Early Childhood Special Education, MEd

(with or without Teacher Certification)

Overview

The Early Childhood Special Education, MEd, program prepares students to work with young children who have a disability or who are at risk of developing one. Students develop foundational knowledge of child development, theories, and best practices, including how to assess, monitor, and report the progress of young children, create enriched, inclusive learning environments, and design coherent instruction.

Students will need to complete two 75-hour internship courses, the equivalent of a part-time or one day a week rotation in a school setting. Additionally, a full-time, unpaid student teaching placement will be required in one semester (Monday through Friday). Students can explore paid job-embedded placements, but will need to inquire within their local school or district for available opportunities.

Students will work with our Career and Placement Experience Services (CAPES) team upon entering internship and student teaching courses to coordinate placement. For more information, refer to the CAPES main website.

The graduate advising office will send students admitted to the accelerated master's pathway an initial form before they transition to their graduate program. Students will need to confirm their account information, current bachelor's program, master's program, and semester start date to be fully admitted to the master's degree.

**Teacher Certification in Early Childhood Special Education, MEd is not currently available for students in Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Texas.

Certification

Students can obtain teacher certification through either reciprocity from Arizona or by applying directly for teacher certification within their state, depending on state requirements.

Students can visit the Professional Licensure and Certification website to review which states are approved for ASU's Elementary Education, MEd program.

Students can also refer to the MLFC Certification and Compliance page to learn more about the out-of-state certification process or email our Certification Team at MLFCcertification@asu.edu with additional questions on teacher certification for a specific state. Students are still encouraged to contact their state's department of education to ensure that all requirements are met when applying for certification in their state.

Because this is an Arizona-based program, students will be required to obtain an IVP card within the state of Arizona. Students will be able to obtain an Arizona IVP card from their current residence; they will not need to travel to Arizona.

Interested in this program?

Undergraduate students receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's program during their junior year (75+ credit hours earned). Applicants for the accelerated program must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in the last 60 hours of their bachelor's degree. Students who do not meet this requirement will need to meet with our advising team to discuss the next steps.

Students not yet in their junior year are encouraged to express their interest in the program to advisors as early as possible in their academic journey. This will allow our advising team to consider your interest in future courses and semesters and allow you to connect with the graduate team at the appropriate time.

To view these programs on ASU's official site please see the respective links below: