Special Education, MAEd

Program Director: Sandra Warren (107-A Rivers Building; 252-328-2699; warrens@ecu.edu)

The Special Education, MAEd is an advanced licensure program designed to refine curriculum knowledge and instructional competencies across four concentration areas: behavioral/emotional disabilities, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and low-incidence disabilities. The program is administratively located in the Department of Special Education, Foundations, and Research.

The degree requires a minimum of 30 s.h. as follows:

Required core course - 3 s.h.

Choose one course from the following:

Special education required courses - 12 s.h.

Concentrations - 15 s.h.

Choose one of the following concentrations:

Behavioral/emotional disabilities concentration

Intellectual disabilities concentration

Learning disabilities concentration

Low-incidence disabilities concentration

Electronic portfolio requirement:

Requires the demonstration of field-based master teaching, research, collaboration, and leadership skills throughout the Special Education, MAEd program.

Comprehensive assessment requirement:

All ECU graduate programs require students to successfully complete a comprehensive assessment. This program requires the completion of a thesis (SPED 7000) or an action research project (SPED 7002). Both require a presentation to faculty and students.

Licensure for the Special Education, MAEd

The Special Education, MAEd leads to a NC Advanced, M Level license in one of four licensure areas. The licenses issued with this degree will be one of the following: Behaviorally/Emotionally Disabled Grades K-12, Learning Disabled Grades K-12, Mentally Disabled Grades K-12, or Severely/Profoundly Disabled Grades K-12.

Candidates may be admitted to the Special Education, MAEd if they do not hold the valid NC initial, A level license in one of the four special education licensure areas noted above, including anyone with a license in another area, with an out-of-state license, or with no license at all. These candidates will be required to sign the LNNC Waiver and by doing so are duly informed that they will not receive the NC recommendation for the chosen area of the Special Education Grades K-12 advanced, M level licensure until the NC initial, A level licensure requirements in the same area are met, which will include additional NC licensure tests and may include additional coursework.

The LNNC Waiver can be located at https://education.ecu.edu/graduate/. The waiver should accompany the application for admission to the MAEd.

ECU degree programs satisfy the professional licensure and/or certification requirements in North Carolina and prepare students to sit for these exams. Requirements in other states may be different.

Upon successful completion of ECU educator preparation program degree requirements and licensure requirements for the State of North Carolina candidates will be eligible for an ECU recommendation for a NC license. However, final licensure granting decisions are the sole responsibility of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction not ECU.

Candidates who seek out of state employment or out of state licensure will have to meet the receiving state’s requirements. There is no automatic licensure reciprocity between states. ECU will verify the completion of an approved, accredited program for candidates who seek this verification, but those candidates will be responsible for working with the receiving state to complete any additional requirements to obtain the license and/or employment in the receiving state.