Master of Education in Special Education, Advanced Studies

If you are looking to develop expertise in special education without the focus on classroom instruction, this program is the right fit for you.

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Program Requirements

Program Overview

Program Features

  • Tailored for students, career changers, and education professionals: This program is designed to upgrade their knowledge and skills in the field of special education without earning an initial licensure. Parents, administrators, and community service workers have benefited from this program. 

  • Flexible pacing options: An individualized plan of study based on your needs and prior experience. Courses are offered in an online synchronous and asynchronous format; dependent on offerings. Students also have the opportunity to take summer courses. 

  • Faculty: Learn from expert faculty with specializations in early childhood literacy and disability; autism and social behavioral disorders; supporting college students with cognitive disabilities; and experience working as special education teachers and administrators. 

  • Culturally sustaining practices: Our teacher candidates are trained to create equitable learning environments. They learn how to design and implement culturally responsive lessons, support positive student behaviors, and strategically plan to meet the needs of diverse learners. Our dedicated faculty are committed to promoting social justice and equitable access to learning for all students. 

  • Concurrent enrollment opportunities: Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders; Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; and more.   

  • Graduate assistantships: Opportunities to apply for graduate assistantships, grants, and scholarships. 

Curriculum

Our robust curriculum will prepare students to facilitate inclusive learning in the classroom, collaborate with peers and parents about best practices, and learn how to balance the needs of all learners. 

Sample Courses

  • EDS 825 - Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice in Education 

  • EDS 835 – Data-Driven Instruction 

  • EDU 999TT - Advanced Teaching Strategies: Creating Trauma-Sensitive Environments and Establishing Individual Student Supports 

  • EDU 991K - Teacher Leadership for Structural Change 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage for special education. Teachers and Methods is $88,380*, everyone's making it one of the top five highest paying states nationwide for this profession. In the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH metropolitan area, the annual mean wage is $94,080*. 

Almost 100% of our graduates from our master’s and initial licensure programs have secured employment in the field or advanced in their current positions upon completing their degree. 

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, April 3). Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Special Education Teachers, All Other*. Retrieved from www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes252059 

Explore Pathways to a Career in Special Education

Our programs are geared toward cultivating the skills of methods and strategies needed to support students with mild to moderate special education needs. Salem State University offers three unique pathways to prepare you for the next steps in your career:

Special Education Program Options

  • MEd special education initial license: For those seeking a master’s degree and an initial license in Massachusetts.  

  • MEd special education advanced studies: For those who hold an initial license and are seeking advanced skills and knowledge in special education. 

  • Licensure only special education: For those who hold a master’s degree or a license in another teaching area and are seeking just an initial license. 

If you have any questions about which program would be the best fit for you, please reach out to graduate admissions.

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