Exceptional Education
			Description Degrees Offered Admission Master of Arts in Exceptional Education Varying Exceptionalities Track Master of Education in Exceptional Education Varying Exceptionalities Track Contact Info

Description

The College of Education offers a master’s program in exceptional education leading to a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree or a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree.

The M.Ed. degree prepares exceptional education teachers to work in programs serving K-12 students with varying exceptionalities. It is designed for teachers already certified in an area of exceptional education.

The M.A. program is for non-education majors or previously certified teachers in another field. The varying exceptionalities option leads to certification in varying exceptionalities learning (VE) and prepares graduates to teach in the areas of VE, specific learning disabilities (SLD), mental handicaps (MH), and emotional handicaps (EH). Graduates must be eligible for certification by the completion of the degree program.

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts in Exceptional Education
• Varying Exceptionalities Track

Master of Education in Exceptional Education
• Varying Exceptionalities Track

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants are encouraged to apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants must provide:

• Official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which must have been taken within the last five years
• GPA of 3.0 and GRE of 840; if GPA is below 3.0, GRE of 1000
• For M.Ed. program only: evidence of course work completed for basic State of Florida bachelor's teaching certificate
• For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

	Program(s)		Fall Priority		Fall		Spring		Summer
	Master of Arts in Exceptional Education  Feb 1  Jul 15  Dec 1  Apr 15
	Varying Exceptionalities Track  Feb 1  Jul 15  Dec 1  Apr 15
	Master of Education in Exceptional Education   Feb 1  Jul 15  Dec 1  Apr 15
	Varying Exceptionalities Track  Feb 1  Jul 15  Dec 1  Apr 15

International Applicants

	Program(s)		Fall Priority		Fall		Spring		Summer
	Master of Arts in Exceptional Education  Feb 1  Feb 1  Jul 1
	Varying Exceptionalities Track  Feb 1  Feb 1  Jul 1
	Master of Education in Exceptional Education   Feb 1  Feb 1  Jul 1
	Varying Exceptionalities Track  Feb 1  Feb 1  Jul 1

Master of Education in Exceptional Education(M.Ed.)

Minimum Hours Required—33-36 Credit Hours

The Master of Education degree prepares exceptional education teachers to work in programs serving K-12 students with varying exceptionalities. It is designed for teachers already certified in an area of exceptional education.

Varying Exceptionalities Track

Area A: Core—9-12 Credit Hours

• EDF 6432 Measurement and Evaluation in Education (3 credit hours)
• EDF 6481 Fundamentals of Graduate Research in Education (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6971 Thesis OR two of the following three approved electives*
• ELD 6248 Instructional Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities (3 credit hours)
• EMR 6365 Teaching Students with Mental Disabilities (3 credit hours)
• EED 6226 Theory and Application for EH (3 credit hours)

Area B: Specialization—24 Credit Hours

• EEX 6061 Instructional Strategies PreK-6 (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6065 Programming for Students with Disabilities at the Secondary Level (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6107 Teaching Spoken and Written Language (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6266 Assessment and Curriculum Prescriptions for the Exceptional Population (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6342 Seminar—Critical Issues in Special Education (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6524 Organization and Collaboration in Special Ed (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6612 Methods of Behavioral Management (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6863 Supervised Teaching Practicum with Exceptional Children or Elective (approved by adviser) (3 credit hours)

Culminating experience includes a comprehensive examination. Please see your adviser. Approved electives include ELD 6248, EMR 6362, EED 6226, or other course approved by adviser.

Master of Arts in Exceptional Education(M.A.)

Minimum Hours Required—36-39 Credit Hours

The M.A. program is for non-education majors or previously certified teachers in another field. In addition to the 36 hours, students must complete co-requisite and prerequisite courses. The varying exceptionalities option leads to certification in varying exceptionalities learning (VE) and prepares graduates to teach in the areas of VE, specific learning disabilities (SLD), mental handicaps (MH), and emotional handicaps (EH). Graduates must be eligible for certification by the completion of the degree program.

Varying Exceptionalities Track

Area A: Core—9-12 Credit Hours

• EDF 6432 Measurement and Evaluation in Education (3 credit hours)
• EDF 6481 Fundamentals of Graduate Research in Education (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6908 Research Report OR two of the following three approved electives
• ELD 6248 Instructional Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities (3 credit hours)
• EMR 6365 Teaching Students with Mental Disabilities (3 credit hours)
• EED 6226 Theory and Application for the EH (3 credit hours)

Area B: Specialization—27 Credit Hours

• EEX 6061 Instructional Strategies PreK-6 (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6065 Programming for Students with Disabilities at the Secondary Level (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6107 Teaching Spoken and Written Language (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6266 Assessment and Curriculum Prescriptions for the Exceptional Population (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6342 Seminar: Critical Issues in Special Education (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6524 Organization & Collaboration in Special Ed (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6612 Methods of Behavioral Management (3 credit hours)
• EEX 6946 Graduate Internship (6 credit hours)

Co-requisites

Prescribed by the college to meet state certification requirements or as support for degree program. Waiver/substitutions for co-requisites must meet departmental standards and be approved by the chair of the department.

• EDF 6155 Lifespan Human Development and Learning (3 credit hours)
• EDG 6236 Principles in Instruction (3 credit hours)
• MAE 5318 Current Methods in Elementary School Mathematics (3 credit hours)
• RED 5147 Developmental Reading (3 credit hours)

Students must also choose one of the following courses:

• EDF 6517 Perspectives on Education (3 credit hours)
• EDF 6608 Social Factors in American Education (3 credit hours)
• EDF 6886 Multicultural Education (3 credit hours)

Prerequisite

• EEX 5051 Exceptional Children in the Schools (3 credit hours)

As a culminating activity, students must complete the College of Education portfolio and comprehensive examinations. Please see your adviser.

Additional Program Graduation Requirements

Pass all applicable sections of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you’re interested in financial assistance, you’re strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. To receive need-based fellowship awards, the student must have demonstrated need as determined by FAFSA. Merit fellowship awards are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application).
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program coordinator of your major.

Contact Info

Master of Arts in Exceptional Education

Lee Cross, Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-5477
lcross@mail.ucf.edu

Master of Education in Exceptional Education

Lee Cross, Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-5477
lcross@mail.ucf.edu

Varying Exceptionalities Track

Lee Cross, Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-5477
lcross@mail.ucf.edu

Varying Exceptionalities Track

Lee Cross, Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-5477
lcross@mail.ucf.edu