Special Education, MSEd

Admission Requirements

Candidates interested in admission to the Special Education Learning Behavioral Specialist - I Master’s Degree Program for Initial Certification or Certified Teachers respectively, are both required to:

1. Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Have a 3.0 GPA (on a 4-point grading scale) for full admission to the program. A 2.75 GPA is needed for conditional admission.
3. Provide two letters of recommendation, (which need to be uploaded directly by the referees into the online application system), from school administrators, supervisors, or people familiar with his/her educational background and work experience.
4. Submit, (in the online application system), their resume and a one-page essay explaining why they are interested in the program and what they expect to learn
5. Have an Illinois professional educator license (this only applies to candidates who are interested in admission to the program for certified teachers, or those who are only interested in adding the special education endorsement to their current teaching license).
6. Be admitted to the School of Graduate and Professional Studies (this only applies to candidates who are interested in admission to the program for initial certification or certified teachers)
7. Be admitted to the College of Education this only applies to candidates who are interested in admission to the program for initial certification, or those who are only interested in adding the special education endorsement to their current teaching license).

Applicants who are interested in the special education initial certification program but do not have the required 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours can qualify for a master’s plus licensure program by taking 9 hours of graduate-level program course work (which must be completed within one year) and earning a grade of B or better in each of these courses. Grades of B or above in graduate course work completed prior to applying to a CSU licensure program can be used towards eligibility. Applicants who do not qualify after taking 9 hours of course work will be counseled by the Office of Licensure Services to choose another teacher preparation program to pursue at the license-only level.

Additional Required Documents for International Applicants Only:

1. Refer to Admission of International Student  in the General Section of the catalog.

General Requirements

1. Candidates are responsible for meeting the program and College requirements in effect at the time they officially register in a program leading to advanced licensure at Chicago State University, regardless of when they were admitted to the university.
2. Admission to the program is contingent upon good academic standing and acceptance by the department.
3. Admission into the College of Education and program is required prior to registration in any professional education courses.
4. A full academic schedule of courses for graduate students is nine semester credit hours. Exceptions to this policy may be made only with the approval of the department.
5. Completion of 34 credit hours of special education coursework at the graduate level.
6. For candidates enrolled in the Initial Certification program, successful completion of student teaching experience (SED 5475) is required before program completion. Credit hours earned in SED 5475 (student teaching experience) will not be counted toward the degree.
7. Candidates enrolled in the Initial Certification program may also be required to complete additional general education and professional education courses as needed.
8. A minimum GPA of 3.0 must be maintained in special education with no grades below a C.
9. Proof of passing the LBS-I State Licensure exam (Test # 290). This new exam (which became effective on June 4^th, 2023) is required prior to taking SED 5488 (Internship in Special Education). Any candidate enrolled in the certified teachers program who fails to pass this exam will be required to take and successfully complete ELED 5140, 5150, 5170, & READ 5280, and then, Re-take and pass it  this exam before he/she applies for graduation. and completes 5492This exam is required for the degree to be conferred.
10. For candidates enrolled in the Initial Certification program only, successful completion of student teaching experience (SED 5475) is required before program completion. Successful completion of the required Illinois state licensure exam, and general education, professional education, and program coursework and requirements is needed before student teaching.
11. Proof of passing EdTPA. Candidates who fail to pass this exam will receive an incomplete grade for their student teaching experience until they pass this exam. EdTPA is only required by candidates enrolled in the Initial Certification Program.
12. Completion of a digital educational portfolio that must be uploaded into LiveText during SED 5488 (Internship in Special Education).
13. All master’s degree requirements must be completed within six years.

NOTE: Candidates must abide by all College policies stated in this catalog unless exceptions or adherence to higher expectations are noted in program documentation.

Master’s Level Course Requirements (34 credit hours)

Initial Certification Program Option:

Candidates Enrolled in the Initial Certification Program Option who are new to the teaching profession and who do not possess a teaching license may also be required to take and complete the following prerequisite and professional education courses (pending their transcript evaluation):