen Mehle, kmehle@d.umn.edu, 218.726.6525
Special Education Coordinator: Trudie Hughes, thughes@d.umn.edu, 218.726.7174
University of Minnesota Campuses