Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Elementary Education and Moderate Special Needs
Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Elementary Education and Moderate Special Needs
The Dual Program in Elementary Education and Moderate Special Needs is designed for students who wish to teach in grades 1-6. The program will prepare you to teach students without disabilities and those with mild to moderate disabilities (also known as high incidence disabilities), such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, specific learning disability, emotional and behavioral disorders, and mild developmental disabilities, including autism.
The program stresses a humanistic approach to teaching that is both developmentally appropriate and intellectually challenging. It prepares the teacher to work with a diverse range of children by providing the teacher with knowledge about instructional practices, along with perspectives on children, schools, and society.
Prerequisite for the program is a bachelor's degree with an arts and sciences, interdisciplinary major, or the equivalent. No prior teaching licensure is required for admission.
Graduates of the program will be prepared to work as an elementary general education teacher, special education teacher or as a learning specialist who collaborates with families and other professionals.
The Programs of Study for the program includes foundation and professional courses, and practicum experiences. The program reflects current research and practices in teaching and learning.
Courses of study are carefully planned with the faculty advisor to ensure that both degree requirements and licensure requirements are fulfilled.
The program leads to eligibility for initial Massachusetts teaching licenses in Elementary Education and Mild/Moderate disabilities.
Graduate students participating in the Dual Elementary Education and Moderate Special Needs Program will learn to promote student development, how to teach for social justice, and how to reflect on practice to improve instruction. They will be prepared to work with students of a variety of backgrounds creating classroom environments that engage all students. More specifically:
The teacher candidate will promote the learning and growth of all students by providing high-quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, using these assessments and reflections on teaching to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis, and continuously refining learning objectives.
The teacher candidate will use formal and informal assessments to plan instruction for students in ways that reduce bias, and to monitor learning progress.
The teacher candidate will promote the learning and growth of all students through instructional practices that establish high expectations, create a safe and effective classroom environment, demonstrate cultural proficiency, and knowledge about language challenges in academic settings.
The teacher candidate will learn how to plan individually-appropriate curriculum-through the IEP as well as in inclusive classroom settings.
The teacher candidate will promote the learning and growth of all students through ethical, culturally proficient, skilled, and collaborative practice.
The teacher candidate will demonstrate an inquiry stance by collecting and reporting data on pupil outcomes for the purpose of assessing, teaching, and modifying instructional practice.
The teacher candidate will work collaboratively with students and professional colleagues.
The teacher candidate will identify policies and practices that contribute to systemic inequities in education and be aware of how his or her own background experiences are influenced by these systems, and recognizes a professional responsibility to promote and practice principles of social justice teaching.
At a Glance
How many courses?
This program consists of 20 courses, for a total of 58 credits.
How long will it take?
Full time students will take approximately 2 or more years to complete the program, while part time students will take 4 or more years.
When can I start?
Students can begin the program in the spring, summer, or fall semesters.
What will I study?
Curriculum
- Courses: 20
- Credits: 58
- For TELL/TDLL: Add one course (3 credits)
- Comprehensive Exam
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| APSY 7418 | Applied Child Development This course will help teachers understand principles of learning and cognitive, linguistic, social, and affective development as they apply to classroom practices. Students will focus on the acquisition of strategies that enable them to assess and understand how they and the children they work with are constructors of meaning. This course is designed for individuals beginning their professional development in education who plan to work with children. |
3 |
| EDUC7438 | Instruction for the Special Needs of Diverse Learners This course focuses on the education of students with disabilities and other learners from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The goal of the course is to promote access to the general curriculum for all students through participation in standards-based reform. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides the theoretical framework for this course. Through an examination of historical milestones, landmark legislation, systems for classification, approaches to intervention, and the daily life experiences of diverse learners, students acquire knowledge about diversity and the resources, services, and supports available for creating a more just society through education. |
3 |
| EDUC7435 | Social Contexts of Education Examines the role of situational, school, community, peer, and family factors on the education of children. Participants in the course will strive to understand the effects of their own social context on their education, to develop strategies to help students understand their context, and to understand and contribute to what schools can do to improve teaching and learning and school culture for all students regardless of internal and external variables. |
3 |
| EDUC7520 | Mathematics and Technology: Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum in the Elementary School This course presents methods and materials useful in teaching mathematics to early childhood and elementary school children and the different ways in which technology can be used in the elementary school classroom. The course will consider the teaching of mathematics and the use of technology from both theoretical and practical perspectives. |
3 |
| EDUC7529 | Social Studies and the Arts: Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum in the Elementary School This course is designed to help students examine historical interpretation with critical analysis through history and the arts. It explores different areas of content and instructional methods directly related to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in social studies, literature, and the arts. |
3 |
| EDUC7542 | Teaching Reading Offers teacher candidates skills for teaching reading to school age children. Students will gain understanding of reading through a historical, political, theoretical, and practical lens. They will understand the delivery of instruction by learning a balanced approach to teaching reading. They will gain familiarity of how children learn to read by partaking in observations, assessments, and instruction with a school age child. Students will learn a variety of ways to meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse learners. They will recognize reading difficulties and learn ways to differentiate instruction for such readers. |
3 |
| EDUC7543 | Teaching Language Arts Focuses on the teaching and learning of language arts in the elementary grades. Students will be exposed to theoretical approaches to both oral and written language development in addition to teaching methods that support development. In the fall semester, content and approaches related to teaching in English/Spanish bilingual programs will be included. Students will have the opportunity to apply their learning through practical lesson development, and implementation in connection to their pre-practicum placement. Student diversity and its implications for teaching language arts will be an integral theme. Students will draw on their experiences in their prepractica to apply and reflect on learning as they mediate theory and practice. |
3 |
| EDUC7546 | Teaching About the Natural World Provides an introduction to the various philosophies, practices, materials, and content that are currently being used to teach science to elementary and middle school children. Exposes prospective teachers to the skills and processes endorsed by the National Science Education Standards, the National Health Standards, and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. |
3 |
| EDUC7579 | Educational Assessment of Learning Problems This course focuses on formal and informal approaches to the nondiscriminatory assessment of students with a wide range of cognitive and academic difficulties. The focus is on identifying students with mild/moderate disabilities. It is designed to prepare specialists for the process of documenting special needs, identifying current levels of performance, addressing critical issues, and designing approaches to monitoring progress. |
3 |
| EDUC6374 | Management of the Behavior of Students with Special Needs Focuses discussion, reading, and research on the diagnosis and functional analysis of social behaviors, places substantial emphasis on the practical application of applied behavior analysis techniques. Also discusses alternative management strategies for use in classrooms. |
3 |
| EDUC6595 | Assessment and Instruction of Students with Reading Difficulty Examines the methods and materials related to formal and informal assessment, analysis, and interpretation of the results of assessment and instructional techniques for students with a range of reading difficulties (K-12). Focus is on the needs of students from varied populations. |
3 |
| EDUC6588 | Teaching and Learning Stragies - Moderate Special Needs This course is intended to help prospective and experienced special education teachers and other educators a repertoire of skills for teaching students with mild/moderate (high incidence) educational disabilities. Participants will accomplish this goal by making connections among their knowledge of disabilities, special education policy and practices, assessments, education theory, and teaching methods. Students will learn how to develop, implement, and monitor individualized education programs, implement research-based effective intervention practices, and collaborate with others to meet the needs of special education students in inclusive and other educational settings. Successful students will have familiarity and competency with a variety of special education procedures and teaching approaches and specific practices. Appropriate for both elementary and secondary level education. Class sessions will routinely include time to practice skills being learned. |
3 |
| EDUC6497 | Interventions for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders In this course students will learn strategies and purported mechanisms behind current intervention models designed for students with ASD. Student will be able to evaluate research evidence and claims of effectiveness of each intervention, and will design and implement appropriate interventions for student with ASD. |
3 |
| EDUC6495 | Human Development and Disability This course addresses the reciprocal relationship between human development and disability. Prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal causes of disability will be presented. Students will learn about theoretical perspectives, research, and current disagreements related to causes, identification, and treatment of disabilities. Prevention and intervention strategies will be presented for each disability. The application of assistive technology will be covered across disabilities. |
3 |
| EDUC6346 | Teaching Bilingual Students Deals with the practical aspects of the instruction of teaching English Language Learners in Sheltered English Immersion, and mainstream classrooms. Reviews and applies literacy and content area instructional approaches. Includes such other topics as history and legislation related to English Language Learners and bilingual education, and the influences of language and culture on students, instruction, curriculum, and assessment. There are two sections of this course: one for elementary and early childhood education majors and one for secondary education majors. |
3 |
| EDUC6493 | Introduction to Speech and Language Disability Explores first and second language and literacy development of children raised bilingually as well as students acquiring a second language during pre-school, elementary, or secondary school years. Also addresses theories of first and second language acquisition, literacy development in the second language, and factors affecting second language and literacy learning. Participants will assess the development of one aspect of language or language skill of a bilingual individual and draw implications for instruction, parent involvement, and policy. |
3 |
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC7431 | Graduate Inquiry Seminar I The course will coincide with the pre-practicum experience. It is designed to introduce teacher candidates to inquiry as stance and the skills necessary to conduct classroom-based research that leads to pupil achievement and teaching for social justice. The course is designed to help teacher candidates mediate the relationships of theory and practice, pose questions for inquiry, learn through reflection and discussion, learn from their students and colleagues, construct critical perspectives about teaching, learning, and schooling, and to improve teaching and learning. The second part of this sequence is 432 which is taken in conjunction with full-time student teaching (EDUC7420). |
1 |
| EDUC7429 | Graduate Pre-practicum This is a pre-practicum experience for students in graduate programs leading to certification. Placements are made in selected schools in the greater Boston area. Apply to the Office of Practicum Experiences and Teacher Induction during the semester preceding the placement by April 15 for fall placements and December 1 for spring placements. Students who are accepted into a program after the deadlines are requested to submit the application upon notification. |
1 |
| EDUC7432 | Graduate Inquiry Seminar II The primary goal of this capstone seminar is to initiate teacher candidates into the practice of teacher research or collaborative inquiry for action. Collaborative Inquiry for Action is an ongoing, collaborative process of systematic and self-critical inquiry by educators about their own schools and classrooms in order to increase teachers' knowledge, improve students' learning, and contribute to social justice. This final project will be presented at a roundtable presentation at the end of the semester and also satisfies the M.Ed., MAT, MST Comprehensive Examination in Education. |
2 |
| EDUC7610 | Dual License Practicum: Elementary A semester-long, full-time clinical experience for advanced level students working in schools in a professional role. Covers the following graduate licensure programs: Reading, Moderate Special Needs, and Intense Special Needs. Placements are selectively chosen from schools in the Greater Boston area and designated international settings. Apply to the Office of Practicum Experiences and Teacher Induction during the semester preceding the placement by March 15 for fall placements and by October 15 for spring placements. |
3 |
| EDUC7610 | Dual License Practicum: Moderate A semester-long, full-time clinical experience for advanced level students working in schools in a professional role. Covers the following graduate licensure programs: Reading, Moderate Special Needs, and Intense Special Needs. Placements are selectively chosen from schools in the Greater Boston area and designated international settings. Apply to the Office of Practicum Experiences and Teacher Induction during the semester preceding the placement by March 15 for fall placements and by October 15 for spring placements. |
3 |
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC8100 | Master's Comprehensive Exam In order to ensure that all students graduating from the master's program have a fundamental understanding of the field which they are about to enter, they are required to take a comprehensive examination covering the broad areas of the core courses. |
0 |
Financial Assistance
Education should level the playing field – we feel the same way about financial aid.
The Lynch School of Education and Human Development provides more than $8.4 million in financial aid to students each year. As a result, the quality of BC’s instruction, the benefit of our alumni network, and the impact a BC degree will have on your employment options is both affordable and invaluable.
How to Apply
PrintTo begin your online application, click the box below.
Deadlines
- Fall
Regular Decision - 1/6
- Rolling Admission
- Until 8/1
- Intl. Applicants
- Until 7/1
- Spring
Regular Decision - 11/1
- Summer
Regular Decision - 4/1
Apply Now
A non-refundable application fee of $75 is required, however, this fee is waived for select applicants.
Resume
To be uploaded to your online Application Form.
In addition to your academic history and relevant work experience, please include any licenses currently held, any social justice-related experience, any language skills other than English, and any research experience or publications.
Personal Statement
To be uploaded to your online Application Form.
In 1,000-1,500 words, describe your academic and professional goals, any experience relevant to this program, and your future plans, expectations, and aspirations.
Letters of Recommendation
Identification of recommenders/instructions to recommenders are outlined in the online Application Form.
Two letters of recommendation are required with at least one required from an academic source. Applicants may submit one additional recommendation of their choice.
Transcripts
Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in lieu of official transcripts for the application review process. In the event that one is admitted into a program and enrolls, our office will need official transcripts prior to course registration. To expedite application processing times, our office encourages you to send unofficial transcripts electronically to our email address at GSOE@BC.EDU. Please note that unofficial transcripts must include all of the following items:
- Course titles and grades for each course
- Year and entry term for each of the courses listed
- Translated into English by certified translation agent (if not already in English)
- Original and translated transcripts must be provided
If you are able to secure official transcripts, please note the following:
- An official postsecondary transcript must be printed on official institutional paper and include at least one of the following: an institutional watermark, the registrar’s signature, or the registrar's seal.
- Copies and unofficial transcripts sent directly from applicants are not acceptable, the transcript must come directly from the institution.
- If you are a current student and have not completed your undergraduate and/or graduate degree, the most updated version of your transcript is acceptable.
Official electronic transcripts are accepted when sent directly to gsoe@bc.edu from the institution. When requesting electronic transcripts, you must manually type in gsoe@bc.edu to ensure it is received by our office.
Mailed transcript(s) should be sent to the following address:
Lynch Office of Graduate Admissions, Boston College
Campion Hall 135
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Standardized Tests
Submitting GRE test scores is optional and not required for 2021 entry term(s). If you wish to send GRE scores, the Lynch School GRE code is 3218.
Writing Sample
Not required.
International Students
International applicants are encouraged to apply to the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. Learn about requirements for international students.
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gsoe@bc.edu
617-552-4214