EMU Today

YPSILANTI – A new online graduate program at Eastern Michigan University seeks to offer training to teachers and others interested in adding the skills required to meet the needs of special education students.

The program, Master of Arts in Teaching Special Education, was approved by the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents at its regular meeting on April 23, 2019.

The program will provide specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a student with a disability, including instruction conducted in various settings such as the classroom, the home, hospitals, and institutions.

The new program's curriculum is designed to meet and facilitate the needs of three audiences:

·      Students with a general education teaching certificate (elementary or secondary) who desire a special education endorsement and master's degree (30-39 credit hours); and,

·      Students with both a teaching certificate and initial special education endorsement who desire an additional special education endorsement (30-39 credit hours).

In addition, the MAT will offer the option for people who want to earn an initial teaching certificate who have a Bachelor's degree but no teacher certification. However, this is not fully online (61-128 credit hours, depending on undergraduate degree).

“In many cases, general education teachers are responsible for educating students with disabilities in their classes,” said Rhonda Longworth, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. “For this reason, some general education teachers wish to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching specializing in a specific disability area so that they may more effectively teach children with disabilities and thus promote more inclusive classrooms. 

“Current special education teachers who pursue the degree do so not only to make them better prepared to teach students with an array of disabilities, it also can improve their marketability and lead to salary increases.”

Indeed, it is rare for special education teachers to only have one type of disability present in their classroom. Frequently, teachers have students with multiple impairments in a class and the new program is designed to support the diverse set of student needs.

Although other universities in Michigan offer similar programs, Eastern is unique in offering the Master of Arts in Teaching Special Education. Following approval of the program, Eastern is now the only university offering all five endorsement areas: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cognitive Impairment (CI), Emotional Impairment (EI), Learning Disabled (LD), and Physical and Other Health Impairment (POHI).

Eastern is the only teacher preparation program in the area of POHI. Furthermore, Eastern will offer the Master of Arts in Teaching Special Education endorsement in the range of 35-39 credits. Thus, general education teachers seeking to add a special education endorsement to their existing certificate could accomplish this, plus earn their master’s degree in two years or less.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.