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Master of Education in Special Education (M.Ed.)

Next start:

July 2026

Format:

Online

Total Courses:

13 (36 credit hours)

Tuition:

$625 per credit
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Help Diverse Learners Succeed and Achieve

If you want to take your teaching to the next level or move into a leadership role in your district, a Master of Education in Special Education degree at City University of Seattle can help position you for success. This online special education degree program is one of our most hands-on, personalized programs at CityU. We offer a multitude of resources as well as professional collaboration and detailed faculty feedback, so you can track your progress and make the most of each opportunity as you learn.

For those who do seek an endorsement, they complete one practicum that may or may not be in their own classroom. Beyond this in-person element, you can complete your assignments, write-ups, assessments, and projects almost exclusively online.

Our faculty is made up of educational leaders with a range of expertise, so you can benefit from the best of current research, diversity, and global educational practices.

Vision

Teacher Certification Programs at City University of Seattle strive to recruit, retain, and support a diverse educator workforce that mirrors the diversity of the PK-12 student population in schools. We aim to cultivate learning spaces in which all community members feel connected to and rooted in relationships within themselves, each other, and the environment. Our vision is to help future teachers align their instructional practices in culturally sustaining ways that foster the development of conscious, global citizens of the world who are at home in their place, environment, and communities.

Mission

Teacher Certification Programs at City University of Seattle provide relevant, relationship-based learning experiences rooted in culturally sustaining and identity affirming practices for future PK-12 teachers. We equip future teachers with tools, strategies, and awareness to effectively and equitably facilitate humanizing, healing-centered, and high-quality learning experiences for PK-12 students in the school setting.

The CityU special education master’s degree was designed to provide educators with current, research-based methodologies that will allow you to gain and enhance your skills in order to work successfully in a variety of special education settings.

Your current teaching certificate and accredited bachelor’s degree is all you need to apply to our MEd in Special Education program. Candidates typically graduate in nine quarters; however, you can set your own pace and graduate in as few as seven quarters or up to four years.

M.Ed. Special Education Plan: In the courses, you will explore the most current research and practices in the field. Students will explore behavioral analysis, autism, student assessment for Special Education, the IEP process, and teaming and collaboration to name a few.

M.Ed. Special Education Endorsement: Wish to add a Special Education endorsement to a Washington State Teaching Credential? Complete the courses for the master’s degree then complete an in-classroom practicum for 100 hours to earn your endorsement for Washington State. Note: Prerequisites in both reading and math are required. Talk with an advisor about these courses.

WEST-E® preparation: The program will help you prepare for passing the Washington Educator Skills Test for those seeking their endorsement.

Learning Outcomes

Throughout the Master of Education in Special Education program, you’ll learn:

  • Critical application and value of current research processes
  • Global, theoretical, and practical issues affecting education
  • Improvement of the school community and profession
  • Unique attributes of individuals with classic autism and high-functioning autism
  • Inclusion and specialist paradigms in special education
  • Foundations, strategies, and understanding to perform assessments and evaluations
  • Writing and implementing an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)
  • Basic types of student behavior, motivation, prevention strategies, intervention strategies, and behavior change plans
  • Disabilities identified with low-incidence disabilities
  • Pedagogical foundations, strategies, and understanding to modify curriculum

Note: Statement on 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v) and 34 CFR 668.43(c). Candidates of City University of Seattle Teacher Certification Programs, complete requirements to be recommended for certification or endorsement in the state of Washington. Except for Washington State, CityU has made no determination if this program will lead to licensure in another state. Please reference the resources below to determine licensure requirements and/or transfer policies in states other than Washington. The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) have negotiated licensure reciprocity agreements among states. This means that if you earn licensure in Washington you may be able to gain licensure in another state based on proof of a valid Washington license. NASDTEC agreements can be found by clicking the following link. Requirements for licensure can change without notice, therefore it is important to contact the State Department of Education to confirm reciprocity in another state.

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