Special Education: Learning Disabilities (MA)

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Admission to the Program

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for graduate study, applicants must earn a satisfactory score on Praxis CORE set by the District of Columbia.

Degree Requirements

32 credit hours of approved graduate work
- Option to waive credit hours: Students who are fulltime classroom teachers may be permitted to waive 2 credit hours of internship (EDU-792 ) without replacement. The waiving of credit hours and the specific number of credit hours to be waived are determined and approved by the program director upon admission to the program
Electronic professional teaching portfolio
Completion of Praxis II Exam prior to graduation

Course Requirements

Required (29 credit hours)

Note: An approved elective by the student’s advisor may be used as a substitute for EDU-620 .

Special Education (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Online Special Education: Learning Disabilities (MA)

The online Special Education: Learning Disabilities (MA) program affords candidates with the opportunity to engage in the program components through online courses guided by AU faculty which include synchronous with discussions and activities and asynchronous readings lecture presentations. Candidates will spend one week in Washington, DC at the Lab School of Washington in an immersion with the program faculty and Lab School staff to build underlying understandings of learning disabilities and the program components. Admission, degree, and course requirements are the same as for the on-campus program. Courses are offered in the traditional fifteen-week semester. Students are expected to take two courses each semester and complete the program within a twenty-month period. Students must be accepted into the online program to enroll in online classes.

Combined Bachelor’s Degree and Special Education: Learning Disabilities (MA)

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs:

Applicants must have a grade point average of 3.00 or higher in major and minor courses
Students seeking the combined BA/MA option must complete both degrees on-campus