Master Online Special Education Degree - for Teachers Who Want to Make a Difference

While schools - public and private, preschool to secondary - struggle to identify and deploy qualified special education teachers to address these 6 million students, nobody knows for sure how many million students more need to be identified for special education, so that they can better cope with their learning disabilities, or physical and mental handicaps.

At the same time, successive Federal and State Administrations since 1975 have sharpened their focus on creating complex systems for identifying, formulating, and delivering a highly-individualized special education program to each eligible student. The cornerstone of these legislations, programs, and licensures is the highly qualified special education teacher.

A Master's degree in special education has thus become a must for aspiring special education teachers, and with many of them already employed as regular teachers, master online special education degree has become the most convenient route to this profession.

What It Involves

Master online special education degree involves distance or online learning that leads to graduate degrees like Master of Education (MEd) in Special Education, Master of Science (MS) in Special Education, Master of Arts (MA) in Special Education, or any of the specialized master's degrees in various sub-domains of special education, such as dyslexia, attention-deficit, etc.

Master online special education degree courses will last upwards of one year, and might involve significant on-the-job training under an experienced special educator. Most states also require that aspiring special education teachers pass a licensure test, before starting their career.

Why Special Education?

On an average, special education teachers don't earn much more than regular teachers. On the other hand, the job responsibilities of special education teachers are more demanding - it can even include defending oneself and the school's special education program in court, if dissatisfied parents of challenged students opt for litigation, as has happened numerous times in various states!

Still, about 450,000 educators have opted for and currently work as special education teachers in the country. What must be the attraction?

Special education teachers are very unlikely to encounter unemployment in the short-term or long-term. But that alone can't be the lure to enter this profession, where sheer hard work, difficult coordination between many, and uncertain outcomes from the part of students, make life stressful.

The answer can, hence, be only that there are hundreds of thousands of teachers out there who want to make a genuine difference to the lives of these challenged students. And it is indeed a huge difference. According to estimates, four in five challenged students used to be excluded from the US education system, as near as three decades back. Official figures, tabulated around 1975, put this at 1 million students, who missed the bus.

Why Master Special Education Degree?

Special education teachers are still in significant short supply. Because of this, some states have still not made it mandatory to have a master's degree in special education. In such states, bachelor's degree holders in special education appear for professional licensure exams and work as special education teachers.

However, more and more states are opting for a master's degree as the minimum qualification, for a simple reason. A special education teacher should be capable of interacting effectively with professionals like psychologists, disability therapists, educational evaluators, educational lawyers, supervisors from the school district, regular teachers, and, of course parents of disabled students. It takes a master's degree holder with significant on-the-job training to confidently undertake this.

Master's degree holders in special education have also another booming avenue - they can work as instructors in colleges and universities that deliver special education, and these institutions are rapidly increasing in number. They are also eligible to work as special education supervisors or administrators in the school districts.

A small but significant proportion of educators go for master's degree, so as to progress to doctoral degrees in special education, which is also offered by more and more universities, these days.

Lastly, though special education teachers don't earn much more than regular teachers on an average, the highest salaries drawn by special educators exceed the highest salaries drawn by regular teachers by $3000 to $8000. It goes without saying that almost all of those highest paid special educators are master's degree holders.

Why Master Online Special Education Degree?

Those planning to take a master's degree in special education are almost always regular teachers who have developed a fascination for this field. Others include psychologists, counselors, learning disability therapists etc. Since both teachers and these professionals already hold fulltime jobs, it is a master online special education degree that is more suitable to them.

Secondly, only an exceptionally good regular teacher can hope to be an effective special education teacher. Because of this, aspirants enter regular teaching profession to garner some years of experience before attempting to study special education. Master online special education degree perfectly fits this scheme.

Thirdly, a significant component of any special education master's degree is on-the-job training in a special school or a regular school's special education department. Those working teachers who opt for master online special education degree can thus modify their school work itself for the on-the-job training part.

Where to Study Master Online Special Education Degree?

Hundreds of universities and colleges across the country offer master online special education degree. They include state or public universities, and private or independent universities. Some of the courses have small components that require occasional campus visits, while almost all require on-the-job training at a school.

Working teachers who opt for master online special education degree generally prefer studying in their own state, if not their city. Another reason for local preference is that some universities incorporate that state's licensure requirements as part of the course. Due to strict licensure requirements, it is also important to go for an accredited course.

State or Public Universities Offering Master Online Special Education Degree

At least 12 state university systems offer master online special education degree. They include Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Aspirants in states like Alabama, Florida, and Kansas, are especially fortunate, with multiple public universities offering the course. Florida perhaps tops the nation with its three public universities offering master online special education degree. Some of the prestigious state universities offering the course across the nation are:

ALABAMA: Auburn University, Auburn, University of South Alabama, Mobile
FLORIDA: Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of West Florida
INDIANA: Ball State University
KANSAS: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University
KENTUCKY: University of Louisville, Louisville
MICHIGAN: University of Michigan, Dearborn
MISSOURI: University of Missouri, Columbia
NEBRASKA: University of Nebraska, Lincoln
NEW JERSEY: New Jersey City University
NORTH CAROLINA: University of North Carolina
PENNSYLVANIA: Clarion University of Pennsylvania
TEXAS: Texas Tech Universityk

Private or Independent Universities Offering Master Online Special Education Degree

At least 10 well-known private or independent universities in 8 states offer master online special education degree. These states include Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Arizona and Iowa top the list with two private universities each, offering the course. Florida and Pennsylvania are perhaps the only two states that have both public and private universities offering the course. Some of the well-known private schools offering master online special education degree are:

ARIZONA: Grand Canyon University, University of Phoenix
CALIFORNIA: La Sierra University
FLORIDA: Nova Southeastern University
IOWA: Graceland University, Kaplan University
MINNESOTA: Bethel University
VIRGINIA: Regent University
WASHINGTON: City University

What to Expect From Master Online Special Education Degree, in the Future?

The high performance expected from special education teachers will ensure that a master's degree in special education becomes an absolute must in all states. As it is working teachers who are more likely to go for a master's degree in this subject, and because the course itself is dominated by on-the-job training, college degree master online might even upstage regular courses in the subject, in the near future itself.

Recent stricter regulations from the part of administrations regarding expected student performance, and better awareness about learning disabilities from the part of parents, will make sure that more and more students will be presented for special education evaluation. This scenario will drive the demand for qualified and trained special educators, giving further momentum to master online special education degree courses.

The most likely change in course content will be super-specializations in special education, with probably different master's degrees built around different learning disabilities or handicaps.

Conclusion

Despite challenging work, and despite no special financial rewards, hundreds of thousands of educators are opting to be special education teachers, due to an innate passion to make a difference in the lives of challenged children.

For conforming with complex special education regulations, and to be capable of developing Individual Education Programs (IEPs) by interacting with professionals like therapists, psychologists, evaluators, advocates etc, a master's degree in the subject is an almost mandatory requirement for special educators. Master online special education degree is perhaps the most desired way for aspiring special educators, who mainly consist of regular teachers.