| Degree: | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
| Department: | Building 85, Room 125 (850) 474-2870 or (850) 474-3263 http://uwf.edu/education/ |
| College: | Professional Studies |
| Semester Hours Required For Degree: 36-39 | |
The M.A. in Exceptional Student Education is a comprehensive program. There is a critical shortage of certified teachers, administrators, related professionals, and specialists in many areas of exceptional student education, and teacher education students may be eligible for the Critical Teacher Shortage Loan Forgiveness Program and/or the Critical Teacher Shortage Tuition Reimbursement Program.
In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the applicant must meet the following minimum departmental admission requirements for provisional admission:
To be fully admitted to the program, the following requirements must be met in addition to the requirements for provisional admission (above). Full admission is required by the fifth week of the first semester. Students will be unable to register for a second semester of coursework until full admission has been granted.
| * | Applicants pursuing the Applied Behavior Analysis cognate are not required to hold or be seeking current professional teacher certification. |
| ** | Applicants who do not meet the GPA requirement but submit a desired current GRE verbal or MAT score at or above the 50th percentile and meet all remaining admission requirements may be conditionally admitted to the program. |
All approvals for admission to the School of Education are provisional and subject to reevaluation as students progress through the program. Students denied admission or removed from the program may appeal the decision to the Dean, College of Professional Studies.
School of Education students are expected to adhere to the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida and national standards of conduct associated with professional, accreditation, and state agencies. Students who are struggling to meet content and/or disposition standards and/or competencies may be referred to the RtI process. Any student who is referred for an RtI and does not successfully complete the intervention process may be denied continued enrollment in any professional education program.
The comprehensive master’s degree program in Exceptional Student Education is an NCATE accredited program but is not an approved initial certification program. While students may use the course work completed to apply for initial teacher certification, students who are seeking certification are responsible for referring to the appropriate school district or state Department of Education to determine specific requirements for teacher certification. This program is designed to develop master teachers who will be prepared for instructional and leadership roles in special education.
Students will be assigned a faculty mentor who will provide career advice, provide advice about the selection of elective courses related to the student’s area of interest, and provide directions and advisement concerning professional issues. Students in this master’s degree program have 21 semester hours of required core courses as shown below.
Students must also complete a cognate program of study of at least 15 semester hours. The pre-approved cognate area options are the following:
Before graduating, students will be required to complete an action research project in cooperation with a faculty member.
| EDF 6691 | Issues in Teacher Education: A Bio-Psycho-Social Understanding | 3 |
| EEX 6051 | Exceptionalities | 3 |
| EEX 6222 | Practical Applications and Issues Classroom Management | 3 |
| EEX 6225 | Assessment of Exceptional Children | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
| EDG 5366 | Investigative Strategies and Empirical Foundations in Learning and Development (should be taken during the first or second semester) | 3 |
| EEX 6945 | Research Practicum in Special Education (should be taken during the second-to-last semester) | 3 |
| EEX 6340 | Action Research (should be taken during the last semester) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Students must complete at least 15 semester hours of coursework in an approved cognate. The following are pre-approved cognates, but additional cognates may be approved by the director. Cognate courses will vary depending upon the student's background and area of interest, including whether he or she has an undergraduate degree in education.
| EEX 6035 | Best Practices in Teaching Challenging Students | 3 |
| EEX 5085 | Integrating Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
| EEX 6612 | Behavior Management | 3 |
| EEX 5283 | Employment, Social, and Personal Skill Building for Exceptional Students (Certified teachers with a bachelor’s degree in education may replace EEX 5283 with an advisor-approved elective.) | 3 |
| Advisor-approved Elective | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
| EEX 6035 | Best Practices in Teaching Challenging Students | 3 |
| EEX 6612 | Behavior Management | 3 |
| EEX 5283 | Employment, Social, and Personal Skill Building for Exceptional Students | 3 |
| Electives Chosen in Conjunction with an Advisor | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
| EDF 6225 | Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis in Education | 3 |
| EDF 6226 | Behavioral Assessments, Interventions, and Outcomes in Education | 3 |
| EDF 6223 | Positive Behavioral Change and System Support in Educational Settings | 3 |
| EDF 7437 | Measurement and Single Case Design | 3 |
| EDF 7944 | Advanced Single Case Design in Applied Settings | 3 |
| EDF 6943 | Supervised Experience in Single Case Design | 3 |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
