Academics

Special Education Curriculum

Year One:

1. Education Specialist Credential for Mild to Moderate Support Needs 
   1. Education Specialist Credential for Mild to Moderate Support Needs WITH Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (no additional coursework)

Year Two

1. M.A. in Special Education (optional)

Candidates complete a 1+1 program with the credential(s) completed in year one and the M.A. in Special Education in year two.   Coursework is the same for the educational specialist mild-moderate credential program with or without the optional multiple subject credential.  Please note that the combined program requires California subject matter competency to also meet the multiple subject credential.  Fieldwork experiences vary slightly for the combined education specialist with multiple subject credential.  The curriculum provides instruction in evidence-based courses in educational research and theory along with practical teaching methodologies. There are two available options for completing the fieldwork portion: 

1. Student Teaching.  Candidates who will be completing their field experiences as a student teacher in a mentor teacher's classroom.
2. Full-time Intern or Resident Teacher.  Candidates who teach full-time in a public or charter school or private school with opportunity for demonstrated teaching of students with mild to moderate support needs.

1. Golden State Teachers Grant - up to $20,000! 
2. Other Aid, Grants, Scholarship, Loan Forgiveness Opportunities
3. LMU Graduate Financial Aid

The Special Education program for undergraduates allows students from a variety of academic backgrounds to pursue a minor in Special Education or a California Education Specialist Teaching Credential in Mild to Moderate Support Needs alongside their undergraduate major. These programs include preparation in the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students with exceptional needs. The California Education Specialist Credential: Mild/Moderate Disabilities authorizes candidates to teach students with specific learning or intellectual disabilities, emotional disturbance, or other orthopedic or health impairments.

Our undergraduate track affords candidates the opportunity to earn a Bachelor's degree in addition to a teaching credential.  The program coursework is designed to meet the requirements for a California Education Specialist Credential in Mild to Moderate Support Needs.  Student teaching is completed in a candidates senior year or the fifth year immediately following graduation. Candidates may also combine the Education Specialist credential with a Multiple or Single Subject credential. A minor in Special Education is also available.  

Classes are taught by our distinguished full- and part-time faculty, all of whom have undertaken significant teaching and research in the field. To accommodate your schedule, classes are taught online synchronously in the late afternoon or evening. Class sizes are kept small, ensuring that you receive individual attention and develop close relationships with your fellow students as well as with your professors. 

Per Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v), all LMU School of Education credential/licensure programs meet the California state requirements as specified by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) and for the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences as appropriate. The institution has not made a determination as to whether these credential, licensure, and professional preparation programs meet the requirements of states outside of California. If you are interested in practicing outside the state of California, it is recommended that you contact the respective licensing entity of that state to seek information or guidance regarding their licensure and credential requirements in advance to allow for appropriate planning.