Special Education, M.A.T.

Return to: 4160 Department of Learning Sciences  

Certification areas: Special Education Adapted Curriculum, Special Education Deaf Education, Special Education General Curriculum

The M.A.T. major in Special Education prepares students to teach children with mild to moderate behavior and learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities, attention disorders, emotional behavior disorders, mild intellectual disabilities); moderate, severe, and profound intellectual disabilities; autism spectrum disorders; students who are deaf and hard of hearing; or young children with disabilities. The students are provided coursework and practicum experiences resulting in knowledge of characteristics, curriculum, instructional strategies, and classroom management procedures.

The M.A.T. degree program contains those courses required for professional certification within each certification area listed. Students who first complete a planned program of study developed with their faculty advisor, and then successfully complete the entire program of study and program requirements (including prerequisites and required coursework and passing scores on the GACE Content Assessments for their concentration) receive a M.A.T. in Special Education and will be recommended by Georgia State University for a clear renewable certificate in the special education concentration that they completed. In the case students elect to only receive the certification and not the Master’s degree, all coursework and program requirements indicated for certification only on the Program of Study must be successfully completed. Due to the permeable and iterative design of the program, courses in some of the concentrations must be taken in sequence beginning in the fall. Consult your advisor.

Program Admission

Admissions criteria help to ensure that candidates are prepared for the rigorous curriculum requirements of the graduate program. Candidates must meet all admission requirements of the College of Education and Human Development as stipulated by Graduate Student Services. Candidates who are considered for the M.A.T. Special Education program must meet the following criteria prior to program entry:

• undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university;
• undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher;
• passing scores on the GACE Program Admission Assessment or exemption from this test based on GRE, SAT, or ACT scores;
• Students must complete the Georgia Educators Ethics - Program Entry (350) Assessment; and
• candidates must also submit two academic or professional letters of recommendation, a resume, and a goal statement.

Program Academic Regulations

Upon admission to a teacher education program, students will be contacted by the Office of Field Placements and Certification with instructions to claim enrollment in their program and submit a GaPSC Pre-Service Certificate Application. The pre-service certificate is required for placement in required field experiences or clinical practice.

Students may complete the following prerequisite courses at Georgia State University while completing the M.A.T. degree; however, none of this coursework will be counted toward the master’s degree requirements.

Special Education Adapted Curriculum Concentration

• Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities (EXC 4020) or its equivalent
• Methods of Teaching Reading (EDRD 6600  or EDRD 7600 ) or its equivalent

Special Education Deaf Education Concentration

• Human Growth and Development (EPY 2050)
• Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities (EXC 4020) or its equivalent
• Methods of Teaching Reading (EDRD 6600  or EDRD 7600 )

Special Education General Curriculum Concentration

• Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities (EXC 4020) or its equivalent

Special Education Early Childhood Adapted or General Curriculum Concentration

• Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities (EXC 4020) or its equivalent
• Methods of Teaching Reading (EDRD 6600  or EDRD 7600 )
• Literacy Assessment and Curriculum Development (EDRD 7550 ) or Individualized Literacy Assessment and Instruction (EDRD 7650 ) 

For Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) certification requirements, students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in EXC 4020.

In addition to these prerequisite coursework requirements:

Students in all Special Education concentrations must take the courses and complete the portfolio for the PSC Georgia Reading Endorsement if they have not completed 15 hours of a content concentration based on previous coursework in language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies.

Students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in each course in the teaching field/major area (B). If the student earns a grade below “B” in a course, s/he must repeat that course. Students will be allowed to repeat a course in this manner one time. Students who fail to earn a grade of “B” or higher after taking the course a second time will be scholastically excluded from this major. Students must earn a grade of “B-” or higher in courses outside of the special education program.

Evaluation of the student’s performance is continuous and involves consideration of the student’s performance in all academic settings. Inappropriate or unprofessional conduct by a student may result in the student being dropped from a course or a program. If such removal from a course is necessary, the student will receive the grade of “F” and may be judged ineligible to re-enroll in the course.