Special Education, Moderate-Severe Disabilities Option, M.S.

Special Education Programs of Study

Faculty: Jacki L. Anderson and Ann T. Halvorsen (Co-coordinators, Moderate-Severe Disabilities); Linda Smetana (Coordinator, Mild-Moderate Disabilities)

The Special Education program prepares their graduates for careers in direct teaching and for leadership roles in Special Education. Programs are offered which lead to:

• Master of Science Degree in Special Education, Mild-Moderate Disabilities Option, M.S.  
• Master of Science Degree in Special Education, Moderate-Severe Disabilities Option, M.S.  
• Preliminary Education Specialist Credential: Mild-Moderate Disabilities  
• Preliminary Education Specialist Credential: Moderate-Severe Disabilities   

The programs’ emphasis is providing students with a wide range of practical methods for enhancing the lives of individuals with exceptional needs. To this end, coursework is taught by University faculty and successful practitioners in the field. The programs provide extensive supervised fieldwork in settings that are appropriate to each student’s professional goals.

Special Education (M.S.) 46-50 units

The M.S. in Special Education may be obtained in one of two paths, either:

(a) in conjunction with the Special Education credentials, or

(b) through a combination of the Special Education credential and research coursework listed below.

Candidates who want to pursue only the master’s degree without Specialist teaching credentials will follow the program outlines below. These candidates may obtain an M.S. degree in Special Education with an Option in either Mild-Moderate or Moderate-Severe Disabilities.

The master’s degree requirements include both coursework and fieldwork, as well as research and advanced study, including completion of a culminating Department (Mild-Moderate Disabilities Option) or University (Moderate- Severe Disabilities Option) thesis.

Applicants will apply for admission to the Department of Educational Psychology: Special Education, and will follow the departmental as well as the university application procedures.

Moderate-Severe Disabilities Option (38 units)

• EPSY 6023 - Research in Applied Behavioral Sciences Units: 4
• EPSY 6129 - Advanced Study in Collaborative Service Delivery, Education, and Transition Units: 4
• EPSY 6137 - Instructional and Behavioral Support: Moderate-Severe Disabilities Units: 4
• EPSY 6140 - Curriculum: Students with Moderate-Severe Disabilities Units: 4
• EPSY 6142 - Assessment: Students with Moderate-Severe Disabilities Units: 4
• EPSY 6143 - Positive Behavior Supports Units: 4
• EPSY 6207 - Advanced Studies in the Education of Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities: Research and Professional Practice Units: 4
• EPSY 6860 - Advanced Fieldwork I Units: 2-4 (students in this program are required to take as a 4-unit course)

Course Descriptions

Use this link to see all Course Descriptions  available throughout this catalog.

Other Graduate & Post-Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

In addition to departmental requirements, every student must also satisfy the university requirements for graduation as described in the Graduate/Post-Baccalaureate Admission and Degree Information  chapter in this catalog. These include the 32-unit residence requirement, the five year rule on currency of subject matter, the minimum number of units of 6000-level courses, the 3.00 grade point average, and the University Writing Skills Requirement. For information on meeting the University Writing Skills Requirement, see the Testing Office website at www.csueastbay.edu/testing or call 510.885.3661.