Master of Education in Special Education
Empower Every Child to Unlock Their Potential
You see each student’s unique talents. You also observe their challenges. As an educator, you aim to do more than support — you seek to advocate for their needs, design individualized plans to help them succeed and make a positive impact on a child’s sense of possibility. The Master of Education in special education from The University of Texas at Tyler gives you a strong foundation to become a student’s most effective and fiercest teammate as they further develop their learning abilities.
The program rigorously trains Texas educators to become certified educational diagnosticians by the Texas State Board of Educator Certification. Courses align with the Council for Exceptional Children Advanced Specialty Set: Educational Diagnostician Specialist standards, and their sequence equips you with the practical tools to evaluate, diagnose and guide the education of struggling and special needs students.
Why Earn an MEd in Special Education From UT Tyler?
An Educational Diagnostician plays a meaningful and important role in a child’s education. Advocate for students with delayed learning and disabilities, and maximize students’ potential through appropriate testing methods, educational strategies and specialized knowledge.
The University of Texas at Tyler’s MEd in special education is recognized for graduating high-quality professionals. This is how we do it:
- Highly Effective: Prepare for the Texas Educational Diagnostician certification exam while you satisfy program requirements. Our pass rate in May 2023 was 100% — among the best in the state. We have achieved a 100% pass rate for the past three years.
- 100% Online and Time Efficient: Earn your degree from any location and in a way that adjusts to your schedule. We welcome students to our two-year program every summer.
- Cohort-Based: Progress through the course sequence with the same group of motivated and talented educators. By studying with a cohort, you establish and deepen your professional network as well as emulate the collaboration skills needed in your career.
- Hands-on, Interactive Learning: Practice newfound skills through a student-friendly, engaging format. Learn to administer, score and interpret results with video support of actual testing sessions. Gain critical real-world experience through required clinical and field experiences.
- Outstanding Faculty: Professors with extensive experience in the field mentor you one on one. They also make impactful contributions to the field through innovative research.
- Affordable: Advance your career at a fraction of the cost compared to other institutions. Program-specific scholarships offset the cost of your education.
Curriculum
The Master of Education in special education consists of 36 credit hours, including four seminars that cover student evaluations, educational strategies and learning and neurological disabilities. In addition to the required special education practicum, several courses include clinical experience or fieldwork, as well as continuous, consistent and supervised testing practice. Coursework also expands your knowledge of education policy, pedagogy, cognitive functioning, behavioral disorders and transition services.
During a specific class sequence, courses build upon each other to prepare you to sit for the TExES Educational Diagnostician exam. Graduate prepared to:
- Apply special education theories and research to improve learning for exceptional learners.
- Use appropriate assessment instruments with individuals, groups and for identifying programs and evaluating their effectiveness.
- Identify and implement appropriate instructional strategies for all learners at preschool through adult levels.
- Develop effective individualized education plans.
- Serve as advocates for children with disabilities.
- Work collaboratively with students, parents, administrators, related service personnel and other colleagues.
Review All Course Descriptions for the MEd in Special Education
Careers in Special Education
According to the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, many states face Educational Diagnostician shortages despite the important role they play. Schools and other learning institutions require highly qualified professionals to support and guide their students’ success. Pay is often competitive, with Salary.com reporting a median annual salary of $80,720 for the profession.
As an Educational Diagnostician, you can find roles in:
- Colleges and Universities
- Consulting Services
- Government Agencies
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Public School Districts
How to Apply
An applicant must meet the following requirements for admission to the Master of Education in special education program:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
- Texas teacher certification (any field).
- An appropriate GPA in a degree plan, as set by Texas Administrative Code and other
administrative units.
- The applicant must either have a GPA of 3.25 or higher on the last 60 hours or earn at least five points from the following table:
| GPA | Points Awarded | GRE Verbal | Points Awarded | GRE Quantitative | Points Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.000-3.249 | 3 | 151 + | 3 | 141 + | 1 |
| 2.750-2.999 | 2 | 148-150 | 2 | ||
| 2.500-2.749 | 1 | 146-147 | 1 |
The university bases admission on undergraduate GPA and, if necessary, satisfactory scores on the GRE in combination with the undergraduate GPA, a successful admission interview, letters of recommendation, successful completion of the Statement of Purpose and the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to their chosen field of study.
First:
- Start by applying through our online application. You should receive your student ID through email once your application has been accepted and processed.
Then:
- After you have received your student ID, submit a completed reference request form. Provide the names and email addresses of three people you would like to complete a reference form for you. Please provide professional references, including your current principal if you are employed or your former principal if you are not employed.
- After you have received your student ID, complete the Department Information Sheet and Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose prompt is as follows:
- Implementing inclusion in schools is not without its critics and proponents. Please share your thoughts on inclusive settings in public schools. In the statement, include a minimum of two scholarly sources to support your position (not to exceed approximately one typewritten page).
- Send all of the following directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions at the address below:
- All OFFICIAL academic transcripts reflecting the reception of a bachelor's degree and any other relevant undergraduate and graduate coursework.
- GRE scores obtained in the past five years. The university waives the GRE requirement if the GPA for your last 60 hours of coursework is 3.25 or higher or if you previously earned a master's degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Copy of your Texas teacher certification.
- Copy of your complete teacher service record, obtained from each district's human
resources office.
The Office of Graduate Admissions, STE 345
The University of Texas at Tyler
3900 University Blvd
Tyler TX 75799
You may also email documents to ogs@uttyler.edu.
Finally:
- This program requires an admission interview. Within a week of receipt of all admission documents, you should receive an email with a link to our online scheduling system. Once you receive this email, you may schedule a Zoom admission interview. You must wait to receive this email to schedule the admission interview.
In accordance with Texas Administrative Code, you must be fully admitted prior to taking any coursework in the area in which you seek certification. Therefore, no provisional admission is allowed.
Applications for the 2024 MEd in special education cohort open on Aug. 1, 2023, and remain open until March 18, 2024. All application materials, including official GRE scores if you do not meet the GRE waiver, are due no later than March 24, 2024, and you must complete all admission interviews no later than March 31, 2024, for consideration for admission to the May 2024 cohort. UT Tyler does not consider applications submitted after March 18, 2024, and you must reapply for consideration for the 2025 summer cohort.
All completed applications, including the admission interview, are reviewed on a monthly basis, with offers of admission sent no later than the end of each month.
Application fees are nonrefundable, even if the application arrives after the March 18, 2024, application deadline.
In-state program tuition and fees total approximately $5,010 per academic year, based on the 2023-24 tuition and fees schedule.
Currently employed full-time K-12 teachers are eligible for up to $200 off the first graduate semester by applying for the Teachers in Excellence Scholarship. Awards are limited and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Students admitted to the program must pay a $250 admission fee to the School of Education Educator Preparation Program. This fee helps cover practicum supervision expenses and supplements program resources (e.g., needed assessment materials) and practicum supervision expenses.
In compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and in accordance with the policies of the UT Tyler Graduate School, transfer of graduate credit from an accredited institution is limited to nine hours for the master’s degree. All transfer credit must have been completed with a grade of “B” or better, completed within the last seven years and approved by the degree-granting program.
Transfer credits should be evaluated and approved during the first semester. The course being transferred into a degree program should be a direct equivalent to the one within the certification/degree program. Students who have extended work experiences that cover related class content should reach out to their advisor and director of the school to determine if those work experiences apply toward the program’s requirements. Students should work with their advisor to have their transcripts evaluated.
As required by Texas HB1508, applicants need to be aware of the following.
- In order to receive educational diagnostician certification, you must pass a criminal history background check.
- If you were convicted of an offense considered not appropriate for an educational diagnostician, you could be ineligible to earn this certification from the state of Texas.
- You have a right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the Texas Education Agency. The Texas Education Agency currently charges a $50 fee for this criminal history evaluation.
For more information, see Preliminary Criminal History Evaluation.
Next Steps
Your future starts here. Make a positive impact with a Master of Education in special education from UT Tyler.