Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Special Education and Child Development

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Special Education and Child Development is a 33-credit hour professional graduate degree that serves experienced educational professionals who have obtained an undergraduate degree and who wish to become collaborative instructional leaders who are knowledgeable, effective, reflective, and responsive to equity and diversity.

There are four concentrations for the M.Ed. in Special Education and Child Development: (1) Academically or Intellectually Gifted

The concentration in Special Education is designed for experienced teachers with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and an initial Professional Educator’s License in Special Education. The concentration in Special Education prepares teachers to be collaborative instructional leaders to support individuals with disabilities. Upon completion of the program, graduates will qualify for the M-Level North Carolina Professional Educator’s License in Special Education.

The concentration in Academically or Intellectually Gifted is designed to foster advanced competencies in gifted education that enable program graduates to assume roles as knowledgeable experts in their schools, districts, and state. The M.Ed. is a fully online, part-time program consisting of 11 graduate-level courses (33 credit hours). 

The concentration in Family and Child Developmentis for students with undergraduate degrees in related fields (i.e., early childhood education, psychology, sociology, or elementary education) who want to become leaders in a particular aspect of family and child development.

The concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis is designed for individuals who are interested in seeking a master’s degree and in fulfilling the coursework requirements for becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). The coursework in the Applied Behavior Analysis concentration includes a Verified Course Sequence (VCS) that meets the coursework requirements (5th Edition) set forth by The Behavior Analyst Certification Board to sit for the BCBA examination. The Applied Behavior Analysis concentration is offered as a 33-credit hour program with courses offered 100% online (Note: The majority of coursework is offered via “live” synchronous instructional formats).