The graduate program in Special Education has been carefully designed to prepare teacher candidates with the skills and qualifications needed to begin a fulfilling career. The Special Education: Childhood Education and Adolescence Education (32 credits) and the Special Education: Early Childhood / Childhood (38 credits) programs lead directly to professional certification. Core classes provide a critical foundation for working with learners with disabilities, and an 8-week practicum lets you apply what you’ve learned.

Teacher candidates can pursue programs of study in Special Education: Early Childhood / Childhood Education (Birth – Grade 6), Special Education: Childhood Education (Grades 1-6), or Special Education: Adolescence Education (Grades 7-12). Application is open year-round, and programs can be completed in as little as three or four semesters, making it easy to advance your career on a schedule that works for you.

Special Education teachers are in high demand across the U.S. and in the Hudson Valley, as a generation of teachers approaches retirement and a growing percentage of the K-12 student population qualifies for Special Education services. This program is a pathway to a rewarding life and career as an educator, community leader, and advocate on behalf of diverse populations of learners.

Education faculty are leaders in their field and dedicated to their students’ success. They strive to nurture six core values in themselves and in their teacher candidates: critical inquiry and intellectual development; professional skills and dispositions; culturally responsive practice; 社会 justice education; democratic citizenship; and student advocacy.