Special Education, Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential, MA

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The Department of Learning and Instruction offers exciting and unique programs at the master’s/credential and doctoral levels.

The Master’s Degree in Special Education with a Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential program prepares candidates to teach K-12 students with mild to moderate disabilities with a focus on urban, multicultural special education.

The doctoral program in Learning and Instruction emphasizes theories of learning, teaching, and instruction, which inform educational practices in a variety of settings. Graduates of the program apply their skills to deliver instruction, conduct research, evaluate programs, design curriculum, and solve learning-based problems.

All of these programs share the conviction that instructional decisions must be grounded in the best social science evidence available at the time. Thus, the overriding goal is to prepare our graduates to contribute to, and make use of, the ever-changing knowledge base in learning and instruction.

The M.A. in Special Education with the Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential Program Learning Outcomes:

Using a variety of instructional strategies, resources, and technologies to meet students’ diverse learning needs.
Monitoring student learning and adjusting instruction while teaching.
Creating a rigorous learning environment with high expectations and appropriate support for all students
Using knowledge of students’ academic readiness, language proficiency, cultural background, and individual development to plan instruction.
Planning instruction that incorporates appropriate strategies to meet the learning needs of all students.
Applying knowledge of the purposes, characteristics, and uses of different types of assessments.

The M.A. in Special Education with the Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential Student Learning Outcomes:

Student will be able to demonstrate advanced skill in selecting, designing, administering, and interpreting informal and formal reading assessments.
Student will be able to use performance data and input from various sources to make or suggest appropriate modifications in a broad spectrum of learning environments.
Student will be able to demonstrate differentiated teaching skills in his or her classrooms.
Student will be able to describe a variety of instructional procedures and demonstrate the advanced ability to use appropriate instruction for students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds across a variety of settings.

Credential and Masters Program

The Master’s Degree in Special Education with a Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential program is designed to prepare interns for special education careers in diverse, urban schools. In this two-year cohort program, candidates can earn Preliminary Teaching Credentials and Master’s Degrees while working as paid intern teachers in Bay area schools.

The Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential authorizes graduates to work in a wide variety of positions. They can be employed in public and private K-12 schools as special day class teachers or as resource and inclusion specialists. With the credential and master’s degree, graduates can be employed at California community colleges as Special Education Learning Specialists.

Special Education, Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential, MA

The M.A. in Special Education with the Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential Program Learning Outcomes:

The M.A. in Special Education with the Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential Student Learning Outcomes:

Credential and Masters Program

The Master of Arts degree in Special Education requires the completion of the following:

Total Units for Master’s Degree with Credential - 42 Units