M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction: Special Education
The Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Special Education is comprised
of four areas of Special Education. Degrees are offered in Mild/Moderate, Early Intervention,
Academically Gifted, and Educational Diagnostician. Each degree is comprised of 36
hour of course work. These degrees are offered online and prepare special education
teacher candidates to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students with
disabilities and/or gifts.
Regular Status for Admission:
- Applicants who are regularly admitted to the Graduate School satisfy at least TWO
of the following requirements:
- Minimum Graduate Record Examination (143 verbal + 138 quantitative) score of 283
or Graduate Management Admission Test score of 450
- Minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 (based on a 4.0 scale)
- Minimum formula score of 707.5 (2.5 GPA x 283 GRE) or Minimum formula score of 1000 (GPA x 200 + GMAT)
Conditional Status
- Applicants may be admitted on conditional status with undergraduate deficiencies and/or
GPA or GRE scores that fall below the minimum for regular admission. In the latter
case, the minimum requirements for conditional status are both:
- Minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.2 (based on a 4.0 scale)
or
Consideration of all previous coursework, even if below a 2.2 GPA, if 2.5 GPA was
received on the last 60 undergraduate hours attempted from a regionally accredited
college or university.
- Minimum formula score of 622.6 (2.2 GPA x 283 GRE) or for MBA applicants only, 1050
(GPA x 200 + GMAT) applies to all students being considered for Graduate School admission.
Minimum Requirements:
A candidate for the specialization in Special Education must hold a valid teacher’s
certificate in a field complimentary to graduate specialization issued by the Louisiana
State Department of Education or its equivalent. A total of 36 semester hours must
be earned for the degree. Successful candidates in this program also earn their endorsement
for Teacher Leader. See degree plan for specific course requirements.
Degree Plans
Jobs in this Master’s include:
A degree in Mild/Moderate Special Education certifies candidates to teach students in grades 1-12 with mild or moderate disabilities.
They are prepared to teach in self-contained special education classrooms, special education
resource rooms, as well general education settings as an inclusion teacher.
A degree in Early Intervention certifies candidates to teach birth to 5 year-old-children with special needs in
various setting including school based and home environments.
Candidates obtaining a degree in Academically Gifted certify them to K-12 students identified as Academically Gifted.
The Educational Diagnostician degree is an advanced degree that certifies candidates to work on a Pupil Appraisal
Team in the school setting or private practice settings. Educational Diagnosticians conduct
educational evaluations as part of the team. The Pupil Appraisal Team mission is to
identify students with special needs as outlined in the federal Individuals with Disabilities
Act (IDEA) and Louisiana Department of Education's Bulletin 1508.
Sherlyn Powell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Program Coordinator
(318) 342-1272
spowell@ulm.edu
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