SHU Adds Both Master’s and Sixth-Year Certificate Programs in Special Education

Courses prepare teachers for state’s special education cross-endorsement certification

Sacred Heart University’s Isabelle Farrington College of Education will offer a part-time, online sixth-year certificate program in special education starting this fall. The certificate of advanced studies is an 18-month, 30-credit program for students with a master’s degree who want to continue their professional growth and understanding of teaching and learning in special education.

Sacred Heart will also offer a cross-endorsement track for students pursuing their master’s degree in teaching with a concentration in special education. The 30-credit program takes one year to complete.

Students in both programs must take two practicums during the summer. The first focuses on low-incidence disabilities, which represent a small percentage of special education students, including those with visual or hearing impairments, traumatic brain injuries and physical impairments. The second practicum emphasizes high-incidence disabilities, which commonly are found among students in general education classrooms and include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, speech and language disorders and certain autism spectrum disorders.

Upon completion of either track, students may apply to the state for their special education cross-endorsement certification for kindergarten through grade 12.

“I’m very excited about the sixth-year program, as well as the chance for master’s-degree students to focus on special education,” said Jillian Schreffler, assistant professor in SHU’s Farrington College of Education. “Special education is an area of great need across the nation, not just in Connecticut. I am excited that we are starting to offer many options for advancing the study of special education and preparing teachers to address the needs of so many students. We will play a vital role in filling special education classrooms with teachers who can make a difference.

For more information, visit the sixth-year certificate program in special education webpage.