Specialization in Special Education
The Program leading to the Master of Arts in Special Education prepares teachers to work with exceptional students.
The Arecibo, Barranquitas, Fajardo, and San Germán campuses are authorized to offer this Specialization.
Program Goals
The Master of Arts in Special Education aspires to:
- Prepare special education teachers who perform with excellence in the teaching of exceptional students who know and make good use of the theories, principles, concepts and norms that govern the educational processes.
- Prepare teachers with the necessary competencies for scientific research, design of creative and innovating projects and use of technology in the educational processes.
- Train special education teachers with leadership who contribute in a proactive way to accomplish significant changes in the teaching of exceptional students.
Program Objectives
The objectives of the Master of Arts in Special Education are to:
- Prepare professional personnel in the field of Special Education with an ample knowledge of the nature and needs of students of an exceptional nature from the level of infants to the secondary level.
- Develop competent professionals able to comply with the prevailing legal requirements of the federal and state legislation, as well as in the areas of diagnosis, evaluation and educational assessment in the teaching of students of an exceptional nature.
- Develop a human resource with the appropriate knowledge and competencies to offer educational services from the level of infants to the secondary level.
- Prepare a human resource with the skills and methods of quantitative and qualitative research and their implications in the educational task related to the teaching and learning of students of an exceptional nature.
Competencies Profile of Graduates
The Program is designed to develop the competencies that will enable students to:
Knowledge
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The state and federal legislation prevailing in the education of the exceptional student.
- The theories and the principles related to the evaluation, diagnosis and assessment of the exceptional population.
- The strategies, methods and appropriate techniques of education for the exceptional population.
- The program individualized of education, the integration of the educational technology, the technological attendance, the reasonable arrangement and the process of transition of the exceptional student.
- The theories, principles and concepts on the human development, the curricular design, in addition to the methods and quantitative and qualitative techniques in the research.
Skills
- Evaluate the impact of current state and federal legislation in education of the exceptional population.
- Analyze the theories and principles of the evaluation, diagnosis and assessment of the exceptional population.
- Analyze the strategies, methods and teaching techniques of the exceptional population.
- Evaluate the individualized program of teaching, the integration of the educational technology, technological assistance, the reasonable arrangement and the transition process of the exceptional population.
- Examine the theories, principles and concepts related to human development. Curricular design and the quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques in research are included.
Attitudes
- Value professional ethics as a means to substantiate the decisions and actions related to contents, teaching, learning and other behaviors related to the profession in the field of special education.
- Recognize the importance of the efficiency and effectiveness of the models concerned with improving the quality of the processes of teaching and learning of exceptional students.
- Evaluate the models related to professional development, effective communication with parents, mothers or tutors, the collaboration with the transdisciplinary team of related services, support, and program managers.
Requirements for Admission to the Program
In addition to satisfying the requirements of admission to masters’ studies established by the University, the candidate who wishes to be admitted to the Master of Arts in Special Education must hold a Bachelor in Education or another discipline from an accredited university and have approved a course of statistics.
Certification of Teaching Personnel of Puerto Rico
Students interested in obtaining the certification of teaching personnel to work in Puerto Rico must meet the current requirements of the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Graduation Requirements
Students may choose one of the following options to fulfill the “Institutional Graduation Requirements for a Master’s Degree” established in this Catalog.
- Comprehensive Examination.
- Integration Seminar (EDUC 697F).
Requirements for the Master of Arts in Special Education
| Foundation Requirements |
9 credits |
| Specialization Requirements |
15 credits |
| Prescribed Distributive Requirements |
6 credits |
| Total |
*30-33 credits |
Foundation Requirements - 9 credits
Specialization Requirements - 15 credits
| EDUC 6066 | Technological Aid in Teaching Exceptional Students | 3 |
| EDUC 6143 | Transition Process and Employment in Special Education and Vocational Rehabilitation | 3 |
| EDUC 6300 | Strategies, Methods and Techniques for Teaching Reading and Writing to the Exceptional Population | 3 |
| EDUC 6340 | Development of Language and Reading | 3 |
Prescribed Distributive Requirements - 6 credits
Select 6 credits from the following courses:
| EDUC 5740 | Education of the Exceptional Population | 3 |
| EDUC 6043 | Population with Intellectual Impediments | 3 |
| EDUC 6044 | Population with Specific Learning Problems | 3 |
| EDUC 6045 | Population with Superior Intelligence and Talents | 3 |
| EDUC 6047 | Nature and Needs of Handicapped Infants and Preschool Children | 3 |
| EDUC 6048 | Assessment and Programming for Handicapped Infants and Preschool Children | 3 |
| EDUC 6049 | Dealing with Behavioral Disorders | 3 |
| EDUC 6058 | Legal Foundations of Education | 3 |
| EDUC 6090 | Students with Autism | 3 |
| EDUC 6380 | Administration of Special Education Programs | 3 |
Graduation Requirements
Students may choose one of the following options to fulfill the “Institutional Graduation Requirements for a Master’s Degree” established in this Catalog.
- Comprehensive Examination.
- Integration Seminar (EDUC 697F).
*Students who choose the Integration Seminar (EDUC 697F) will complete a total of 33 credits.