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Out of state students get in state tuition through the Western Regional Graduate Program.Programs of Study
The Programs of Study outline graduate degree and certificate requirements, including the course number and the names of required coursework for each program.Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities Certified, Master of Education
This plan is no longer offered at the Flagstaff Mountain campus. See the Campus Availability tab below for alternate plan campus options.
Online programs leading to certification require fieldwork, internship, and/or student teaching which must be completed onsite in Arizona.
Online programs leading to certification may require synchronous online learning activities. Students must have access to technology with audio and video capabilities.
This plan is appropriate for candidates who are not already certified in special education. Candidates in this program of studies are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, and professional knowledge to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements. Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in specific courses.
This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
This program is nationally recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
Requirements Accordion Open
To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.
You must additionally complete:- All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). This may include a thesis.
- All graduate work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
- All work toward the master's degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.
Read the full policy here.
Overview Accordion Closed
In addition to University Requirements:
- Complete individual plan requirements.
Candidates in this program are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and professional dispositions to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements. Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills, professional dispositions are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded throughout the program of study.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 34 - 49 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required. |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Required |
| Arizona Endorsement | Prepares student for Arizona Endorsement. |
| Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching | Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching is required. |
| Some online/blended coursework | Required |
| Progression Plan Link | View Program of Study |
| Licensure | This program may lead to licensure. |
Purpose Statement
The Mild to Moderate with certification MEd degree program leads to certification/licensure with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). The program is comprised of online, face-to-face, and blended courses.
This graduate program prepares students to become a certified teacher of children and youth who have disabilities. This eclectic coursework in special education ranges from a foundational special education perspective to coursework in various methodologies related to teaching students with special needs. The program provides for an understanding of how the field of special education is an evolving and changing discipline based on philosophies, evidence-based principles and theories, relevant laws and policies, and diverse historical points of view. Through the varied coursework, the candidates demonstrate respect for their students first as unique human beings and demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences in human development and the characteristics between individuals with and without exceptional learning needs (ELN). Programmatic emphasis is placed on the importance of understanding the effects that an exceptional condition can have on an individual’s learning in school and throughout life that include beliefs, traditions, and values across and within cultures. Within the program, content is provided that helps the candidate select, adapt, and use these instructional strategies to promote positive learning results in general and special curricula and to appropriately modify learning environments for individuals with ELN. The program focuses on creating learning environments for individuals with ELN that foster cultural understanding, safety and emotional well-being, positive social interactions, and active engagement of individuals with ELN. The program also emphasizes the need to understand typical and atypical language development and the ways in which exceptional conditions can interact with an individual’s experience with and use of language. The program recognizes how assessment is integral to the decision-making and teaching and special educator candidates learn multiple types of assessment information for a variety of educational decisions. They also learn to use the results of assessments to help identify exceptional learning needs and to develop and implement individualized instructional programs, as well as to adjust instruction in response to ongoing learning progress. Emphasis is provided related to the teaching profession’s ethical and professional practice standards. Foundational to the program is the importance of how educators routinely and effectively collaborate with families, other educators, related service providers, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways.
Outcomes align with Standards from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC).
Learner Development and Individual Differences: Beginning special education professionals understand how exceptionalities may interact with development and learning and use this knowledge to provide meaningful and challenging learning experiences for individuals with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals understand how language, culture, and family background influence the learning of individuals with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals use understanding of development and individual differences to respond to the needs of individuals with exceptionalities
Learning Environments: Beginning special education professionals create safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments so that individuals with exceptionalities become active and effective learners and develop emotional well-being, positive social interactions, and self-determination.
- Beginning special education professionals through collaboration with general educators and other colleagues create safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments to engage individuals with exceptionalities in meaningful learning activities and social interactions.
- Beginning special education professionals use motivational and instructional interventions to teach individuals with exceptionalities how to adapt to different environments.
- Beginning special education professionals know how to intervene safely and appropriately with individuals with exceptionalities in crisis.
Curricular Content Knowledge: Beginning special education professionals use knowledge of general and specialized curricula to individualize learning for individuals with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals understand the central concepts, structures of the discipline, and tools of inquiry of the content areas they teach , and can organize this knowledge, integrate cross-disciplinary skills, and develop meaningful learning progressions for individuals with exceptionalities
- Beginning special education professionals understand and use general and specialized content knowledge for teaching across curricular content areas to individualize learning for individuals with exceptionalities
- Beginning special education professionals modify general and specialized curricula to make them accessible to individuals with exceptionalities.
Assessment: Beginning special education professionals use multiple methods of assessment and data-sources in making educational decisions.
- Beginning special education professionals select and use technically sound formal and informal assessments that minimize bias.
- Beginning special education professionals use knowledge of measurement principles and practices to interpret assessment results and guide educational decisions for individuals with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals in collaboration with colleagues and families use multiple types of assessment information in making decisions about individuals with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals engage individuals with exceptionalities to work toward quality learning and performance and provide feedback to guide them.
Instructional Planning and Strategies: Beginning special education professionals select, adapt, and use a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to advance learning of individuals with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals consider an individual’s abilities, interests, learning environments, and cultural and linguistic factors in the selection, development, and adaptation of learning experiences for individual with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals use technologies to support instructional assessment, planning, and delivery for individuals with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals are familiar with augmentative and alternative communication systems and a variety of assistive technologies to support the communication and learning of individuals with exceptionalities.
- Beginning special education professionals use strategies to enhance language development and communication skills of individuals with exceptionalities
- Beginning special education professionals develop and implement a variety of education and transition plans for individuals with exceptionalities across a wide range of settings and different learning experiences in collaboration with individuals, families, and teams.
- Beginning special education professionals teach to mastery and promote generalization of learning.
- Beginning special education professionals teach cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills such as critical thinking and problem solving to individuals with exceptionalities.
Professional Learning and Ethical Practice: Beginning special education professionals use foundational knowledge of the field and their professional Ethical Principles and Practice Standards to inform special education practice, to engage in lifelong learning, and to advance the profession.
- Beginning special education professionals use professional Ethical Principles and Professional Practice Standards to guide their practice.
- Beginning special education professionals understand how foundational knowledge and current issues influence professional practice.
- Beginning special education professionals understand that diversity is a part of families, cultures, and schools, and that complex human issues can interact with the delivery of special education services.
- Beginning special education professionals understand the significance of lifelong learning and participate in professional activities and learning communities.
- Beginning special education professionals advance the profession by engaging in activities such as advocacy and mentoring
- Beginning special education professionals provide guidance and direction to paraeducators, tutors, and volunteers
Collaboration: Beginning special education professionals collaborate with families, other educators, related service providers, individuals with exceptionalities, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways to address the needs of individuals with exceptionalities across a range of learning experiences.
- Beginning special education professionals use the theory and elements of effective collaboration.
- Beginning special education professionals serve as a collaborative resource to colleagues.
- Beginning special education professionals use collaboration to promote the well-being of individuals with exceptionalities across a wide range of settings and collaborators.
Details Accordion Closed
Graduate Admission Information
The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Admission requirements include the following:- Transcripts.
- Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
Ready to apply? Begin your application now.International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.
Additional Admission Requirements
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
- Prerequisites (one of the following, completed prior to enrolling in the program)
- ENG 101 and 102 or ENG 105 (or equivalent) or 6 units of English or composition coursework with a minimum grade of B. Math (College Algebra) with a minimum grade of C. Laboratory Science with a minimum grade of C, OR
- Elementary Education Teaching Certificate
- IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card
- Privacy forms
Master's Requirements
This Master’s degree requires 34 - 49 units distributed as follows:
- Education Coursework: 15 units
- Required Special Education Certification Courses: 34 units
Take the following 34 - 49 units in the following areas, which are organized into two blocks:
Block A - Education Coursework (15 units)
Educational Foundations (3 units)
Elementary Curriculum and Instruction (6 units)
Structured English Immersion (3 units)
- BME 631 (or approved equivalent)
Educational Psychology (3 units)
Courses taken in Block A are required for those candidates entering the program without an education degree. These candidates could be eligible for certification in Special Education Mild to Moderate Disabilities upon completion of the degree requirements and earning a passing score on the State Certification Exam(s).
Candidates with an education degree will be evaluated by the department prior to admission. Upon transcript and prior completed coursework evaluation, requirements in Block A may be considered met and/or transfer credit may be applied.
Note: EDF 500 and EPS 605 are strongly recommended if you did not complete an undergraduate education degree or certification program.
For the Structured English Immersion (SEI) endorsement, candidates who have full SEI endorsement at admission must provide proof of the full endorsement. If proof of the full SEI endorsement is not presented at admission, the candidate is required to take the BME course (i.e., BME 631) as part of their program of study.
Block B - Required Special Education Certification Courses (34 units)
- ESE 526, ESE 548, ESE 644, ESE 649, ESE 650, ESE 655, ESE 660, ESE 670 (24 units)
- ESE 608 (to be taken with methods courses) (2 units)
- ESE 591 (8 units)
Before being accepted to student teaching, candidate must successfully completerequired state and university training modules.
All courses must be selected with the written approval of a special-education faculty advisor. Deviations from these guidelines for individual candidates must be approved in writing by the advisor and the department chair on this official form. In addition, you must be admitted to this degree program before finishing your first 12 units of graduate work.
ESE 634 and ESE 655 are only offered during Summer.
Candidates must also pass the required Arizona Educators Exams: NES Professional Knowledge Special Education Exam and meet State requirements on Federal and State Constitutional knowledge for Arizona Teacher Certification.
Be aware that Arizona state teacher certification requirements leading to Institutional Recommendations may change at any time, and may impact program of study requirements.
Additional Information
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.