M.S. in Childhood Education/Special Education

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY

M.S. IN CHILDHOOD EDUCATION/SPECIAL EDUCATION (DUAL CERTIFICATION)

This 48-credit Master of Science program prepares you for New York state certification in both Childhood Education and Special Education. You will learn to develop and teach innovative curricula for children in Grades 1 to 6, and to teach elementary school children with special needs, including mental handicaps, learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, developmental disorders and physical disabilities. In addition, you will explore the historical, social and legal foundations of special education and receive extensive clinical experience by working with children with special needs. You will learn to identify the characteristics of youngsters with varying levels of learning difficulties and adapt instructional strategies and materials to fit their needs.

The program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council, signifying it meets the highest standards of quality in preparing competent, caring and qualified professional educators who will teach and lead in pre-K through grade 12 schools.

In service to our local community, the Department of Special Education and Literacy houses two on-campus clinics for children with reading challenges and disabilities: The Literacy and Learning Development Center and the Center for Community Inclusion.

PROGRAM GOALS

The Master of Science program is dedicated to preparing teachers who are:

Knowledgeable, ethical, caring decision-makers for students with special educational needs.
Skilled instructors who plan, implement and assess instruction for the general student population in grades 1-6.
Proficient in instructional technology including the knowledge of skills, strategies, software and hardware to be used in classroom management and computer-assisted instruction.
Knowledgeable in theories of learning and growth, content areas to be taught, and the theories, laws, procedures and programs related to the field of special education.
Collaborative and ethical decision-makers
Life-long learners committed to: intellectual growth, inquiry, professionalism, appreciation of diversity, and advocacy for students

Admissions Requirements

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants to the M.S. in Childhood Education Special Education Program must meet the following requirements for admission:

Application for Admission
Official copies of your undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts from any college(s) or universities you have attended. Applicants must have achieved at least a 3.0 grade point average or equivalent in a bachelor's program.
Personal statement
Submission on the general Graduate Record Examination (Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Analytical Writing). Scores cannot be more than five years old at the time of the application.
If you hold a degree from outside the United States your official records of all post-secondary education must be translated by an approved organization such as World Education Services (WES). You may purchase this translation by contacting WES, www.wes.org or telephone at 1-800-937-3895. Request a course-by-course translation with conversion of all grades into a U.S.4- point scale with U.S. degree equivalencies. This translation must be received by the Office of Admissions in an envelope sealed by WES.
Students for whom English is a second language must submit official score results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The required minimum acceptable TOEFL score is: 79 Internet-based (213 computer-based or 550 paper-based) or minimum IELTS score: 6.5.

Send application materials to:

Graduate Admissions
LIU Brentwood
LIU Brentwood Bldg.
1001 Crooked Hill Road
Brentwood, NY 11717

Program Requirements

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

You must complete all the course work listed in your Degree Requirements and achieve an overall G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher.
You must participate in a minimum of 150 hours of Field Experience.
You must pass the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations . For complete information about the New York State Teacher Certification Exams, visit the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations Web site.
In order to be certified to teach in New York State, all students pursuing a teacher education degree must participate in two workshops, a School Violence Prevention and Intervention Workshop (Project S.A.V.E.) and a Child Abuse Identification Workshop. These workshops should be taken in your last two semesters of your degree program.
In order to student teach or receive your New York State teaching certificate or apply for employment in a school district, charter school or boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES), New York State requires you to satisfy a Fingerprint Investigation for a criminal history background check. LIU Post recommends that you participate in the fingerprinting prior to student teaching. Visit the "Fingerprinting" section of the New York State Education Department Web site for more information and directions on how to apply. If you are a certified teacher who has already been fingerprinted by the New York State Education Department database before July 1, 2001, you do not need to be reprinted.
You must participate in Student Teaching for one semester, full-time. This generally occurs in your last semester of study.

See Teaching Certification Requirements for details.

REQUIRED COURSES

48 CREDIT MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CHILDHOOD EDUCATION/SPECIAL EDUCATION (DUAL CERTIFICATION)

Curriculum and Instruction required courses:

*Course*		*Credits*
EDI 600	Psychological Foundations of Education	3
EDI 601	Social Foundations of American Education	3
EDI 677	Curriculum Development for the Classroom	3
EDI 612	Teaching Social Studies in Grades 1-6	3
EDI 613	Teaching Mathematics in Grades 1-6	3
EDI 614	Teaching Science in Grades 1-6	3
EDI 710	Supervised Student Teaching and Seminar for Childhood/Special Ed or Childhood/Literacy	3

Sub Total Credits: 21

Special Education core course requirements:

*Course*		*Credits*
EDS 600	Introduction to the Study of the Exceptional Child	3
EDS 610	Literacy Teaching and Learning: Birth-Grade 6	3
EDS 617	Literacy for Children with Disabilities: Birth-Grade 6	3
EDS 630	Curriculum-based Assessment and Instruction of Students with Mild Disabilities	3
EDS 631	Curriculum-based Assessment and Instruction of Students with Severe Disabilities	3
EDS 632	Instruction and Classroom Management for Children with Emotional and Behavior Problems	3
EDS 633	633 Accommodating Learners with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings (Includes Technology and Inclusion)	3
EDS 624	624 Contemporary Issues and Research in Special Education/Culminating Experience	3
HE 205A	Health and Substance Abuse Seminar	0
EDS 713	713 Supervised Student Teaching and Seminar in Special Education	3

Sub Total Credits: 27

Total Credits: 48 - 51 credits

150 hours of Field Experience is required.

Culminating Experience (0-3 credits)

Comprehensive Exam or Final Project or EDI 705 – Thesis = 3 credits
For Curriculum and Instruction ONLY

Course Descriptions

COURSE DESCRIPTION

EDI 600 Psychological Foundations of Education

This course is designed to introduce students to psychological theories and principles which affect teaching, learning and development. Students have the opportunity to observe student and teacher behavior as well as classroom environments in order to identify operative psychological theories and principles. The use of the technology and learning will be examined. This course will require a writing component. Also, 10 hours of fieldwork will be required.

Credits: 3 Every Fall, Spring and Summer

EDI 601 Social Foundations of American Education

This course introduces students to the social, economic, political and intellectual foundations of American education. It describes the development of the American school system in a rapidly changing environment, with emphasis on the relationship between education and society. Main topics to be explored are the structure and purposes of schooling, the professionalization of teaching, educational policy making and school social factors influencing teaching and learning, and the relationship between education and work. Class discussions are based upon both primary and secondary sources. The use of the technology as it relates to teaching and learning will be examined. This course will require a writing component. Also, 10 hours of fieldwork will be required.