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Generalist (K–12) Master’s Degree and Licensure Program

Our special education generalist (K–12) licensure program is designed to provide pre-service training and support the development of special education professionals who are prepared to design, deliver, and continuously improve effective educational, employment, and community experiences for persons with disabilities. It’s comprehensive nature it is completed in two years.

This program responds to the many changes in education for students with and without disabilities. It affords the opportunity to align efforts with general education and its curriculum, licensure structure, reform efforts, and goals for students in the 21st century.

• Our program ensures that future special education teachers are prepared to work collaboratively with general educators to assist students in making progress toward meeting state benchmark standards.
• Our program also addresses how to meet the needs of students with more severe disabilities both developmentally and in terms of community-referenced functional skills.
• Our faculty and curriculum provide the foundation for K–12 special education teacher preparation that is anchored to nationally recognized empirical and best practices research.

Students in our licensure programs typically simultaneously complete the requirements for the MS degree, with a specialization embedded in their program as their ‘terminal activity’.

Graduate students typically earn a master’s degree upon program completion and enjoy almost 100% rate of employment.

American Indian/Alaska Native applicants interested in fostering Indigenous methodologies in teaching and learning may apply to the Sapsik'ʷałá Indigenous Education Program. Federal Department of Education grant funding is available to applicants pursuing high need areas such as special education. Sapsik'ʷałá grant scholars complete service payback by teaching in a K-12 school or district that serves a high proportion of Native students for 2 years. Applicants must complete their applications for Special Education and for the Sapsik’ʷałá Program by January 15th to be considered for the Sapsik'ʷałá program.

Want to know more about our program, listen to this brief information session: 

Program Info Session

Endorsements

Are you looking for a reading endorsement or special education endorsement?

Endorsements

Hear from some faculty and graduates of our program

Program Requirements

All of our master’s degree programs conform to the established University of Oregon and College of Education requirements and procedures.

Students must complete the following:

• Minimum of 45 credits in courses approved for graduate credit taken as an admitted master’s degree student (51 credits minimum if doing a specialization area)
• Up to 15 credits may be officially transferred in through a petition process
• 24 credits must be in UO graded courses passed with a GPA of 3.0 or better
• At least 9 credits in 600 level courses must be taken in residence
• Minimum 30 credits in SPED courses

All credits for the degree (including transfer credits) must be completed within seven years.

Generalist (K–12) Master’s and Licensure Degree Plan

Prerequisites

Applicants need to have taken and passed a child/human development course as a prerequisite to the K–12 licensure program. Students who don’t meet this requirement, will have a child development course added to their program.

First Year

Fall Term - 17 Credits

Winter Term - 14 Credits

Spring Term - 14 Credits

* Waived if students have taken equivalent course. Prerequisite beginning with the 2019–21 cohort. If prerequisite is not met, students can take CSPY 621 (Fall); CDS 455 (Winter); EDST 411 (FWS). 

Second Year

Fall Term - 14 Credits

Winter Term - 15 Credits

Spring Term - 6 Credits