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: | Education and Professional Studies |
| 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 ABAI-verified online courses that prepare students for BCBA 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.
- Applicants for the ABA Specialization must submit a letter of intent following the instructions and rubric.
- 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 College of Education and Professional Studies.
Program Requirements
A grade of C or better is required for all coursework to be applied to the degree program.
Applied Behavior Analysis Specialization
Required Courses (30 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 credits 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) | ||
| Experimental Analysis of Behavior (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) | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Intensive Applied Behavior Analysis Cognate (42 hours)
Students wishing to complete the intensive cognate will choose 18 units 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 | |
BCBA and BCaBA Course Sequences
See the Graduate Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) page for more information.