Master of Science

Special Education and Literacy (I)

Get Certified to Teach Young Learners with Special Needs

Become qualified to teach students in grades 1-6 who find learning challenging.

The 43-credit master's in special education and literacy is designed for already-certified childhood educators looking to gain skills and credentials in teaching students with special needs. With joint literacy certification, increase your knowledge of literacy instruction and apply teaching methods during practical experiences that help diverse students gain critical strategies for reading and writing.

Earning this degree enables you to achieve initial/professional certification to teach students with disabilities in grades 1-6, and to teach all levels of literacy from birth through grade six. It also fulfills your graduate degree requirement for receiving professional certification in elementary education.

Program of Study
NYS Teacher Certification
Practical Training
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Program of Study

To fully prepare you to work with exceptional children in elementary classrooms, this curriculum includes intensive practicum and internship experiences.

Graduates are commonly employed as elementary school, special education, and literacy teachers in public and private elementary schools, and as specialists in disability services and community agencies.

Teaching Literacy to Diverse Students

Classroom Literacy Instruction
Practicum: Instruction to Prevent Literacy Difficulties
Literacy in Society
Developing Reading Comprehension and Content Knowledge for Students with Disabilities

Practica in Literacy Instruction

Writing in the Classroom, 1-6
Differentiated Instruction and Coaching, B-6

Teaching Children with Special Needs

Instructional Environments and Practices for Students with Disabilities
Math and Inquiry Instruction for Students with Disabilities
Teaching Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities
Students with Emotional Disorders and Challenging Behaviors: Advanced Tiers of Support
Assessment of Students with Disabilities
Managing School and Classroom-Wide Student Behavior to Promote Efficient and Effective Instruction

Clinical Internship with Integrated Seminar in Teaching Students with Disabilities

In this full-time internship, you gain supervised clinical experience working with students with disabilities in education settings. The accompanying seminar covers special topics to help you succeed in your fieldwork.

Master's Project

NYSED Training requirements

Needs of Students with Autism Training
Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)

To pursue professional certification once you complete the program, you must request the University recommend you to the New York State Department of Education.

See the Graduate Bulletin for details.

For more information, contact Dr. Saddler at [email protected].

This program is approved for licensure or certification in New York State and the institution has not made a determination regarding the educational requirements for any other state.

NYS Teacher Certification

Earning this master's degree qualifies you to achieve initial/professional certification in teaching literacy to children from birth through sixth grade and initial/professional certification in teaching students with disabilities from first through sixth grade.

In addition, this graduate program leads to professional teacher certification in childhood education (grades 1-6) in New York State.

Upon receiving the Literacy B-6 certificate, teachers with a childhood certificate may apply for early childhood certification directly through the New York State Education Department.

Practical Training

As a graduate student at UAlbany, you move through an integrated sequence of courses and field experiences in which you acquire the knowledge needed to successfully teach in special education and literacy settings.

Courses are held online or in the evening on campus. During the school day, you develop skills teaching special education classes and interacting with students, colleagues, and administrators in elementary schools and human service organizations.

Admissions Requirements

Deadlines

Fall: May 1
Spring: Not Available
Summer: Not Available

There is no departmental assistantship consideration for this program.

Required Application Materials

Transcripts from all schools attended
Three letters of recommendation
Official GRE scores

Supplemental Documents

Prior teaching certificate in Elementary/Childhood Education

Available information for applicants.

Special Notes

NY State Certification program. This program is not available to international applicants. Full consideration will be given to applicants who apply by the Priority Review Deadline. Prior teaching certificate in Elementary/Childhood Education required for entrance to program. The test score requirement is for application Fall 2016 and forward. The department will also accept the following exams in lieu of GRE: edTPA, GMAT, Miller's Analogies, or Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators. Please contact the Pathways Into Education Center (518-442-3529) with questions regarding the entrance exam requirement.

Applicants to this program should include copies of teaching certifications held and copies of test scores. Be aware that candidates applying for certification on or after May 1, 2014 or candidates who applied for certification on or before April 30, 2014 but did not meet all the requirements for an initial certification on or before April 30, 2014 must now complete the following certification exams: edTPA; Educating All Students Test (EAS); Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST), and the revised Multi-Subject Content Specialty Test (CST). Applicants to the Inclusion and Special Education program must also include a copy of the test scores on the Special Education Content Specialty Test. In addition, as of December 31, 2013, all applicants for certification are required to complete six clock hours in DASA (Dignity for All Students Act) training. Admission is contingent on proof of valid New York State Teaching Certification and passing grades on these examinations for all applicants.

Please note: This program requires an internship, field experience, study abroad component, or clinical experience requirement. Students who have previously been convicted of a felony are advised that their prior criminal history may impede their ability to complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or to meet licensure requirements for certain professions. If applicants have concerns about this matter please contact the Dean’s Office of the intended academic program.

Accreditation

This teacher education program is currently under review by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) for an accreditation decision in July 2021.

See accreditation data for details.

The teacher preparation programs in the Department of Literacy Teaching and Learning and the Division of Special Education are currently under review by AAQEP for an accreditation decision in July 2021. Below is institutional and programmatic data in accordance with this accreditation.

The School of Education offers programs that prepare new teachers and also those that already hold NY teacher or leader certification. Additionally, some of our programs lead to multiple certifications. As such, data on employment does not reflect the many career opportunities our graduates are afforded. For example, our Literacy MS leads to NY certification as a Literacy Specialist in grades B-6 or 5-12. This program requires prior NY teacher certification so not all graduates pursue positions in Literacy after degree completion, but remain in their current specialty area. The SUNY website provides data on those graduates only working in NY and the wages earned after a specified time after graduation.

Our graduates that elect to pursue NY State certification must successfully complete related certification exams. See our exam pass rates.

The satisfaction of degree completers is valuable data for our programs. See University collected data.

Students in our masters and certificate programs have six calendar years from the date of initial registration in the program to complete their program. Additionally, masters and certificate students are not required to enroll every semester. As such, time to graduation varies. Data on enrollments and degree awarded.

Careers and Advisement

The Pathways Into Education (PIE) Center is the central office on campus serving undergraduate, graduate, and prospective students interested in pursuing careers in education and programs leading to teacher certification.

Please call or email to schedule an appointment.

Graduate Advisement:
Email Graduate Advisement
(518) 442-3529