Special Education
Mission Statement
Through the development of pedagogical and content knowledge, personal dispositions, practical applications, professional teaching, and advanced academic coursework, the mission of the Master of Arts in Teaching Special Education program is to prepare masters candidates to meet the academic and developmental needs of all students with special needs.
The Master of Arts in Teaching – Special Education program is designed for individuals interested in becoming candidates for a Tennessee Special Education/Comprehensive K-12, Special Education Interventionist K-8, or 6-12 Teaching or Special Education - Early Childhood Education PreK-3. This program prepares candidates for an initial educator license and requires six hours of traditional student teaching or a job embedded clinical experience.
Candidates will complete the specific course requirements below.
Degree Requirements
MAT Core Courses - 21 hours
Traditional student teaching is completed in one semester with MAT 5286 and MAT 5287 as co-requisites.
Job embedded clinical experience is completed in two semesters with MAT 5285 (first semester of employment) and MAT 5287 (second semester of employment).
Special Education emphasis - 15 hours
| MAT 5221 | Evaluation & Remediation of Reading Problems | 3 |
| | or | |
| MAT 5540 | Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3 |
| MAT 5060 | Strategies for 21st Century Classroom | 3 |
| | or | |
| MAT 5222 | Methods of Classroom Teaching | 3 |
| SPE 5010 | Applications, Ethics, and Professional Aspects of Special Education | 3 |
| SPE 5020 | Characteristics & Needs of Exceptional Students | 3 |
| SPE 5040 | Advanced Educational Assessment of Exceptional Students | 3 |
36 minimum hours required for graduation.
Licensure: Candidates for a Tennessee teaching license must pass state-required assessments to be qualified for a license. Assessment requirements periodically change. Candidates must consult the Tennessee Department of Education and Educational Testing Service websites for a list of current licensure exams. Teacher licensure candidates are responsible for taking and passing the correct licensure assessments at specific times in their program of study as is detailed in the online Teacher Education Handbook.