Online Master of Science in Education in Special Education

The Online MSE in Special Education is a 36-credit program with an emphasis in either Cross-Categorical Licensure or Professional Development. This fully online program can be started any term and at a pace that works best for you. Full-time students can finish in as little as a year and a half.

The Cross-Categorical Licensure emphasis is for individuals seeking either an initial teaching license or to add-on a Cross-Categorical special education teaching license to their existing teaching license(s). Students who already have a teaching license in another area may be able to include some elective options.

The Professional Development emphasis is available to individuals from a wide variety of careers who work with individuals with special needs including currently licensed teachers and individuals in related fields. The Professional Development emphasis is made up of 9 required credits and 27 elective credits, which can include one or more graduate certificates. 

More information on each emphasis structure and courses can be viewed in the Graduate Catalog.

Cross-Categorical Licensure Emphasis - Graduate Catalog
Professional Development Emphasis - Graduate Catalog

To qualify for admission to a degree program in good standing, you must have:

• a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75 on a 4.00 scale,
• or at least a 2.90-grade point average in the last half of the undergraduate degree program, or
• at least 12 credits of graduate work completed on a regular grade basis at UW-Whitewater, or
• a master's or higher degree at a regionally accredited institution at the corresponding graduate level

In addition, the Online MSE in Special Education program requires that once admitted, students must apply to professional education in order to take advanced teaching methods courses.

Please fill out the request information form if you have questions prior to applying.

Courses for the Cross Categorical emphasis may include:

• EDFOUND 710 Education in a Pluralistic Society (Summer)
• SPECED 700 Legal Foundations of Special Education (Fall, Spring, or Summer) 
• SPECED 760 Foundations and Characteristics of CD/EBD/LD (Fall)
• SPECED 761 Instructional Strategies for The Inclusive Classroom (Spring)
• SPECED 662 Educational-Diagnosis and Assessment in LD, E/BD, CD (Summer)
• SPECED 640 Advanced Behavior Intervention Strategies (Spring)
• SPECED 783 Phase 3 Portfolio (Fall, Spring, or Summer)
• SPECED 686 Academic Intervention I (Summer)
• SPECED 687 Academic Intervention II (Summer)
• SPECED 766 Professional Collaborations: Families and Community Agencies (Summer)
• SPECED 680 Phase 4 Portfolio (Fall, Spring, or Summer)
• SPECFLD 793 In-service Practicum or SPECFLD 789 Practicum (Fall, Spring, or Summer)

Students can complete a 36 credit MSE in Special Education with an Emphasis in Cross Categorical Special Education in as little as a year in a half. 

Admission Requirements:

Students must pass a criminal background check prior to admission to professional education.

Required courses for the Professional Development emphasis include:

• SPECED 702 Reflective Practice and Action Research, 3 credits (Fall or Summer)
• SPECED 704 Applied Field Action Research in Special Education, 3 credits (Fall, Spring, or Summer)
• SPECED 785 Current Topics in Special Education: Pre-Institute, 1 credit (Summer)
• SPECED 786 Current Topics in Special Education: Institute, 1 credit (Summer)
• SPECED 787 Current Topics in Special Education: Post Institute, 1 credit (Summer)

Elective courses for Professional Development emphasis include:

• SPECED 701 Advanced Methodology and Practices in Special Education (Spring, for ABA certificate)
• SPECED 703 Promoting Reform through Collaborative Leadership (Spring, for Transition certificate)
• SPECED 706 Transition Assessment for Students with Special Needs (Summer, for Transition certificate)
• SPECED 707 Foundations of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Summer, for Autism certificate)
• SPECED 708 Methods for Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Summer, for Autism certificate)
• SPECED 709 Advanced Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (Fall, for ABA certificate)
• SPECED 711 Ethics in Research and Applied Behavior Analysis (Summer, for ABA certificate)
• SPECED 712 Philosophy of Applied Behavior Analysis (Summer, for ABA certificate)
• SPECED 715 Supervision of Programs and Personnel in ABA (Summer, for ABA certificate)
• SPECED 741 Behavior Assessment (Fall, for ABA certificate)
• SPECED 742 Behavior Change Procedures (Spring, for ABA certificate)
• SPECED 781 School-to-Adult Life Transitional Planning (Summer, for Transition certificate)

Admission Requirements:

Students must meet the admission requirements outlined in the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Graduate Catalog. 

Students also have the option to select any combination of 27 elective credits from the courses available in the graduate special education course catalog.