Admission Standards for Program 1 in Childhood Special Education

(Learning Disabilities, Behavior Disorders, or Severe/Multiple Disabilities), Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, and Blind and Visually Impaired and for Program 1A in Early Childhood Special Education

A. Matriculation Requirements

1. Undergraduate BA or BS degree from an approved college, with a GPA of 2.8 or better or graduate degree from an approved college with a GPA of 3.5 or better
2. A liberal arts or science major or interdisciplinary concentration of at least 30 credits and a general education core in liberal arts and sciences to include a minimum of 6 credits in English (including a course in English composition with a grade of B or better) or a writing intensive course in any discipline with a grade of at least , 6 credits in social studies (with at least one course in history or geography), 9 credits in math and science with at least one course in math and one course in science (a college course in calculus meets 6 credits of this requirement), 3 credits in the arts, 6 credits in a language other than English (3 years of high school study in the same foreign language with grades of C or better documented by high school transcript meets this requirement); and 3 credits in information retrieval (library studies, research, computer literacy, or educaitonal technology).

B. Conditions of Admission

Applicants who do not meet all of the liberal arts and science prerequisite requirements may be admitted with up to 12 credits of “conditions” that they must take at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Although required, these additional “conditioned” courses do not count in the calculation of minimum credits towards the master’s degree.

C. Consideration for Nonmatriculant Status

Applicants for matriculation with an undergraduate degree from an approved college whose GPA falls between 2.5-2.79 may be considered for nonmatriculant status. Students may not take more than 12 credits as nonmatriculants (at least 9 of these must be in special education).

D. Change in Status from Nonmatriculated to Matriculated

Students must reapply for matriculation at the start of the semester in which they will complete 12 credits. In order to be matriculated they must meet the standards for the 12-credit benchmarks listed under “Progress Standards for Matriculated Students.”

Admissions Standards for Program 2

(For applicants to the childhood special education programs who hold childhood or PreK-grade 6 New York State teacher certification; applicants applying to the blind and visually impaired and deaf and hard-of-hearing programs who hold childhood, PreK-grade 6, middle school or adolescent education New York State teacher certification; and applicants applying to the early childhood special education programs who hold early childhood New York State Certification)

A. Matriculation Requirements

1. An undergraduate BA or BS degree from an approved college with a GPA of 2.8 or higher
   or
   A graduate degree from an approved college with a GPA of 3.5 or better
   
2. New York State initial/provisional teacher certification in the appropriate subject and grade level.  Childhood or PreK-grade 6 certification is required for programs in childhood special education: learning disabilities and childhood special education: behavior. Childhood, PreK-grade 6, middle school or adolescent education certification is required for programs in deaf and hard-of-hearing and blind and visually impaired education programs. Early childhood or PreK-grade 6 certification is required for the programs in early childhood special education. Those holding provisional certification must either show proof that they have satisfied the New York State requirements regarding wellness, child abuse, drug abuse, fire safety, and violence prevention or take HED 715, a 1-credit course covering these topics.
   

B. Consideration for Nonmatriculant Status

Applicants for matriculation with an undergraduate degree from an approved college whose GPA falls between 2.5 and 2.79 and who have the appropriate New York State initial/provisional teacher certification may be considered for nonmatriculant status as resources permit.

C. Change in Status from Nonmatriculated to Matriculated

Students must reapply for matriculation at the beginning of the semester in which they will complete 12 credits. In order to be matriculated they must meet the standards for the 12-credit benchmarks listed under “Progress Standards.”

12-Credit Progress Standards for Matriculated Students in All Master’s Degree Programs (Programs 1 and 2)

1. Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to continue in the program.
   
2. Students with more than one course grade below B in the first 12 credits will not be allowed to continue in the program.
   
3. A student who receives a grade of F in any course in the first 12 credits will not be allowed to continue in the program.
   
4. Students with one grade of IN (Incomplete) within the first 12 credits are restricted from registering for more than one additional course. Those with two or more INs will not be allowed to register for any courses. It is recommended that students with two or more INs take an official leave of absence while they are completing their IN courses.
   
5. For Program 1 students only: All students should take the Liberal Arts and Science Test (LAST) of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and submit their scores to the Office of Educational Services (Room 1000 West Building) before they complete 12 credits of course work. Any student who does not receive a passing score on the LAST must enroll in a college writing course or workshop series approved by an adviser, before being permitted to register for any courses.

EXIT STANDARDS FOR ALL MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAMS

A. Grade Point Average

Students must attain an overall GPA of at least 3.0 to be recommended for the degree.

B. Written Language

Students must demonstrate consistently satisfactory written English in all course work.

C. Student Teaching, Supervised Practicum, and Clinical Teaching Lab

1. In order to enroll in student teaching or supervised practicum students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and no outstanding incompletes.
2. Students are required to attain a minimum grade of B in all student teaching, practica and clinical teaching lab courses. No grade less than B is acceptable for these teaching skill courses. Students receiving B-, C+, or C for any one of these courses must apply to the department chairperson for permission to retake that course, which may be repeated only once.
   
3. Students must complete all required days and hours for each of the student teaching, practica and clinical teaching lab courses. Students not completing the minimum required days and hours will receive a course grade of IN for that course, prohibiting them from graduating.
   

D. Culminating Activity

Students must perform satisfactorily on a two-part culminating activity (partial requirements of SPED 707, Research Seminar: Issues in Special Education):

1. a comprehensive research-based oral presentation on a current special education issue 
   
2. an original written research proposal
   or
   a written proposal for competitive grant funding.

Exit Standards

Students must pass the School of Education technology assessment.