Special Education Training Colleges
Special education is a high-demand field. Teachers with training in special education work with students who have a variety of special needs, including dyslexia, cognitive impairments or autism. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects brisk job growth in the profession, and hundreds of college and universities have responded to the demand by offering special-education majors. A handful of schools have been recognized as providing top-notch training.
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Undergraduate Programs
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Eastern Michigan University (emich.edu) says that it is the largest and most comprehensive special-education undergraduate program in the country. Its undergraduate program prepares teachers to work with students with a variety of disabilities, including blindness and deafness. The University of Oregon (uoregon.edu), a top-ranked school in U.S. News and World Report, allows undergraduates to minor in special education. Students seeking a combined bachelor/master's program can attend the University of Virginia (virginia.edu), which offers a five-year course of study.
Online Master's Degree Programs
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Michigan State University (msu.edu), a top-ranked school according to the online information site CollegeCrunch.org, has an online master's degree program for students seeking extra training in learning disabilities or autism. West Virginia University (wvu.edu) offers open enrollment, so students can start taking classes in the fall, summer or spring. Saint Joseph's University's (sju.edu) online master's program is based on response to intervention, an educational technique often used for students struggling with reading.
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Traditional Master's Degree Programs
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The University of Kansas (ku.edu) is ranked highly by U.S. News and World Report. The university has partnerships with surrounding urban, suburban and rural school districts. Ohio University (ohio.edu) has a teaching program that is more than 100 years old. Its program trains teachers in how to work with students who have mild-to-severe special needs. Educators interested in teaching students with autism can find a master's degree program in that field at Teachers College of Columbia University (columbia.edu).
Doctoral Programs
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Doctoral programs are intended for those educators who would like to conduct special-education research or who want to train future special-education teachers. Vanderbilt University (vanderbilt.edu) has a cross-disciplinary program with the university's school for human development. The University of Maryland's doctoral program has several concentrations, all with the goal of developing future leaders in the field. Students interested in using the resources of two campuses can apply for the special -education program at the University of California, Berkeley (berkeley.edu) offered jointly with San Francisco State University.
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References
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Teachers---Special Education
- "U.S. News and World Report"; Best Education Schools: Special Education; 2011
- College Crunch: Top Colleges for Education Majors
- Eastern Michigan University Department of Special Education: About
- University of Oregon, College of Education: Special Education
- University of Virginia Curry School of Education: Special Education
Resources
- Michigan State University: Online Master of Arts in Special Education
- West Virginia University: Online Master of Arts in Special Education
- Saint Joseph's University: Online Special Education Master's Degree
- University of Kansas School of Education: Special Education
- Ohio University: Master's Degree Programs
- Columbia University: Special Education at Teachers College
- Vanderbilt Peabody College: Special Education Doctorate Degree
- University of Maryland College of Education: Doctoral Program in Special Education
- University of California Berkeley: Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education
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