App State has returned to pre-pandemic operations for the Fall 2021 semester, with safety precautions in place. There are no current plans to move in-person classes online. All students, faculty and staff should get vaccinated against COVID-19. Face coverings are required in all indoor campus locations for students, faculty, staff and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. Read the latest updates

Special Education: Master of Arts (MA)

About

In Appalachian’s Master of Arts in Special Education degree program, students learn and practice advanced skills in improving the lives of those with special needs. Graduates are regarded as well trained and are readily hired to teach special education in public and private schools across the country.

The program fulfills requirements for the advanced competencies licensure from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Graduates are eligible for employment in a variety of special education settings. Students are required to complete a final portfolio (Product of Learning) in the last semester of their program.

This program requires a minimum of one course in each of the three disability areas listed below. Each course provides specific strategies for improving social, emotional or academic skills:

Intellectual Disabilities
Learning Disabilities
Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

In addition, students can earn the Graduate Reading Certificate, which may lead to licensure as a reading teacher in NC, and/or the Graduate Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate.

More Information

Professional Licensure

This is a program that can lead to licensure or certification. Appalachian State University cannot confirm whether this program will meet the requirements for professional licensure in other states or territories.

If this applies to you, check the U.S. Department of Education for information on licensure requirements and licensing agencies in other states. Or, you may address questions to State Authorization at Appalachian at stateauthorization@appstate.edu or 828-262-7559.

People

Alumni Profile: App State leads nation in board certified teachers

For the fifth consecutive year, App State tops the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ list of “Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of NBCTs” in 2021.

Courses

Graduate Bulletin and Course Catalog
- Special Education, MA

Application Essentials

Required Entrance Exam: Applicants to this program may be eligible for a standardized exam waiver. For details, please read the Admission Requirements information.

Required number of references to specify in the online form: 3

Basic Conditions for Consideration of Admission: Meeting or exceeding the conditions below does NOT guarantee admission. All applications for a given entry term will be weighed based upon the number of seats available and the quality of the complete application packages. With special permission from the Graduate School, a program may admit a limited number of students with exceptional circumstances who do not meet the graduate school minimums.

Graduate School: 3.0 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores from the appropriate admission test(s), OR 2.5 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores at the 25th percentile level from the appropriate admission test(s).

Admission to Special Education: Both qualitative and quantitative aspects of applications are reviewed in comparison to the current applicant pool.

For information on Accelerated Admissions or advising, email the program director at shanklandrk@appstate.edu.

Employers

Public and private schools across North Carolina and the U.S.

Apply

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Info

Degrees

Application Deadlines

Spring Admission
November 1

Summer Session 1 Admission
April 1

Summer Session 2 Admission
April 1

Fall Admission
July 1

Why Appalachian?

Appalachian has long been recognized as an outstanding teacher education institution.
Graduates are readily hired by public and private schools across the country.
Off-campus cohorts in addition to the on-campus program improve accessibility for working teachers.
Students engage in meaningful professional relationships with faculty.
Classes are small, and the program emphasizes opportunities for research and applied field-based projects.
There are add-on certificates in Autism and Reading.
All graduate programs at Appalachian have small class sizes, providing intimate classroom interaction.
The School of Graduate Studies offers scholarships, fellowships and assistantships to support eligible, full-time, degree-seeking students.

Location

On campus and off campus

Careers

Teacher
Behavioral Specialist
Resource Teacher

Contacts

Dr. Rebecca Shankland
Program Director
shanklandrk@appstate.edu

Department of Reading Education and Special Education

Reich College of Education

Department of Reading Education and Special Education
The Department of Reading Education and Special Education offers innovative programs focusing on all facets of reading, writing, language arts and specific areas of special education. The Anderson Reading Clinic provides direct services to children with reading disabilities. Learn more at https://rese.appstate.edu.

Reich College of Education
Approximately 2,400 students
- The Reich College of Education enrolls approximately 2,400 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. It houses five departments: Curriculum and Instruction, Family and Child Studies, Human Development and Psychological Counseling, Leadership and Educational Studies, and Reading Education and Special Education.
Teacher preparation
- Appalachian has been training quality educators for more than 100 years and is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
- Appalachian offers the largest undergraduate teacher preparation program in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. There is at least one RCOE graduate working in every county in North Carolina.
- The Reich College of Education is recognized consistently in the annual Institution of Higher Education Performance Report by the State Board of Education.
Close ties to public schools
- The Appalachian State University Public School Partnership – which includes 125 schools in nine surrounding districts – provides sites for student teachers and interns as well as professional development opportunities for teachers.
- The Appalachian State University Academy at Middle Fork, located in Walkertown, North Carolina, serves over 300 K-5 students. The Academy provides a balanced education through the implementation of research-based practices, state-of-the-art literacy instruction, and exemplary classroom instruction and administration.
Graduate programs
- The School of Graduate Studies’ Accelerated Admission program, in which select undergraduate students can fulfill both undergraduate and graduate course requirements in their senior year toward the completion of a graduate degree program, is offered in: higher education, reading education and special education.
- Other education-related master’s degrees, graduate certificates and specialist degrees are listed on Appalachian’s School of Graduate Studies website.