Special Education
The Master of Arts in Teaching – Special Education program is designed for individuals interested in becoming candidates for a Tennessee Special Education/Comprehensive K-12 or Special Education/Modified K-12 Teaching License. Candidates interested in a Special Education/Preschool Early Childhood Education PreK–3 license should contact the Special Education Program Director for more information.
The program mixes online and on-campus course formats and includes a semester of student teaching. Please see the official website or contact an advisor for a description of courses and their delivery formats.
Special Education courses are offered on campus in a Summer Institute format. Summer institutes blend online learning environments with an intensive week-long on-campus class based learning format.
Candidates must see the Special Education Program Director to understand Praxis Test requirements.
For initial license candidates, the program is 36 semester hours including the student teaching semester and seminar.
Candidates with a current and valid Tennessee Elementary Education teaching license may complete the Special Education Summer Institute courses to add a Special Education endorsement.
Candidates will complete the specific course requirements below.
Degree Requirements
POS
| MAT 5014 | Education for the Developing Learner | 3 |
| MAT 5070 | Advanced Classroom Management | 3 |
| MAT 5080 | Diverse Populations | 3 |
| MAT 5180 | Education: The Profession & The Professional | 3 |
| MAT 5221 | Evaluation & Remediation of Reading Problems | 3 |
| MAT 5250 | Building Literacy in the K-12 Classroom | 3 |
| MAT 5286 | Student Teaching | 3 |
| MAT 5287 | Teaching Seminar | 3 |
| SPE 5010 | Applications, Ethics, and Professional Aspects of Special Education | 3 |
| SPE 5020 | Characteristics & Needs of Exceptional Students | 3 |
| SPE 5030 | Techniques & Strategies for Exceptional Students | 3 |
| SPE 5040 | Advanced Educational Assessment of Exceptional Students | 3 |
36 minimum hours required for graduation.
Licensure: Candidates for a Tennessee teaching license must pass state-required exams to be qualified for a license. Exam requirements periodically change. Candidates must consult the Tennessee Department of Education and Educational Testing Service websites for a list of current licensure exams. Teacher licensure candidates are responsible for taking and passing the correct licensure examinations at specific times in their program of study as is detailed in the online Teacher Education Handbook.