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Jul 19, 2025
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2025-2026 University Academic Catalog
Special Education, M.S.
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The Master of Science in Special Education is a single degree, offering practicing educators and those intending to enter the teaching profession the opportunity to design a program of study to meet their interests and teacher licensure needs.
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Admissions Requirements
A combination of factors including GPA, personal narrative, resume, professional references, and teaching experience will be used for determining acceptance to the graduate program in special education. Submit an application with all required documentation to the Office of Graduate Admissions (gradadmit@radford.edu). Degree Requirements
I. M.S. in Special Education with Concentration – 30 hours II. M.S. in Special Education, Fifth Year – 30 hours III. M.S. in Special Education without concentration – 30 hours For successful completion of the Master of Science in Special Education program, all candidates are required to pass a comprehensive examination of their knowledge and application of content learned in the program. I. M.S. in Special Education with Concentration
- Special Education, General Curriculum, K-12
- Special Education, Adapted Curriculum, K-12
- Special Education, Early Childhood, birth-five
- Special Education, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, preK-12
- Special Education, Blindness and Visual Impairment, preK-12
A. Special Education, General Curriculum
This option is for those who will work with students with disabilities who learn within K-12 general education curriculum primarily within general education settings. Required Program Courses (18 hours)
B. Special Education, Adapted Curriculum
This option is for those who will work with students with complex disabilities who require an individualized, adapted curriculum and specialized supports to gain access to the general education curriculum and learn within K-12 general education settings. Required Program Courses (18 hours)
C. Special Education, Early Childhood Birth-Five
This option prepares graduates to work with and advocate for infants and young children with developmental delays and disabilities birth to five and their families in a variety of early intervention, home and school settings. Required Program Courses (18 hours)
- EDSP 686 - Instructional Programming to Teach Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers with Disabilities
- EDSP 648 - Family-centered Intervention and Program Management in Early Childhood Special Education
- EDSP 637 - Early Childhood Assessment and Intervention
- EDSP 602 - Speech-Language Disorders & Development: Birth to Five Years
- EDSP 639 - Medical Aspects of Teaching Young Children with Disabilities
*Elective - Must be a 500-level course or higher in one of the following prefixes: EDSP, EDRD, EDEF or EDET To obtain VDOE licensure in Special Education, Early Childhood, Birth-Five, an additional 6 semester hours of internship experiences are required. Students who are on a provisional early childhood special education license can complete one year of successful, supervised full-time teaching experience in this endorsement area in a public school or accredited nonpublic school during their graduate program and be given the opportunity to have this experience accepted in lieu of the supervised teaching internship. These internship courses are not required to obtain the concentration in Special Education, Early Childhood Birth-Five. - EDSP 740 - Teaching Internships in Early Childhood Special Education: Home and Community-Based Services
- EDSP 741 - Teaching Internships in Early Childhood Special Education: School-Based Services
To obtain a VDOE professional license in Special Education, Early Childhood Birth-Five, an additional 9 semester hours of professional studies may be required. - EDEF 600 - Child and Adolescent Learning and Development
- EDEF 607 - Foundations of Education
- EDRD 688 - Foundation of Literacy Instruction
D. Special Education, Hearing Impairments
This option is for those who will work in a variety of educational settings with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Required Program Courses (18 hours)
E. Special Education, Blindness and Visual Impairment
This option is for those who will work in a variety of educational settings with students who are blind or have visual impairments. Required Program Courses (21 hours)
II. M.S. in Special Education, Fifth Year
This program option is designed for Radford University students who have graduated from the Interdisciplinary Studies: B.S. program in Special Education, the licensure B.S. program in Elementary education with a special education, concentration or the licensure B.S. program in Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Undergraduate students must meet all requirements for admission to the graduate program before being enrolled in the fifth year. Students are expected to complete the graduate admissions process during the final semester of their senior year. Graduate admissions requirements for students in the fifth-year program are the same as for other options within the Special Education Master’s program. Students in this option must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 to qualify for enrollment. The following courses are required for the master’s degree in Special Education and VDOE licensure in Special Education: General Curriculum K-12 and Special Education: Adapted Curriculum, K-12. If undergraduate courses were not taken for the adapted curriculum license then students will only receive licensure in Special Education: General Curriculum K-12. Students who earned licensure through the B.S. program in Deaf/Hard of Hearing will take EDSP 672 , Characteristics of Learners with Disabilities who Access the General Education Curriculum, K-12, rather than EDSP 669 , Diagnostic and Assessment Procedures for Individuals with Disabilities, which they take at the undergraduate level. Required Courses and Internships (30 hours)
III. M.S. in Special Education without Concentration (30 hours)
This option is for those seeking advanced professional development in Special Education and who do not need to focus on a single endorsement-related area of coursework for licensure. Students will take 12 hours of core courses with an additional 18 hours of coursework selected with an advisor. Of the 30 total hours, 21 must be at the 600 level or above. Special Education Electives (15 hours)
Five courses must be taken from the list below, with at least 3 hours in each of the four categories. Students will choose two courses in one category for a total of five courses. Other courses may be accepted if approved by the department. Assessment and Evaluation
Reading, Writing, Communication, Language Development
Remaining 3 Credits
The remaining 3 credits must be taken in one of the areas listed above. Open Elective (3 hours)
To be selected from course offerings in EDEF, EDEL, EDUC, EDRD, COED, COSD, EDEC, EDET, EDSP or PSYC. |
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