Master of Education in Special Education, Early Childhood: Birth to Age 5

Loyola's M.Ed. in Special Education, Early Childhood can be used to meet requirements for initial certification in special education, birth to age eight, and is also appropriate for teachers seeking advanced career development. This program is approved by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), and the Council for Exceptional children, and it includes the Maryland approved reading courses. Program completion provides full qualifications for effective service delivery to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities, and prepares graduates to assume leadership roles in the field of early childhood special education. The program emphasizes assessment, early intervention, service delivery options, validated practices, and advanced professional skills necessary to promote the provision of quality services to young children with special needs.

The early childhood special education program was built upon the core standards for all Special Educators from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the specialized standards of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC), as well as the standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This course sequence leads to certification in special education (birth to age eight) from a Maryland-approved licensure program. In addition to earning the Master of Education degree, program graduates are eligible for Maryland certification in special education: birth to grade 3, with concurrent reciprocity in 50 states and the U.S. territories.

Students from a variety of academic backgrounds and careers are eligible to apply to the graduate program in special education for either full-time or part-time graduate study. You do not need to complete the prerequisites prior to being accepted into the graduate program. Once admitted, you will meet with an academic advisor to develop an individualized program of study. With consideration of past academic and life experiences, the advisor will determine what, prerequisites courses or experiences are necessary for you to complete before beginning the program courses. You may demonstrate completion of prerequisite coursework at the undergraduate or graduate level. In addition, you may complete a school-based internship or demonstrate evidence of experience through teaching, volunteering, or working in other capacities with typical young children as well as young children with special needs. You will need to demonstrate appropriate computer skills for success in graduate study. Students who have not met all of these criteria upon admission to the program will take the appropriate courses and/or complete the appropriate experiences before beginning program coursework.