Special Education (MEd) (Career Alternatives in Special Education)

Special Education (Career Alternatives)

CASE is a post-graduate, full-certification program that trains and certifies people interested in a second career in special education.

The CASE program, through a cohort model, places participants into existing Texas State classes for a total of 48 to 51 semester hours (16 or 17 courses) of general and special education courses, depending on previous course work. These courses can typically be completed in a year and a half of full-time attendance at Texas State. Courses consist of curriculum and instruction courses, reading courses and eight special education courses. 

After successful completion of these courses, you may bypass student teaching, enroll in a two-semester internship, and be hired in a Central Texas school district on a full-time teacher’s salary. Texas State faculty will continue to provide supervision for one year, and a mentor teacher will be assigned to facilitate your first teaching year.

Upon successful completion of the internship, and after passing the state certification tests, you will obtain an all-level Texas teaching certificate in special education. At the conclusion of the program, you will be eligible to graduate with your master’s degree in education, with a Special Education Major.

Course Work

The CASE Program consists of 42–48 semester hours of general and special education courses. Students take 24 semester hours of course work in the special education major, 12 hours of coursework in curriculum and instruction, and 12 hours (across 2 semesters) in a paid teaching internship or 6 hours (during 1 semester) in unpaid student teaching. 

Major courses in special education include evidence-based practices to support the emotional, behavioral, social, and academic needs of students with a variety of disabilities. The remaining 12 hours of required coursework are taken with in the curriculum and instruction department and include course work on teaching students classified as English Language Learners, teaching math/science to elementary students, and teaching students in secondary schools. 

Program Details

Special education is individualized education designed to address the unique needs of students with disabilities and help them achieve their maximum potential. Graduates of our CASE Program will be prepared to teach students with learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism, emotional and behavioral disorders, and other low-incidence disabilities. Special education provides support for children’s success in school and later in life.

Program Mission

The mission of the special education program is to prepare educators and specialists who apply current, evidence-based practices in special education for the purpose of preparing individuals with disabilities to live independent, responsible and personally satisfying lives in a diverse, global society. Graduates engage in practitioner inquiry and research, serve as leaders in special education policy and classroom practice, and apply their knowledge and skills to positively influence the inclusion of, and support for, persons who require the best professional practices of special education.

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Career Options

Graduates of our special education program pursue careers as teachers, behavior specialists and learning interventionists. The program provides a verified course sequence required to be certified as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Graduates work in public and charter school programs, clinic settings and alternative education settings, including residential programs. Many graduates choose to pursue doctoral studies and have been successful in receiving prestigious doctoral scholarships.

Program Faculty

Our full-time faculty members have established outstanding research programs in treatment of challenging behavior and learning difficulties in children and young adults with autism, emotional/behavioral disorders and learning disabilities. Research is conducted in schools and the Clinic for Autism, Research, Evaluation and Support (CARES). Special education faculty provide technical assistance and policy consultation for state and national government and advocacy agencies. Faculty members' research and policy commentaries have been published in top-tier journals, and faculty are frequently invited speakers at national and international professional meetings.