Overview
Dr. Jeffrey Liles, Chair
The mission of the Special Education: Adolescence program is to provide a quality educational experience that prepares candidates for distinguished careers in inclusive education and for leadership roles in schools and communities. The special education programs develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions special educators need in order to effectively teach all students, including those with exceptional learning needs.
The M.S. in special education dual certification program prepares noncertified graduate candidates who are pursuing adolescence initial certification in English, Languages Other Than English (LOTE)—French or Spanish, social studies,mathematics, biology, chemistry or physics grades 7–12, and certification to teach students with disabilities at the same developmental level, and results in a Master of Science in Special Education.
Candidates who, at the time of applying, have not yet passed the New York State Content Specialty Test (CST) for the subject area in which they seek certification are admitted provisionally. This provisional status enables the applicant to take courses for the first semester, during which they must take and pass the CST in order to continue in the program.