Special Education (MEd/MSEd)
Program Details
Xavier's School of Education offers on-campus and fully online Master of Education (MEd) and Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in Special Education degrees. The MEd in Special Education and the MSEd in Special Education are designed for educators interested in enhancing their skill set with additional knowledge of special education.
Optional licensures and endorsements:
Licensure or endorsement concentrations require additional coursework and can be planned as part of the MEd in Special Education or the MS in Special Education programs.
Intervention Specialist licensures (offered online and in-person)
- Mild/Moderate
- Moderate/Intensive
- P-5 Primary Intervention Specialist
Endorsements (offered online and in-person)
- Pre-K Special Needs
- Gifted/Talented
- Transition to Work
Admission
Applications are accepted throughout the year from students with a bachelor's degree and a solid academic background. You may begin the program in the summer, fall or spring term.
To apply, submit the following application materials to the Office of Graduate Admission:
- The online graduate application.
- One official transcript sent directly from the college/university of all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework to:
Xavier University
Admission Processing Center
3800 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45207-5131
OR
Electronic transcripts to xugrad@xavier.edu
Applications are processed immediately upon receiving all of the necessary materials, and you will be notified of your status as soon as possible. The admission committee considers all of the information contained in the admission application, including prior grades, test scores and evidence of potential for success in graduate study.
TEST WAIVER OPTION
Applicants to Graduate Programs in the School of Education Must Have:
- Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited university AND
- Admission test score
- State licensed teacher
- Pursuing a M.Ed. or M.S.Ed. without licensure (if undergrad GPA is 3.0 or higher)
- Pursuing a principal or administration license
- Pursuing a second license or endorsement
- Pursuing a Montessori teaching credential only
*International students may have additional application requirements. See International Graduate Admissions for more information.
For questions regarding the application process, e-mail the Office of Graduate Services at xugrad@xavier.edu.
Curriculum
MED CORE EDUCATION COURSES (9 SEMESTER HOURS):
Core Education courses are required for the Masters of Education in Special Education
- EDFD 500: History and Philosophy of American Education.................................. 3cr.
- EDFD 505: Organization of Educational Systems in the United States.................. 3cr.
- EDFD 507: Educational Research........................................................................... 2cr.
- EDFD 508: Educational Research Paper................................................................. 1cr.
MS in SPECIAL EDUCATION COURSES (9 SEMESTER HOURS):
Core Education courses are required for the Masters of Science in Special Education
- EDSP 617: Administrative Partnerships in Special Education ……………………3 cr.
- EDSP 618/619: Research in Special Education……………………………………3 cr.
- MATH 516: Statistics ……………………………………………………………..3 cr.
SPECIAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE
Students are required to take seven electives (21 semester hours) from the list below.
- EDSP 500: Identification and Issues in Special Education..................................... 3cr.
- EDSP 501: Introduction to Emotionally Disturbed Children................................. 3cr.
- EDSP 503: Special Education Communication and Collaboration ………………3cr.
- EDSP 505: Foundations in Early Childhood Special Education............................ 3cr.
- EDFD 510: Advanced Human Development and Learning................................... 3cr.
- EDSP 556: Resources in Transition Education and Services................................. 3cr.
- EDSP 560: Mild/Moderate Characteristics and Strategies..................................... 3cr.
- EDSP 563: Special Education Assessment and Evaluation………………………3cr.
- EDSP 564: Special Education DAP Instructional Materials ……………………..3cr.
- EDSP 567: Social Skills and Behavior Management..............................................3cr.
- EDSP 570: Moderate Intensive Characteristics…………………………………..3 cr.
- EDSP 572: Communication Strategies and Techniques........................................ 3cr.
- EDSP 573: Special Education Assessment and Evaluation MI ………………….3cr.
- EDSP 581: Play and its Role in Development and Learning……………………..3cr.
- EDSP 580: Classroom Management...................................................................... 3cr.
- EDSP 583: Resource Materials and Techniques: Gifted/Talented........................ 3cr.
- EDSP 615: Special Education Law……………………………………………… 3cr.
- EDSP 616: Philosophy and Cultural Diversity...................................................... 3cr.
- EDSP 617: Administrative Partnerships in Special Education............................ . 3cr.
Sample Courses
EDSP 556: Resources in Transition Education and Services - Candidate will spend 15 hours participating in supervised field experience in a transitional educational setting and 15 hours participating in supervised field experience in a transitional service setting that is designed to address the practicing skills of a transition to work specialist. During these field experiences, the candidate will attend the scheduled seminars of the course that address the students, families, community agencies' needs and coordination, future directions, leadership to promotion of programs; and, systematic processes.
EDSP 560: Mild/Moderate - Characteristics and Strategies Designed to provide students with a basic knowledge of mild to moderate disabilities. Required field experience in diverse settings.
EDSP 617: Administrative Partnerships in Special Education - Aligned with standards of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), this course details strategies to develop a collaborative partnership between special education staff and the school administration to facilitate the implementation of special education services.
Tuition and Fees
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Request InformationPopular Program
Special Education is one of the most popular of Xavier's education programs, yet still small enough to guarantee personal attention. The program provides the educational theory and coursework needed to fully prepare licensed Special Education teachers so that children of every grade level get the education they need and deserve.
Value Added
Graduate students can add coursework for licensure as a Mild/Moderate, Moderate/Intensive or P-5 Primary Intervention Specialist or for an endorsement area in Pre-Kindergarten, Gifted/Talented or Transition to Work.
Experienced
All students seeking licensure in Special Education experience at least 15 weeks in supervised student teaching in local classrooms. Xavier has long-term partnerships with over 50 regional school districts where students are placed for field experiences and student teaching.
Master of Education Programs at Xavier
Special Education (MEd/MSEd) Program at Xavier University
Xavier’s School of Education offers both a Master of Education and Master of Science in Special Education. The MEd in Special Education and the MS in Special Education are designed for special education teachers and general educators interested in completing a master’s degree to enhance their skillset with additional knowledge of special education. It requires 30 credit hours of coursework consisting of 9 credit hours of core and 21 credit hours of approved courses for the Special Education concentration. The MS in Special Education provides a more scientific view of education for students who want to be advocates for improvements in laws, regulations and policies that will better serve special education populations. Licensure concentrations or endorsements require additional course work that can be planned as part of the degree program. Master’s degrees in Special Education without licensure are also available.
Xavier University's College of Professional Sciences prepares undergraduate and graduate students intellectually, morally and spiritually for careers and professions of service. CPS challenges students to strive for academic excellence and life-long learning through promoting collaboration and community partnerships, and incorporating research, scholarship and innovation.
Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Founded in 1831, the University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. It has been ranked among the top 10 master's-level universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for the past two decades. The Princeton Review names it one of the "Best 385 Colleges in America."