The Department of Special Education prepares high quality professionals, at both initial and advanced levels, who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to be leaders in their disciplines.
The Master of Science in Special Education degree consists of a set of core classes, including a capstone thesis and a program emphasis area. These program emphasis areas listed below are also available as stand-alone graduate certificates. All special education graduate programs are offered online to assist the working professional.
Our online special education graduate programs at Minot State University will prepare you, a reflective practitioner, to be an equipped leader in the field. The curriculum is aligned with Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) professional standards which are intended to foster high-quality teaching and learning, equal educational opportunity, and improved student achievement in academics, behavior, and independent living.
While earning a Master of Science in Special Education with an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) emphasis, you will learn to work with young children, with or at risk for developmental delays, and their families. You will learn to support families, assess young children with suspected developmental delays, develop appropriate intervention programs, and coordinate a variety of services in home, educational, and community settings.
You will learn to provide effective instructional services in educational settings when you earn your Master of Science in Special Education with an emphasis in Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). The coursework focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of learning disabilities and effective support methods for this population.
The Special Education Strategist (SES) emphasis is designed to prepare teachers as special education generalists. You will focus on supports for students who have learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities and autism, and emotional/behavioral disabilities, while enrolled in the program.
The Deaf/Hard of Hearing Education emphasis prepares you to effectively teach students who are deaf or hard of hearing in a variety of educational settings. The emphasis is on appropriately meeting the individual needs of children and youth, rather than promoting a specific communication philosophy. Depending on your background, you may need to meet certain pre-requisite coursework such as sign language, introduction to deaf education, and audiology.
The Minot State University Graduate School offers certificate programs to assist North Dakota teachers in becoming qualified to work with children and students with disabilities from birth through age 21. This set of coursework meets the National Council for Exceptional Children's graduate level certification standards for each individual special education discipline.These certificate programs will be identified on your University transcript, demonstrating completion of the approved certificate program.
