Program: Professional Studies, Special Education Specialization, M.Ed. - Wayland Baptist University

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

The Master of Education degree is designed to enhance the preparation and leadership of individuals both within the education profession and those seeking initial or professional teaching certification. The focus of the Master of Education is curriculum,
instruction, and leadership. The degree program is a minimum of thirty-six (36) semester credit hours with a professional core and a professional specialization. The goals of the degree are the following:

To promote and enhance the knowledge base and skills necessary for effective teaching, leadership, and professional development.
To integrate theory with practice to enrich the quality of instruction and teaching and foster continuous improvement of the educational process.
To develop skills for analyzing decision-making and action based on a thoughtful reflection on pertinent data and current research.

Three (3) unique tracks are available to students seeking the Master of Education. One track can lead to initial teacher certification - elementary, secondary, or special education. A second track can lead to professional certification - educational diagnostician, principal, or school counselor (*for individuals seeking school counselor certification, refer to Master of Arts in Counseling description located within the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences). The third track is designed for those individuals in teaching, instructional leadership, and human services seeking to enhance professional skills and abilities.

Admission Guidelines for the Teaching Certification Program

All students seeking admission to the Master of Education program must first seek admission to the University Graduate Program to include the following requirements:

complete an application for admission to the graduate program
pay the application fee
submit official transcript(s)
meet the entrance requirements set forth in the current catalog
request admission status as degree-seeking, conditional degree-seeking, or non-degree seeking (see current catalog for more information)

Requirements and Information

Requirements and information for those seeking a graduate degree and/or post baccalaureate certification from Wayland Baptist University School of Education:

A maximum of 12 semester hours of graduate study earned in a certification only, non-degree seeking category may be applied to a Wayland graduate degree.
The Graduate Council must approve the application of non-degree seeking hours to a graduate degree.
No grade below C in the area for which the student is seeking certification or in an education course required for certification.
GPA greater than or equal to 3.0 for all education courses.
No grade of less than C and no more than 4 semester hours with the letter grade of C earned at Wayland will be accepted as credit for any Master’s Degree.
If for some reason a student elects to a change of degree status, the student may do so by filling out the appropriate application and meeting all the requirements for the degree he/she seeks. A student must meet the criteria for admission to the teaching certification program.

Professional Studies Programs for the M.Ed.

Professional Studies Core

Professional specialization areas include education literacy, English, higher education administration, human resources, instructional leadership, instructional technology, leadership training and development, social studies, science education, exercise and sports science administration, and special education. Each specialization requires eighteen hours of approved academic work from the courses listed in each description. The professional core provides choices to customize preparation around ones career pursuits. The options are designed to allow building competency in broad areas of technology, research, leadership, human understanding and development. The core requirements for Professional Studies include 19 hours from the following courses.

EDUC 5353 - Learning to Lead 3 hrs
EDUC 5102 - Master Comprehensive Test 1 hrs

Three hours from:

Comprehensive Experience

The comprehensive examination is taken in the last semester of enrollment in the program. The students will register for the comprehensive examination. The examination has two components, written examination comprised of objective and essay items. In the event that an oral examination is needed, the graduate advisor will design the oral examination to clarify weaknesses determined by the written examination. The student through the use of technology will present to the professor/s supervising the comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination is a pass/fail option.

Special Education Specialization (18 hours)

The program is designed to result in the candidate being eligible for a supplemental EC-12 generic special education certification. In the specialization, EDUC 5366 - Topical Research in Education becomes one of the courses that the student may select.