Master of Education in Special Education (MEd) / Master of Science in Special Education (MS)
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Program at a Glance
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Earning a master’s degree in special education not only improves your professional career prospects but more importantly, enables you to better serve and educate students with special needs.
Applicants seeking a master’s degree in special education are typically already licensed teachers or individuals with bachelor’s degrees in areas other than education. Xavier University recognizes that the goals of special education teachers are as diverse as the students in their classrooms, which is why we offer two distinct master’s programs – the Master of Education in Special Education and the Master of Science in Special Education.
The M.Ed. in Special Education is designed for:
- Special educators interested in completing a master’s degree.
- General educators seeking to enhance their skillset with additional knowledge of special education.
- Note: This online program does not provide licensure. If you hold a bachelor’s degree and are interested in seeking initial licensure to become a teacher you can complete the online program and receive the Master’s degree for half of the licensure program, then finish the license in a face-to-face program at Xavier University campus.
The goal of the M.S. in Special Education program is to prepare students to advocate for improvements in laws, regulations, and policies that will better serve special education populations. This program is designed for:
- Professionals in fields such as social work, school nursing, and criminal justice, who have a bachelor’s degree and want to work with people with disabilities.
- Community and health service providers who work with individuals with exceptionalities.
- Current teachers who have an M.Ed.
- Current teachers and school leaders who are pursuing multiple administration degrees.
Note: If you are seeking an endorsement in addition to a master’s degree, you can complete the master’s core classes online and then complete the endorsement courses on campus face to face.
No, the degree is from Xavier University and is awarded on meeting coursework standards that are independent of course delivery.
The tuition rate for the M.Ed. Special Ed degree online and the M.S. Special Ed online program is $584 per credit hour. The total cost of the special ed degree online program will vary, depending upon transfer credits awarded, additional fees, and the cost of textbooks/materials. See the Tuition page for more information.
No, online courses charge the same rate as all other courses regardless of if they are on or off campus.
Some students believe that online courses will be easier than a face-to-face course located on campus. However, that is not true. Each online course at Xavier University will have the same academic standards and content as a face-to-face course on campus. You may find online learning to be easier because it suits your learning style, but the course content, the expectations for how much you will learn and the assessment of what you have learned will be just as rigorous as in a face-to-face class.
Students may find that they can get to know their professor/instructor and other students better in an online course or program when compared to a traditional face-to-face course or program. There are many options for interacting with your instructors and classmates in your online course, including discussion boards, video or audio files from your instructor, email and video conferencing. There may be additional opportunities for interaction available based on the course and instructor.
You will need to review the syllabus for your course to determine how to obtain materials (print and digital) you will need for your course. The Xavier Bookstore and/or Library will be happy to assist you in finding course materials. Some readings or media lessons may be posted digitally within the online course itself or in Xavier University’s E-Reserves system.
If you are new to online learning at Xavier University, we encourage you to go through the student orientation for online courses.
The Technology Services website offers great resources to support online students.
We encourage you to take advantage of the library’s online resources.
Students must complete 30 credit hours and the program takes 1.5 years to complete.
HLC (High learning commission) is a regional accreditor that provides accreditation to graduate education institutions in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Regional accreditation validates the quality of the institution as a whole and specific aspects including programs offered, governance, administration, mission, finances and resources. The accreditation process is based on a system of peer reviews and evaluations.
Professionals and Educators who have expertise in the special education field, come from all walks of life and are a diverse group. Graduates with a masters degree in special education have ample opportunities to expand their professional career path to new horizons. Possible Careers include:
- Behavior intervention specialist:
- A behavior intervention specialist is a jack of all trades. Typical job duties include counseling students, advising teachers, providing academic program planning, coordinating academic program development and giving academic assessments. The goal of this job is help students grow in all areas of mental and physical health and wellness.
- Special education instructional coordinator:
- A special education instructional coordinator develops and implements curriculum for special needs students or a diverse student population.The primary responsibility for the instructional coordinator is helping teachers to develop and implement individual educational programs to meet the needs of students.
- Special education teacher
- Special education teachers are often found in general education classrooms in public and private school. They provide specialized instruction in education geared towards the emotional, social and vocational needs of children with disabilities. There are many different opportunities for a special education teacher to pursue.
- Working with early childhood and pre-K to 12
- Special education Teachers working at this level work with children with mild to moderate disabilities and tailor the curriculum to meet the child's specific needs.
- High incidence disabilities
- Special education Teachers working at this level may work with children that have mild to moderate autism, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, and speech language disorders. The special education teacher works alongside the general education teacher to allow children to stay in the general education classroom throughout the day, and help to refine curriculum to meet the needs of their student.
- Low incidence disabilities: Sensory, developmental, and/or multiple and severe disabilities
- Special education Teachers working at this level work with children that have severe physical or cognitive disabilities in a self contained classroom setting, which provides students with special education to meet their basic needs.
- Emotional or behavioral disorders
- Special education Teachers who specialize in emotional or behavioral disorders work and council children that have aggressive behaviors, ADHD, depression, anxiety or multiple disorders. They may provide instruction in a general education environment or self contained classroom.
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Special education Teachers who work with students on the autism spectrum may work in settings ranging from general education classrooms to self contained classrooms.
- Special education diagnostician or tester:
- Special education diagnosticians are a type of special education teacher who assesses, diagnoses and helps children that have learning problems. Also called learning consultant and learning disabilities teacher, special education diagnosticians work with the parents, counselors, psychologists, and district social workers to evaluate the child and design solutions such as remedial classes or tutoring.
- Learning behavior specialist:
- The primary role as a learning behavior specialist is to observe, assess and help children who have emotional or behavioral issues. Students may require the assistance of a learning behavior specialist due to depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, varying levels of autism, of other physical or neurological conditions. The learning behavior specialist functions as a go-between to help each student to effectively communicate with parents, teachers, and peers.
- Counseling
- A mental health counselor helps students with developmental or learning disabilities,their families, teachers and caregivers. This position will require state licensure to work in the school system or start a practice. Other opportunities including working with clinics, hospitals, family service agencies and residential facilities.
- Rehabilitation Counselor
- Rehabilitation counselors work with private, state and government rehabilitation programs and long-term assisted living facilities to help those with disabilities live more independently. Rehabilitation counselors may also need to take state licensure examinations to open a private practice, work for a hospital or agency.
- Inclusion specialist
- An inclusion specialist does their best to integrate a child with academic, physical and social development delays into the mainstream classroom. They establish a clear objective for each child, develop learning strategies, and educates and informs teachers and parents of objectives and progress.
- Reading specialist
- Reading specialists, also called literacy coaches, are specialists in teaching skills that children and adolescents need to in order to be successful at reading. Reading specialists provide tactics to teachers to improve literacy instruction and help school administrators revamp reading programs to accommodate all students' learning needs.
Each state has its own certification and licensing requirements for teachers and other professionals in the special education field. While many opportunities in this field of work only require a bachelor's in special education, quite a few now require candidates to have a master's degree or earn one in the first five years of teaching. A master's degree in special education is worth the investment because it allows you to qualify for a higher level of licensure, provides more job placement opportunities, and allows you to teach a wider variety of students.
The major philosophical, historical and social influences affecting education in American society. Incorporates professional ethics and values for administrators.
Relationships of the federal, the state and the local government to public and private education. Administrative functions as operable in the elementary, middle and secondary school. Multicultural implications.
Methodology of educational research. Statistics in research. Locating educational research.
Co-requisite: EDFD 508
This course is taken in conjunction with EDFD 507 and requires a research project and paper.
Co-requisite: EDFD 507
To apply for official acceptance as a special education student, submit the following:
State Authorization
Xavier University is authorized to offer this fully-online program in most states. View the complete list of approved states on the State Authorization page.