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Special Education, Master of Education (M.Ed.) without Certification

All masters' programs must be completed in the 5-year timeframe per the University of Maryland Graduate School policy. Additionally, continuous registration is required for all students for the fall and spring semesters each year. If graduating in August, you must be registered for a summer session. 

For exceptions to the coninuous registration requirement, students complete a Petition for Waiver of Continuous Registration form found online. Newly admitted students are to register the semester of admission to validate admission.

The MEd Specialty Program (30 credit hours) is for individuals with the following backgrounds:

  • Certified special educators who graduated from the UMD Special Education Program
  • Certified special educators who graduated from other programs
  • Allied professions such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, or speech therapy; these individuals do not wish to obtain special education certification
  • Early  childhood, elementary, or secondary general educators

In the State of Maryland, teachers with initial certification in a general education area can take the Special Education PRAXIS II test 0354/5354 (www.ets.org) to obtain special education certification through the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Ceritification and Accreditation. For more information, visit MSDE's website here.  

Please click here for more information. 

Admission Requirements

Complete the online Graduate School Application.

  1. A grade point average of 3.0 or better (based on a 4.0 system) from an accredited undergraduate institution;
  2. A grade point average of 3.5 or better in any previous graduate work from an accredited institution;
  3. All students applying to MEd degree or AGS program must take and pass the Basic Skills examination and meet the State of Maryland passing criteria. If a student starts to take Praxis I to meet Basic Skills they must complete and pass all areas of Praxis I to meet the Basic Skills requirement. Review Information on Praxis.
  4. Those applying to MA degree program must have a score on the Graduate Record Exam or MAT at or above the 40th percentile rank;
  5. Three (3) letters of recommendation from individuals with direct knowledge of the applicant's academic capabilities, work experience, and professional characteristics;
  6. A statement of career goals including:
    • relevant background information, professional experiences, certification status;
    • if not certified, whether you wish to be certified in special education;
    • intended area of study if seeking the Master’s Specialty Program (e.g., Learning Disabilities, Behavior Disorders, Early Childhood, Severe Disabilities; Transition); and
    • other information the candidate feels is pertinent to the decision of the admissions committee; and
  7. Evidence of writing skills via the statement of career goals and educational interests
  8. Students applying for teacher certification will be contacted for an in-person or phone interview
  9. For international applicants, minimum TOEFL scores of 100 are required.

Admission Requirements

Complete the online Graduate School Application.

  1. A grade point average of 3.0 or better (based on a 4.0 system) from an accredited undergraduate institution;
  2. A grade point average of 3.5 or better in any previous graduate work from an accredited institution;
  3. All students applying to MEd degree or AGS program must take and pass the Basic Skills examination and meet the State of Maryland passing criteria. Information about the praxis can be found at http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/certification/certification_branch/testing_information/praxis1.html
  4. Those applying to MA degree program must have a score on the Graduate Record Exam or MAT at or above the 40th percentile rank;
  5. Three (3) letters of recommendation from individuals with direct knowledge of the applicant's academic capabilities, work experience, and professional characteristics;
  6. A statement of career goals including:
    • relevant background information, professional experiences, certification status;
    • if not certified, whether you wish to be certified in special education;
    • intended area of study if seeking the Master’s Specialty Program (e.g., Learning Disabilities, Behavior Disorders, Early Childhood, Severe Disabilities; Transition); and
    • other information the candidate feels is pertinent to the decision of the admissions committee; and
  7. Evidence of writing skills via the statement of career goals and educational interests
  8. Students applying for teacher certification will be contacted for an in-person or phone interview
  9. For international applicants, minimum TOEFL scores of 100 are required.

For more information visit the graduate admission requirements webpage. Select an area of interest from the various offerings in the College of Education to determine the admission requirements and deadlines.  If you are unsure of your area of interest you may request information by submitting an Inquiry Form.  

MEd Deadlines
*Fall Domestic: June 14
*Fall International: March 5

Admission Procedures

  1. Review the EDSP admission requirements for MA, MEd, and AGS graduate students in the Special Education Master's Degree Programs Handbook.
  2. Contact faculty members associated with concentration area if you have specific questions or wish to discuss an area in more detail
  3. Complete admission application Online (Note:  Area of Interest 1 and Area of Interest 2 are required fields for the MEd Certification programs in the Hobson Application.  Please select ALL Areas of Interests to ensure your application will be directed to the appropriate program for review) . In your goal statement, specify your research interests and professional goals. You may request a specific faculty advisor if appropriate.
  4. All application materials must be received before the Special Education Program's Graduate Admission Committee Reviews the applicant's materials. This includes your Basic Test scores for MEd degree or GRE/MAT scores for MA degree.
  5. The Graduate Admission Committee recommends admit or reject. The final decision is made by the graduate school. Provisional acceptance may be recommended for a limited number of applicants.

Please refer to the Guide to Applying  for instructions on how to apply for graduate admission. International applicants, please visit the International admissions webpage for additional information. If you have questions or concerns, we ask you to first review our list of Frequently Asked Questions.  For questions about the application process, or to check on the completion of your application please contact:

Judy Foster, Coordinator of Graduate Admissions
Office of Student Services, College of Education
(301) 405-2359                  

After you apply for graduate admission you may check your application status by logging into the online graduate application using your user name and password.  Graduate faculty in the Academic Department you applied to will review your completed application for graduate admission.  Questions regarding application reviews and decision recommendations should be directed to Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education (CHSE).  Please contact:

Carol Scott, Coordinator of Graduate Studies
Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
(301) 405-8384

Please contact the Office of Student Services, ed-advising@umd.edu, or (301) 405-2364.

Academic advisement for graduate students is provided by the graduate faculty in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education (CHSE).   For advising information, please contact the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Carol Scott at (301) 405-8384 or cscott18@umd.edu.

Visit the College of Education Scholarship opportunities webpage. 

Visit the Graduate School Fellowship and Graduate Assistantship web page for additional funding opportunities 

For information about other student financial aid, review the Office of the Student Financial Aid website.

The Special Education Program in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and SpecialEducation, College of Education, offers a 30 credit hour Master’s of Education Specialty Program (non certification); refer to Table 1 for current EDSP MEd Specialty Program requirements here

Special Education Specialty Program (non certification) Requirements.

EDSP MEd Specialty Program Requirements                                                    Credits

EDSP 600 Issues and Trends in Educating Individuals with Disabilities         3
EDMS 645 Quantitative Research Methods I OR
EDSP 670 Single Subject Research in Special Education OR
EDSP 671 Qualitative Methodologies in Special Education                                 6

EDSP 625 Seminar on Severely Handicapping Conditions
OR
EDSP 673 Evaluating Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education            3

Specialty Area: General Special Education;
Early Childhood; Elementary; Secondary Middle; Severe Disabilities;
Autism; Reading Instruction; etc.                                                                                  18
                                                                                                                         Total Credits: 30

Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) Specialty Program Requirements                 
1. Continuous Registration and Time Frame: Registration and advising is required every semester (including the summer session if graduating). The MEd degree must be completed in five years.
2. Required Coursework (as of 1/22/15): The following coursework is required:

  • Two of the following research methods courses:

EDMS 645 Quantitative Research Methods I
EDSP 670 Single Subject Research in Special Education
EDSP 671 Qualitative Methodologies in Special Education

  • One of the following:

EDSP 673 Evaluating Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education
EDSP 625 Seminar on Severe Disabilities
EDSP 600 Issues and Trends in Educating Individuals with Disabilities

3. Submit Program of Study: A Program of Study is developed with the advisor and must include all required coursework (graduate credit is NOT given for coursework below the 400 level). The form is found here at the following Graduation School website. 

4. Transfer Credit: Up to six credits of graduate coursework may be transferred into the master’s program with the advisor’s approval. If applicable, complete the Transfer or Inclusion of Credit Form, available here on the Graduate School webpage. 

5. GPA: Maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in courses approved for graduation. Any “D” or “F” grade on record may be repeated with the second grade counting toward the cumulative GPA. If the course is repeated, the first course registration remains on the transcript. If courses with “D” or “F” grades are not repeated, they will be computed in the grade point average the same as an “F” (zero quality points). In such cases, however, the “D” and “F” grades will not be counted as a part of graduation requirements and additional coursework must be taken.

6. Submit Application for Graduation: Published deadlines each semester for submitting the Application for Graduation are found in Important Dates for All Graduating Graduate Students found here

Apply for graduation here

Note: Students must be registered the semester of graduation.

Dr. Susan De La Paz, Program Director (sdelapaz@umd.edu)

Amanda Benedick Ross, Graduate Assistant (afhrb51@umd.edu)

Carol Scott, Coordinator (cscott18@umd.edu)

Academic deadlines are provided by the Office of the Registrar for the academic year. Students should refer to the deadlines listed in Important Dates  prior to the beginning of the degree completion semester.  

Students should check with their Department or Program for any deadlines it may have.  Please contact:

Carol Scott, Coordinator of Graduate Studies
Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
(301) 405-8384

   

 

Visit the Department of Counseling, High Education and Special Education program handbooks and forms page.

The Graduate Student Life Handbook provides information on academics, campus resources, finances, health, job opportunities, and information on how to get involved as a graduate student. 

POLICY

Graduate students in the College of Education are responsible for meeting University and the Graduate School policy, and for meeting Program requirements.   The Graduate Catalog  is the official listing of Policies governing graduate education at the University of Maryland.  The schedule adjustment policy is available from the Office of the Registrar and provides information on adding and dropping courses, penalties, and refund schedules.

 

FORMS

Graduate students are required to submit various forms at specific points in the program and as part of the degree clearance process.  Please refer to Steps Toward Graduation to determine the steps and forms that are required.   The forms for use by graduate students are available here