Special Education
If you are interested in working with school children (grades P-12) who qualify for special education services, or if you already hold teacher certification in special education, the Department of Elementary and Special Education provides degree programs designed for you.
Undergraduate Program
The Special Education B.S.Ed. Certification Track and the Dual Certification Elementary and Special Education B.S.Ed. programs are for undergraduate students The Special Education B.S.Ed. Certification track leads to initial teacher certification in the area of mild disabilities. The Dual Certification program leads to initial pre-school through grade 5 (P-5) teacher certification as both a P-5 general education teacher and a P-5 special education teacher.
Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) program
Qualified students of the Special Education B.S.Ed. Certification Track may also be eligible for an accelerated bachelor’s to master’s (ABM) program. ABM programs allow you to begin graduate studies in your senior year so you can accelerate completion of a graduate degree. You’ll earn both a bachelor’s and a graduate degree faster. And since any graduate courses taken as an undergraduate are billed at the undergraduate tuition rate, you’ll save money too.
Learn more about accelerated bachelor’s to master’s programs.
Graduate Programs
The M.A.T. in Special Education program is for individuals who already hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology, counseling, human development and family science, or a closely-related field and want to become certified to teach special education in grades P-12. The MAT leads to initial teacher certification and master’s degree upon completion. This concentration is fully online.
The M.Ed. in Special Education program and the Teaching and Learning Ed.S. program provide advanced teacher preparation and will qualify you for teacher certification upgrades. The M.Ed. and the Ed.S. programs are fully online. Please use this link above to learn more about the M.A.T. in Special Education program.
Each of these programs is based upon the concept of developmentally appropriate practices and the value of diverse, intensive field experiences working with diverse student populations. The programs are approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC).
Career Opportunities
Upon successful completion of the Special Education B.S.Ed. Certification Track program and passing the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) content exams in special education, and the Educators Ethics Exit 360 exam, you will qualify for a Georgia level 4 Induction certificate upon employment as a teacher.
MAT graduates will qualify for Georgia T-5 Special Education General Curriculum Certification (grades P-12) upon successful completion of all program requirements and passing the appropriate GACE exam. The program is an NCATE accredited, Georgia Professional Standards Commission approved program that is recognized through reciprocity in many other states in the U.S. Graduates of this program are prepared to teach in public or private school systems. For questions regarding certification, please visit the College of Education certification webpage.
M.Ed. and Ed.S. graduates serve as master teachers in their schools, clinical supervisors for student teachers, and staff professionals in school systems.