Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Special Education, PreK-8

Stonehill's Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Special Education, PreK-8 prepares teachers to create and lead inclusive learning environments. It leads to a master's degree in education and Massachusetts initial licensure in special education, PreK-8.

Program Type Graduate & Professional Studies
Degrees Offered M.Ed.
Mode of Study On Campus, Off Campus, Teacher Residency

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Request Information Apply by August 1 Register for a Course

Upcoming Application Deadlines

  • Fall Semester: August 1, 2024
  • Spring Semester: January 1, 2025
  • Summer Semester: May 1, 2025
  • Stonehill Teacher Residency: May 1, 2025
  • Stonehill in Boston: May 15, 2024
  • Stonehill on Cape Cod: March 1, 2024

Earn Your Master's in Education and Special Education Initial Licensure

The M.Ed. in Special Education, PreK-8 program prepares teachers to be leaders and critical thinkers. Schools today are complex and diverse communities — reflecting a landscape rich with individual differences. Teachers in our program are prepared using a unique combination of theoretical and practical experiences. This approach ensures their ability to create and lead equitable spaces where difference is valued while at the same time preparing them for the realities and challenges of the classroom and the profession.

In this program, students will: 

  • Develop pedagogical skills to teach diverse learners 
  • Design and implement equitable curricula for grades PreK-8 
  • Explore intersectionality, inclusivity and universal design
  • Learn to foster care, connection and community with young learners and their families

All students take five core inclusive education courses as well as the coursework for their licensure. For the Special Education, PreK-8 licensure, courses prepare educators to create and lead an inclusive classroom environment for diverse learners in grades PreK-8. This program includes a mix of in-person and online courses. 

Why Graduate Teacher Education at Stonehill

  • Focus on educational equity and diversity helps better prepare educators for the modern classroom
  • A core of foundational courses ensures our graduates gain the skills to teach all students
  • Faculty with well-established expertise in field
  • Experiential learning via research, partnership and community opportunities
  • Specialized student support framework guides students through program requirements and career preparation
UPCOMING GRADUATE TEACHER EDUCATION EVENTS AND INFORMATION SESSIONS

Sample Courses

Striving Readers & Writers

EDU 620
This course explores literacy for young learners and provides participants with information on how to effectively teach literacy to all students. Course participants will learn how to design literacy lessons, utilizing universal design for learning and assessment practices, to create thriving readers and writers. Through this course, participants will learn about how to design and implement lessons focused on phonemic awareness, comprehension, oral reading fluency, and vocabulary. Additionally, course participants will learn pedagogical strategies for supporting young writers. Strategies to assess students’ literacy growth will also be addressed.

Mathematics for Diverse Learners

EDU 621
This course examines methods of teaching mathematics to diverse learners and contemporary methods of math assessment to ensure all students succeed mathematically. Course participants will develop instructional routines and apply standards in the design of curricula to improve how math can be humanized in classrooms. The course explores issues related to technology, math pedagogy, and math equity.

Curricular Innovations & Assistive Technology

EDU 631
This course explores how curriculum built on the goal of student understanding, integrated with instructional approaches that emphasize reaching every learner, can provide teachers with more specific teaching targets and more flexible ways to reach them. Students will examine the teaching, instruction, and curricula required to meet the needs of diverse learners, who by virtue of their experiential, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, challenge traditional curriculum and instructional programs. Course participants will determine how to deconstruct curricular barriers and create and apply curricular solutions, including assistive technology and AAC, to maximize access and academic success.

A Flexible M.Ed. Program Built to Fit Your Life

There are a variety of ways to pursue your degree, including:

Master's students are required to complete 30 to 36 credits.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Our graduate teacher education students engage in action research, semester-long project-based learning, intensive residency and research with faculty.

Stonehill has partnerships with several area school districts as well as specialized locations. Residency students can work in diverse settings at our public and private partner sites, including the League School and South Shore Educational Collaborative, among others. 

Licensure students complete practica placements at both urban and suburban sites as well as specialized locations. This is an opportunity for students to observe, assist and teach in a range of educational settings. All licensure students are required to complete a field experience or internship.

In courses such as Curricular Innovations & Assistive Technology, students complete a semester-long assistive technology project focused on increasing curricular access.

Casey McPartlin '20, M'22 with her assistive technology project Finger Numeral Dice.

Students have the opportunity to work with faculty on research in a variety of areas. In 2019, three students worked with Elizabeth Stringer Keefe to examine the process of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) from the perspective of both parents and educators and presented their findings at the Massachusetts Council for Exceptional Children Annual Conference.

School and District Partnerships

Stonehill Teacher Residency

Stonehill Teacher Residency candidates complete an intensive field-based residency in a partner district alongside their graduate coursework. It leads to a Master of Education degree and Massachusetts initial licensure in special education, PreK-8 or 5-12, or math/science, 5-8.

Off-Campus Partnerships

Stonehill in Boston

partnership with kennedy day school
Stonehill in Boston's Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Special Education is a weekend master's degree program leading to initial Massachusetts licensure in special education, PreK-8 or 5-12. It allows students to pursue their coursework at our off-campus instructional site in Boston. Postbaccalaureate licensure options also available.

Stonehill on Cape Cod

partnership with riverview school
Stonehill on Cape Cod's Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Special Education is a weekend master's degree program leading to initial Massachusetts licensure in special education, PreK-8 or 5-12. It allows students to pursue their coursework at our off-campus instructional site in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Postbaccalaureate licensure options also available.

Studying Inclusive Education at Stonehill

Stonehill College's graduate teacher education programs prepare educators to lead inclusive learning environments. The College offers master's degree, teacher licensure, community education, and graduate certificate program options, and our focus on educational equity and diversity helps prepare educators for the modern classroom. Our program tenets include anti-oppressive education, social justice education and democratic education, and we work to reflect these principles in all aspects of our work.

Play

Learn more about our graduate teacher education programs.

Schools today must strive to be inclusive environments, and educators in our program are prepared to be leaders in creating equitable spaces where difference is valued.

Graduate Teacher Education at Stonehill

Stonehill College's graduate teacher education programs aim to prepare knowledgeable, reflective, caring and flexible educators who embrace learning, scholarship, community and advocacy in their work. Social justice and democratic education are at the center of our work and underpins all programs, courses and experiences. We believe education can disrupt systems and processes that perpetuate injustice and inequity and embrace diversity and individuality as strengths.

We advance our mission by modeling the creation of democratic spaces in the graduate classroom that reflect equitable, accessible and inclusive learning environments where students' voices and perspectives help to shape the construction and the provision of their learning.

Three tenets guide our program philosophy:

  • Social justice education
  • Democratic education
  • Anti-oppressive education

Graduate Teacher Education Program Outcomes

Our graduates

  • Foster care, connection and community with students, colleagues and families
  • Promote inclusivity, diversity and equity in educational spaces
  • Work to disrupt systems that perpetuate oppression and inequity
  • Embrace teaching practices that foster social justice and democracy
  • Lead by making education accessible for all learners
  • Elevate student voices and perspectives in education
  • Act purposefully to continue to learn and contribute to the profession

Rigorous Academics and the Support to Succeed

Stonehill’s graduate teacher education programs recognize the challenges graduate students face in prioritizing work, family, personal and graduate school commitments. Our Graduate Student Support, Access and Success (SSAS) Framework is designed to support students’ success from program start to finish.

Specifically, this approach provides:

  • A proactive vs. reactive framework for supporting graduate students’ variable needs within their program
  • Clear benchmarks for assessment of candidate readiness

From the admission process to graduation, students have a clear understanding of both expectations and the support available to help them achieve their goals.

Contact Information

Graduate & Professional Studies Admission

grad@stonehill.edu
508-565-1600
Meehan – 101

Graduate & Professional Studies Admission assists students as they explore graduate and professional opportunities offered at Stonehill College. 

Meet the Director of Graduate Teacher Education

Rebekah C. Louis

Rebekah C. Louis

Assistant Professor/Coordinator of Graduate Clinical Experience, Director of Graduate Teacher Education, Coordinator of Graduate Clinical Experience
rlouis3@stonehill.edu
Duffy 290
Education

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