Exceptional Student Education, M.A.
| Degree: | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
| Major: | Exceptional Student Education |
| Specializations: | Applied Behavior Analysis Special Education |
| Department: | School of Education Building 85, Room 196 850-474-2893 http://uwf.edu/education |
| College: | School of Education |
| CIP Code: | 13.1001 |
| Semester Hours Required For Degree: 30-33 | |
The comprehensive master’s degree program in Exceptional Student Education has two specializations. The Applied Behavior Analysis Specialization provides online courses meeting curriculum requirements for students seeking Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification, Qualified Behavior Analyst (QBA) certification, and International Behavior Analyst (IBA) certification. The Special Education Specialization is designed to develop master teachers who will be prepared for instructional and leadership roles in special education. It is not an initial certification program.
There is a critical shortage of certified teachers, administrators, related professionals, and specialists in many areas of exceptional student education.
Students will be assigned a faculty mentor who will provide career advice and advisement concerning professional issues.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the applicant must meet the following minimum departmental requirements for admission:
- Have earned a GPA of at least 3.0 on a bachelor's degree. Applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirements may be granted conditional admission with a corresponding high rubric score on their letter of intent.
- Submit official transcripts confirming a bachelor’s degree from an institution whose accrediting agency is included on the list of UWF approved accrediting agencies.
- Applicants for the ABA Specialization must submit a letter of intent following the instructions and rubric.
- Applicants for the ABA Specialization whose native language is not English, applicants who are citizens of a country in which the primary language is not English, and applicants who are U.S. citizens with a degree from a country in which the primary language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency.
- Applicants for the Special Education Specialization must submit a letter of intent that includes the following information: your educational and career background, short- and long-term goals, contributions you would like to make to your field of study, and any strengths you feel you can bring to the program.
All approvals for admission to the School of Education are subject to reevaluation as students progress through the program. Students denied admission or removed from the program may appeal the decision to the Dean of the School of Education.
Program Requirements
A grade of "C" or better is required for all coursework to be applied to the Special Education program. A grade of "B" or better is required for all coursework to be applied to the Applied Behavior Analysis program.
Students completing the Exceptional Student Education Comprehensive - Applied Behavior Analysis M.A. will also earn the Graduate ABA Certificate. This certificate may automatically be added to the student record upon admission to the program.
All courses in the ABA specialization and ABA certificate programs may not be repeated more than once. Third attempts are not permitted.
Applied Behavior Analysis Specialization
Required Courses (30-33 hours)
| EDF 6222 | Concepts of Applied Behavior Analysis | 3 |
| EDF 6223 | Applied Behavior Analysis and System Support | 3 |
| EDF 6224 | Supervision and Management Fluency | 3 |
| EDF 6225 | Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis | 3 |
| EDF 6226 | Behavioral Assessments | 3 |
| EDF 6437 | Measurement and Single Case Design | 3 |
| EDF 6557 | Ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis | 3 |
| EEX 6051 | Exceptionalities | 3 |
| Choose 3 courses/6 credit hours from the options below: | 6 | |
| Autism and the Law (2 credit hours) | ||
| Intensive Intervention in Autism and Related Disabilities (2 credit hours) | ||
| Curriculum Design for Behavior Analysts (2 credit hours) | ||
| Advanced Single Case Design (2 credit hours) | ||
| Behavior Systems Analysis (2 credit hours) | ||
| Behavior Analysis of Performance (2 credit hours) | ||
| Behavior Analysis in Organizations (2 credit hours) | ||
| Applied Single Case Design (1-6 credit hours) | ||
| Required for students pursuing the International Behavior Analyst Credential: | 0-3 | |
| Experimental Analysis of Behavior | ||
| Total Hours | 30-33 | |
Intensive Applied Behavior Analysis Cognate (42 hours)
Students wishing to complete the intensive cognate will choose 18 credit hours from the electives listed above.
Special Education Specialization (33 hours)
Required Core Courses
| EDF 6691 | Issues of Diversity in Education: A Bio-Psycho-Social-Cultural Perspective | 3 |
| EEX 6051 | Exceptionalities | 3 |
| EDG 6415 | Issues in Classroom Management | 3 |
| EDG 6288 | Educational Assessment | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Educational Investigative Sequence
| EDG 6918 | Introduction to Research | 3 |
| EDG 6916 | Applied Research (should be taken last semester) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 6 | |
Special Education Courses
| EEX 6035 | Best Practices in Teaching Challenging Students | 3 |
| EEX 6612 | Behavior Management | 3 |
| EDG 6662 | Principles of Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
| Advisor Approved Electives | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Graduate Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), International Behavior Analyst Certificate (IBA), and Qualified Behavior Analyst (QBA) Certificates
See the Graduate Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) page for more information.