Overview for all Programs

Programs of Study within the School of Special Education

Director of Special Education Licensure
Early Chilhood Special Education
Generalist
Gifted and Talented Specialist
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Specialist
Visual Impairment Specialist
Doctorate program in Special Education

Admission Requirements

Admissions criteria is set by the Graduate School Office.

Information about additional admission requirements into the graduate program for Special Education may be found in the Masters Handbook.

Additional Generalist Exam or License Requirements

The application requirements described in the Master’s Handbook do not include the additional Generalist requirement of test results from the Elementary Content of either the PLACE or PRAXIS II exam. Generally, if you live in Colorado, you should take the PLACE exam for admission. If you are applying from out of state, you should choose the Praxis II exam so you can take it in your state and mail us the results.

If you are applying for the Generalist program, and you do not currently have an Elementary Education teaching license, official test scores from either the PLACE or PRAXIS II exam in Elementary Content are required before your application will be reviewed. Contrary to what the exam organizations indicate, we will not automatically receive your test scores. When you get your official scores, please either mail a photocopy or fax a copy to the School of Special Education at 970-351-1061. If you already have official scores from the Elementary Content exam when you prepare your application, please include a photocopy of your official test score page with the application materials. If you currently hold a teaching license in Elementary Education, test scores are not required. If you have a current Elementary Education license, include a photocopy of your license with your application materials.

The exam requirement and information about the Generalist program and any conversions from old programs are found at: http://www.unco.edu/cebs/sped/. This requirement is for the Generalist program ONLY in lieu of a current license in Elementary Education

Information about the Colorado PLACE exam for the Generalist Program may be found on the PLACE Web site.

Information is available for the PRAXIS II Elementary Education Exam (for the Generalist Program) on the PRAXIS Wb site.

The 2007-2008 schedule for the Elementary Content PLACE exam is:
September 8, 2007
November 17, 2007
January 12, 2008
March 1, 2008
April 12, 2008
June 21, 2008
August 2, 2008

The 2007-2008 schedule for the Elementary Content Praxis II exam is:
September 8, 2007
November 17, 2007
January 12, 2008
March 15, 2008
April 26, 2008
June 14, 2008
July 26, 2008

Application Requirements

Application Review

Please note that the Program Coordinators in the School of Special Education will not review incomplete applications. The incomplete applications will be held in the School of Special Education administrative office until all required components of the application have been received.

Application and Other Forms

Download or print the application from the Graduate School Office site.

We recommend printing the Adobe Acrobat version of the application at this time because the online application does not include the form used for the letters of recommendation and the Application for Educator License form. The Adobe Acrobat version of the application includes all three items. In addition, the Graduate School Office will hold the application until all original transcripts have been received, whether the on-line application, or the printed application is used. The Graduate School Office will not forward the application to the School of Special Education until these items have been received. The speed of the online application is dependent on the speed that the Graduate School receives the original transcripts.

Letters of Recommendation

Please note that the form used for a letter of recommendation must include a letter either printed either on the back of the form or attached. The letter must have an original signature. E-mailed letters with no original signature will not be accepted. Letters of recommendation may come from academic professors, employers, or from someone who is familiar with your work and professional career. A copy of an evaluation will also be accepted in lieu of one letter of recommendation.

Statement of Educational Philosophy and Goals

In addition to the applications and letters of recommendation, the School of Special Education requires a written Statement of Educational Philosophy and Goals. This need not be lengthy. A statement regarding what your philosophy is for teaching and why you want the degree is sufficient; usually 1or 2 typed pages.

Exams and Grade Point Average

If your grade point average is less than 3.0, scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are required. GRE scores must be a minimum of a composite score of 900 on Verbal and Quantitative, and 3.5 on Analytical Writing Samples.

Graduate School must convert them. Credit points are usually defined on official transcripts. If they are not defined, the Graduate School applies a standard key with an A being 4.0 points, a B being 3.0 points, etc. Simply put, the total credit points divided by the total credits will be the GPA. However, some complications arise in circumstances with unique situations such as repeated courses. The Graduate School advises that if you have any questions about your GPA, you may supply official transcripts to them and they will calculate your GPA for you. For example, before you actually mail them, you can fax them if you have GPA questions and they will calculate for you and let you know what your GPA is. They will not work with transcripts from on-line because the credit definitions are rarely included in on-line transcripts. The Graduate School Office may be contacted at 970-351-2691 (Fax: 970-351-2371) for questions.

Application Checklist

___ Completed Application for Graduate School
___ Completed Application for Educator License
___ Two Letters of Recommendation Forms with letters attached
___ Statement of Educational Philosophy and Goals
___ Photocopy of official GRE Scores if your GPA is less than 3.0 (GPA based on the last 60 hours of a semester system, or 90 hours of a quarter system – see the GPA explanation above)
___ Photocopy of current Elementary Education Teaching License if applying to Generalist program
___ Photocopy of official PLACE or PRAXIS II Elementary Content scores if applying to Generalist program and you do not have a current license in Elementary Education.

Program Coordinator Contact List

Corey Pierce	Undergraduate program	351-1655	corey.pierce@unco.edu
Lewis Jackson	Generalist	351-1658	lewis.jackson@unco.edu
George Betts	Gifted & Talented	351-1657	george.betts@unco.edu
Paula Conroy	Visual Impairment	351-1651	paula.conroy@unco.edu
John Luckner	Deaf/Hard of Hearing	351-1672	john.luckner@unco.edu
Harvey Rude	Administration	351-1659	harvey.rude@unco.edu
Hannah Schertz	Early Childhood	351-1652	hannah.schertz@unco.edu
Kay Alicyn Ferrell	Doctor of Philosophy	351-1653	kay.ferrell@unco.edu

Additional Information

Information about the School of Special Education, our programs, and general cost and admissions information for the University are found in some helpful links.

Information about the School of Special Education and our programs may be found at the following link:

http://www.unco.edu/cebs/sped/

Estimated cost for school at UNC is found at:

http://www.unco.edu/acctservices/budget/costs.htm

Some prospective students need course descriptions for their school districts before applying for the graduate program. Course descriptions may be found in the UNC Catalog on the web site at: http://catalog.unco.edu/

Lowry Programs

Contact: Dr. Ann Seablad

Location information for the Lowry Campus is:
Center for Urban Education
University of Northern Colorado
1059 Alton Way, Bldg. 758
Denver, CO 80230
303-637-4330 (P)
303-365-7632 (F)

Vist the Lowry program information on the Extended Studies Web site:

Special Education, M.A. - Generalist Emphasis - click on PDF brochure.