SPECIAL EDUCATION

The M.Ed. Program in Special Education was revised in 2002 to reflect current research and best practice in the area of special education, and to align with Illinois State Board of Education standards for accomplished special education teaching. These standards were developed by a panel of experts in special education and are aligned with standards developed by the Council for Exceptional Children, the national professional organization that provides support and guidance to special education professionals.

In particular, the program will provide in-depth study in several domains:

• Foundational knowledge pertaining to educating students with disabilities; with particular emphasis on examining issues of access and equity through historical, political and sociocultural perspectives;
• Characteristics of students with disabilities, including typical and atypical development along four dimensions: cognition, language, social and emotional functioning;
• Pedagogical approaches focusing on planning, implementing, and assessing students' academic and social learning performance;
• Models of collaboration for working effectively with families and child-care providers to design and offer effective educational programs;
• An introduction to research design and analysis; and
• Field experiences to advance specific skills and abilities and to better understand the relationship between theory and practice.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROGRAM

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. They must have a baccalaureate from an accredited college or university, a grade point average of at least 2.75 (A = 4.00) for the final 60 semester hours of undergraduate study, and a 3.00 grade point average (A = 4.0) on all post-baccalaureate or graduate coursework.

In addition to Graduate College requirements, applicants will need to submit or perform the following College of Education requirements:

1. A statement of intent and professional goals (approximately 300-400 words);
2. 3 letters of recommendation;
3. An impromptu writing sample;
4. An interview with program faculty; and
5. For applicants to Concentration Three, passing scores on the Illinois Test of Basic Skills. Because Concentration Three involves admissions to both the Master's degree program and the LBS I certification, it requires additional documentation and the completion of a series of stages in your academic work. These requirements and "blocks" are outlined later in this brochure. (NOTE: These blocks are not required for Concentrations One or Two).

The statement and the writing sample will assess the applicant's ability to communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes, as well as to assess the applicant's use of English grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. The interview will assess the applicant's ability to speak in a well-organized and coherent manner that adapts to the individual needs of the listeners.
The statement of intent and professional goals and the three letters of recommendation should be sent to:

Mike Herkes
College of Education M/C 147
University of Illinois at Chicago
1040 West Harrison Street
Chicago, IL 60607-7133

To apply to the graduate program in Special Education, the following admission materials must be submitted to the address below:

• A completed application with the appropriate nonrefundable application fee. The program code in the application is 20FS0093MED. The Program of Choice is Special Education and the Specialization can be left blank.
• Official transcripts for the last 60 hours of your undergraduate degree and official transcripts for ALL courses taken after completion of your undergraduate degree (undergraduate and graduate courses). The department does not make exception to this requirement because of the age of the courses or degree work. Transcripts must be sent directly from the institution you attended to the Admissions Office to be considered official.

OFFICE OF GRADUATE ADMISSIONS
Office of Admissions and Records - M/C 018
University of Illinois at Chicago
1100/1200 Student Services Building
1200 West Harrison Street
Chicago, IL 60607-7161

An international applicant whose native language is not English is required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This test is administered by the Educational Testing Service, Box 899, Princeton, New Jersey 18540.

A minimum score of 550 (paper) or 213 (computer) is required for admission to the Program in Special Education. A new version of the TOEFL is also offered in certain locations. This new version is called the TOEFL iBT. Applicants taking this new TOEFL ibt must meet the following scores for admission:

1. Sub-scores of 21 in Writing, 20 in Speaking, 17 in Listening, and 19 in Reading, AND
2. Total Score of 80

For information about these requirements, contact the Office of Student Services in the College of Education (312-996-4536).

Choice of Concentrations

Three concentrations within the M.Ed. in Special Education Program accommodate the varying needs of individuals seeking professional development (with or without certification) in the study of education of children and youth with disabilities. (Within all three options, students may select a sequence of courses leading to an early childhood special education approval or early intervention credential.)

Concentration One, for students seeking the M.Ed. degree only (no certificate is available through this concentration), offers a more flexible program that allows the student to tailor the program to meet his/her educational interests and professional goals.

Concentration Two, for students seeking the M.Ed. degree and the Learning Behavior Specialist II certificate.

UIC offers the LBSII Certificate for Bilingual Special Education Specialist and the LBSII Certificate for Technology Specialist.  Individuals seeking an LBSII must currently hold an LBSI certificate.

Click on Bilingual Special Education Specialist LBSII , for a description and required courses and fieldwork.  Currently, the UIC Special Education department has a federally funded grant to provide scholarships for qualified applicants for this LBSII in Bilingual Special Education.  The project is called Teacher Leaders for Children (TLC).  For information regarding the TLC project, click TLCbrochure.pdf .  To download TLC project application materials, click on TLCapplpac1.pdf .  After reading the brochure, if you still have questions or want  additional information, contact Gladys Gutierrez, Project Coordinator, at  ggutie5@uic.edu or call 312-996-8137.

Click on Technology Specialist LBSII , to find a description and required courses and fieldwork.  For additional information, contact Dr. Talbott at etalbott@uic.edu or call 312-413-8745.

For those seeking the M.Ed. degree and the certificate required for special education teachers in Illinois, Concentration Three provides the coursework and field experiences necessary to meet State standards for certification as a Learning Behavior Specialist I. This certificate entitles teachers to work with students with a range of disabilities, including learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, emotional/behavioral disabilities, and physical disabilities, with a level of severity ranging from mild to profound.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

A minimum of 35 semester hours of coursework (at least 21 semester hours in special education) is required for the degree. At least 9 hours are required at the 500 level. Additional hours are required for the Learning Behavior Specialist I certification.

Coursework

Required Courses for Concentration 1:

Core Courses

ED 445: Adolescence and the Schools
SPED/EPSY 582: Forging Collaboration with the Family and Community
SPED 573: Understanding Research in Special Education

Select One (Political and Social Context):

SPED 461/ED 461: Political and Sociocultural Perspectives on Special Education
ED 402: Philosophy of Education and Urban School Policy
ED 403: Policy Issues in the History of American Education
EPSY 449: History and Philosophy of Early Childhood Education
DHD 401: Foundations of Disability and Human Development
DHD 430: Introduction to Disability Policy and Organization
DHD 514: Ethical Issues in Disability
DIS 535: Advocacy and Empowerment in Disability
PS 406: Politics of Urban Education
PS 570: Educational Policy: Historical and Philosophical Analysis
PS 571: Education Policy: Formation, Implementation and Outcomes
PS 582: Cultural Pluralism and Education Policy

Select One (Characteristics of Learners):

SPED 466/EPSY 466: Language Development, Diversity, and Disabilities
SPED 465/EPSY 465: Cognitive Development and Disabilities
SPED 467/EPSY 467: Social/Emotional Development and Disabilities
EPSY 420: Social Development of Urban Children
EPSY 429: Constructivist Approaches to Development: Piaget and Vygotsky
EPSY 446: Characteristics of Early Adolescence
EPSY 502: Social Psychology of Education
ED 421: Advanced Educational Psychology
ED 422: Advanced Developmental Psychology and Educational Processes

Select One (Promoting Academic Learning):

SPED 463: Instructional Adaptations in Reading and Writing I
SPED 473/ED 473: Teaching Math and Science with Adaptations
SPED 471: Curricular Adaptations for Learners with Significant Disabilities
SPED 583: Instructional Adaptations in Reading and Writing II
CIE 482: Assessment and Instruction: A Multicultural Perspective
CIE 480/SPED 480: Technology and Multimedia: Learning Tools in the Classroom

Select One (Promoting Social and Emotional Learning):

SPED 472/ED 472: Promoting Academic and Prosocial Behavior I
SPED 572: Promoting Academic and Prosocial Behavior II

Select One (Assessing Learners' Needs):

SPED 462: Assessment of Individuals with Disabilities
SPED 576: Internship in Assessment

Select One (Internship):

SPED 578: Classroom-Based Inquiry
SPED 577: Field Teaching Internship
SPED 579: Research Internship

Electives:

9 semester hours

TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =35-36

Required Courses for Concentration II (for students seeking the M.Ed. degree and the Learning Behavior Specialist II certificate)

Please contact the Special Education Office for more information on this concentration and the courses required. You can call 312-996-5650 or email Jan DeLago at jdelago@uic.edu.

Required Courses for Concentration III (for students seeking the M.Ed. degree and the Learning Behavior Specialist I certificate)

BLOCK ONE

SPED/ED 461: Political and Sociocultural Perspectives on Special Education - 3 hours
SPED 462: Assessment of Individuals with Disabilities - 3 hours
SPED/EPSY 465: Cognitive Development and Disabilities --3 hours
SPED/EPSY 466: Language Development, Diversity, and Disabilities - 3 hours
SPED/EPSY467: Social/Emotional Development and Disabilities - 3 hours
SPED 573: Understanding Special Education Research - 3 hours

BLOCK TWO

SPED 463: Instructional Adaptations in Reading and Writing I - 3 hours
ED/SPED 473: Teaching Math and Science with Adaptations - 3 hours
SPED 471: Curricular Adaptations for Learners with Significant Disabilities - 3 hours
SPED/ED 472: Promoting Academic and Prosocial Behavior I - 3 hours
SPED 572: Promoting Academic and Prosocial Behavior II -2 hours

Internships:

SPED 576: Internship in Assessment - 3 hours
SPED 577: Field Teaching Internship - 3 hours or SPED 578: Classroom Based Inquiry - 3 hours

BLOCK THREE

SPED/EPSY 582: Forging Collaborations with Family and Community -- 3 hours
SPED 583: Instructional Adaptations in Reading and Writing II - 3 hours
SPED 580: Special Education Student Teaching - 6 hours

TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =50

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION/SPECIAL EDUCATION BLENDED PROGRAM

FIELD EXPERIENCES

As students progress through the program, they will engage in approximately 200 hours of field experiences as required for completion of their course assignments. In addition, they will complete 180 hours of internship (assessment and field teaching) and 14 weeks of student teaching (Monday through Thursday, full-time).

General educators who hold either a Type 03, 04 or 09 teaching certificate and who have at least 6 months teaching experience will not be required to student teach in special education, nor will they be required to complete the Field Teaching Internship. Instead, they will be required to complete an internship entitled Classroom-Based Inquiry (SPED 578).

Note: Students seeking the M.Ed. degree and either the LBS I or LBS II certificate must work closely with a faculty advisor to plan a course of study that will lead to both the degree and the certificate. In addition, students must demonstrate knowledge in the content areas they will be teaching.

Note: The Illinois State Certification Board may not issue a teaching certificate to an individual who has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor. If the student has been convicted, he or she should bring this to the attention of the advisor. Information presented here may change without prior notice.

Questions should be directed to Jan DeLago at (312) 996-5650 or by email at jdelago@uic.edu.

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If you are having any problems with this web page or any of the links, please email Mike Herkes. This page was last updated on 04/06/2007 .