Master of Education (Special Education Advanced Practice Autism Endorsement Concentration)

This Accelerated Degree Program is designed to provide individuals, who have undergraduate degrees in fields other than education, the opportunity to pursue a career in teaching special education in grades PK-12. While earning a Master of Education degree, students also meet Pennsylvania state requirements for Special Education PK-12 teacher certification.

The course of study includes a background in psychology and pedagogy, as well as the study of the knowledge and skills needed by special education teachers Three credits of practicum, are required prior to the supervised field experience. For the culminating experience, the student must spend a semester, or a minimum of 14 weeks, full-time in a special education classroom, supervised by Holy Family University School of Education faculty.

The Autism Endorsement program is intended to improve a teacher’s skills in dealing with complex classroom settings to include autism spectrum disorders. Students in this program are exposed to current research and practice in assessment, instructional programming, social skills training, applied behavior analysis programs, inclusion, and academic program development. The courses required for this program are open to all individuals with bachelor’s degrees. However, only students who have current Pennsylvania Level I or Level II Instructional Certification BEFORE they complete the courses listed below are eligible for the state Endorsement. These courses may also be completed in conjunction with any non-initial certification Master of Education program.

Upon completion of the program, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the cognitive, emotional, physical and social development of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and children in the primary grades
• Design and implement a developmentally appropriate curriculum for all children
• Analyze the classroom environment to determine how it can be adapted to meet diverse needs of children
• Develop and implement appropriate formative and summative assessment strategies