Master of Science in Education

Special Education

A graduate degree is offered in Special Education with a focus on working with students with mild to moderate disabilities. These disabilities include students in multicategorical areas of learning disabilities, mental retardation, emotional/behavioral disorders, and physical and other health impaired. The subject field required courses and many of the elective courses are offered as on-line courses on a frequent, if not annual, basis.

If the candidate enters the masters program with special education certification, the master’s degree can be completed by taking 32 credit hours, 6 hours of core requirements, 18 hours of subject field requirement, and 8 hours of electives. Since special education certification is required to complete the degree, if the certification courses need to be taken as part of the master's degree, the 8 hours of electives can be used as part of the certification requirements. But additional coursework of 8-14 hours (for a total of 40-46 credit hours) may be required to complete both certification requirements and the Master's in Special Education.

Special Education is a very marketable field right now and qualified special education teachers are in high demand in many school districts. A Master's degree in Special Education will not only help secure employment as special educators but also enhance the professional development of general educators and pave the road toward general and special education administration careers.

Admission Requirements

Minimum 2.75 GPA on undergraduate transcript
Submit valid teaching certificate (or statement of deficiencies)
Minimum combined score of 700 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE
Pass writing assessment
Complete Approved Program Form with advisor

Department Contact

Dr. Shirley Steffens
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468-6001
Phone: (660) 562-1443
E-mail: steffen@nwmissouri.edu

For more information on the specific courses of the program and complete course offering by trimester list please refer to the following links.

Special Education List of Program Course Requirements

Complete Curriculum and Instruction Periodicity Chart

For current course offerings, times, and dates please refer to the below link. Be sure to select the correct term/trimester while searching. Type in the five digit course number without dashes into the "Course Number" square and click "Get Class Openings".

Course Offerings on CatPAWS

Please check CatPAWS frequently for updated course offering dates and times.

To fulfill all requirements for class enrollment, please register at least 3 weeks in advance. Order your books early from MBS Direct.

Outreach | McKemy Center Maryville, MO | 660.562.1476