Teaching Children with Disabilities in Childhood Education (1-6), Master of Science in Education (online)
This program is designed to foster teachers’ ability to develop the skills, attitudes, and abilities needed to identify and remediate major learning and behavior disorders, ranging from mild to profound, regardless of etiology.
- Home
- Academics
- Majors and Programs of Study
- Teaching Children with Disabilities in Childhood Education (1-6), Master of Science in Education (online)
The Teaching Children with Disabilities in Childhood, Master of Science in Education (Online) program is an a 33-credit online program for students who already have initial NYS certification, and wish to obtain special education certification as well, through an online degree. It qualifies students for New York State initial certification as a teacher of students with disabilities at the childhood level (Grades 1-6).
Coursework is designed to foster teachers’ ability to develop the skills, attitudes, and abilities needed to identify and remediate major learning and behavior disorders, ranging from mild to profound, regardless of etiology. Attention is also paid to diagnosis, intervention, program planning and program evaluation. The program also allows students the flexibility of attending class, accessing materials, and interacting with professors when most convenient for their schedule.
- Degree Type
- MSEd
- Area of Interest
- Education
- Associated Colleges or Schools
- Program Location
- Online
- Required Credit Hours
- 33
Admission
A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, as well as initial NYS teaching certification. Undergraduate scholastic achievement must be such as to give reasonable assurance of success in work for an advanced degree. Normally this will be a “B,” both in the general average and in the major field.
Please view the School of Education Graduate Admission Application Requirements for detailed admission information.
Courses
Program Prerequisites: This Master’s degree can only be taken by students with initial NYS certification.
Students satisfying the 30 credits in a content area with a minimum grade of C, passing the CST content subject area will be eligible for certification, grades 7-9, in their content area
*SJU Comprehensive Exam must be passed during the final semester of classes.
EDU 3200: Language Acquisition and Literacy Development for General Education and English Language Learners (ELL) K-12 (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9700: Research in Collaborative Partnerships, Strategic Instruction for General, Special, and Inclusive Educational Settings: Childhood (10 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9707: Curriculum Adaptation and Modification Planning for Exceptional Students: Childhood (10 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9711: Education and Accommodating Needs for Individuals with Exceptionalities, K-12 (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9712: Educational Assessment of Individuals with Exceptionalities (prerequisite EDU 9711) (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9716: Curriculum and Instructional Design for Teaching Literacy to Individuals with Exceptionalities: Childhood (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9718: Curriculum and Instructional Design for Individuals with Exceptionalities: Math, Science, Social Studies –Childhood (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9719: Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and Positive Behavior Supports, K-12 (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9702: Practicum in Special Education-(150 Hrs.) – Childhood
Must be taken in your final Semester. Must have completed EDU 7115, all Special Education Coursework and CST- Students with Disabilities
Student Resources
Career and Education Opportunities
This online program requires a completion of 150 hours of practicum in various settings, including self-contained, inclusive, and mainstreamed classrooms. Graduate students must have successfully completed all state mandated external exams, training modules, and teaching experiences.
Our school’s mission of “Preparing teachers, counselors, and administrators as transformational leaders who honor the dignity of all people” guides our programs and informs our practice each day. This can be seen in the multiple opportunities we offer for engagement in professional activities, academic service learning, and global education consistent with the University’s Catholic and Vincentian mission.
In addition to many online learning opportunities that allow for current and effective use of online resources for research and practice in special education, and preparation for careers in an increasingly global and digital world, our students complete 150 hours of supervised special education practicum in various settings including self-contained, inclusive, and mainstreamed classrooms. Students are exposed to instructors, current researchers, and leaders in the field of special education who have many years of experience and expertise working directly with children in diverse, multicultural, and high-needs urban and suburban school settings. Our students engage in several professional and networking events throughout their program, developing competencies to effectively communicate and interact with stakeholders in collaborative and inclusive ways.
Our graduates are successful and highly proficient teachers trained to meet the highest professional standards in special education set by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). We are excited to welcome you to join this cadre of effective teachers and global citizens effecting change in the lives of children and youth through education and service.
Top Outcomes for this particular program
The program is designed to foster the ability of teachers to develop the skills, attitudes, and abilities needed to identify and remediate major learning and behavior disorders, ranging from mild to profound, regardless of etiology. Attention is also paid to diagnosis, intervention, program planning and program evaluation.
The program prepares graduates to:
- Understand a wide range of disabilities, including those identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- Collaborate effectively with parents, educators, and related service providers
- Identify students’ strengths and needs so as to individualize and modify instruction
- Create safe, nurturing and individualized learning environments for students with disabilities, mindful of how life experiences, culture, and ethnicity shape and strengthen students as learners
- Create and implement educational programs for children with disabilities, using the most current evidence-based practices and technological resources
- Use the basic principles and strategies of the science of applied behavior analysis with students who have disabilities
- Use, interpret and analyze various forms of assessment (formal, informal, formative, summative) to gather detailed information, from multiple sources, about student learning
- Understand research in the broader context of special and inclusive education
- Apply standards set by the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (inTASC)
Career Options
- Special Education Teacher, Gr 1-6
- General Education Teacher, Gr 1-6
- Inclusive Education Teacher, Gr 1-6
- Resource Room Teacher
- Coordinator
- Advocate
- Consultant
- Professional Development
- Special Education Itinerant Teacher
Success Stories
We succeed in graduating excellent teachers, who are caring and sensitive individuals. Our graduates are always sought after by both public and private schools, including a host of Catholic programs.
Our graduates attest to their academic preparation and growth as professionals in the field of special education and inclusive collaborative services
“I felt very confident going into my first year of teaching and practicum this year after completing many of my courses”
Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
“The special education courses provided me with a different lens and particularly allowed the facilitation and continuity of being mindful of each student’s particular needs and style of learning.”
Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
“St. John’s really prepared me to grow as an educator and it prepared me to go out to schools and maintain a close connection with the teachers”
Childhood Special Education Teacher
Program News
Programs in Special Education host a College Immersion Program for Youth and Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to increase inclusive opportunities in Higher Education: Funded Grant Project with the Cooke Center for Learning and Development, New York City (2016- Present).
Online Learning
Earn Your Degree Online
Pursue your St. John’s degree entirely on your computer. Our fully accredited Online Learning programs allow you to take courses electronically. Log in at your convenience to enter our virtual classrooms, learn from our accomplished faculty, and engage with classmates.
Our online courses offer the same high academic quality that students experience on campus. Professors deliver lectures and post assignments via Blackboard, our electronic course management system. Students use it to attend virtual classes, share documents, take exams, and exchange ideas with faculty and classmates.
A Fully Academic Experience
You also enjoy the outstanding services available to all St. John’s students, for example:
- Eligibility for scholarships and financial aid
- Tuition and fees identical to those for on-campus courses
- Access to library collections, career services, mentoring, and other academic resources.
Contact us for more information about online learning at St. John’s.
Our Faculty
- Faculty with extensive experience as school and community-based professionals are actively engaged in school-based research and service activities
- Faculty regularly present at local, national, and international special education conferences
- Faculty have published in highly regarded peer-reviewed education and special education journals including Review of Educational Research, Learning Disability Quarterly, Learning Disability Research & Practice, Behavior Modification, Preventing School Failure, Beyond Behavior, Intervention in School and Clinic, International Review of Research in MR, American Journal of Mental Retardation, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, International Journal of Inclusive Education, and International Interdisciplinary Journal of Education
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator
Dr. Khemka received her Ph.D. with distinction from Columbia University in the area of Intellectual Disability and Autism in 1997. She has been involved in teacher preparation programs for many years now and has taught previously at Teachers College, Columbia University and Long Island University, C.W. Post, NY. She has directed several intervention-based research and evaluation projects and has extensive experience in bilingual evaluation and arts based programming for students with special needs. Dr. Khemka is well known for her work in the area of interpersonal decision-making and prevention of peer-victimization and abuse in adults and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism. She is the lead author of 2 evidence based instructional programs (ESCAPE and PEER-DM) designed to provide effective, strategy-based decision making training for the reduction of risk and abuse. Her new research focuses on studying the impact of cyber bullying in school-aged children with special needs and in designing targeted, disability-specific interventions.
Research Interests: Among adolescents and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including autism) : decision-making, prevention of peer victimization, abuse prevention, development of evidence based curricula
Sullivan Hall, Room 410
(718) 990-2631
[email protected]
Assistant Professor
Rebecca A. Louick, Ph.D., a native New Yorker, is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Department of Education Specialties at the School of Education, St. John's University. For eight years, she was a middle- and high-school teacher at schools for students with learning disabilities. Dr. Louick has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College, an M.S.Ed. in Special Education/Learning Disabilities from City University of New York-Hunter College, and an A.B. in English and Sociology from Amherst College. She has taught courses on reading methods for students with special needs, assessment of students with special needs, and special education more generally. Her research focuses on the learning needs of adolescents with learning disabilities, particularly in terms of communication and academic motivation.
Research Interests: Among adolescents with learning disabilities: academic motivation, literacy skill development, language and communication skills
Sullivan Hall, Room 414
718-990-8035
[email protected]
Assistant Professor
Dr. Mello received her Ph.D. in Special Education from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Mello combines her research with effective practical work in the field. Before coming to St. John’s she taught young adults with intellectual disabilities for six years in a college program for students with intellectual disabilities. She also served as the coordinator for a special education advocacy training program for parents of children with disabilities. Her research explores the area of transition to adulthood of adolescents and young adults with intellectual disabilities and autism. More specially, she examines the acquisition of independent living skills and access to postsecondary education and housing. She conducts research on service provision and family advocacy in underserved communities. Dr. Mello is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
Research Interests: Among young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including autism): transition to adulthood, postsecondary education programs, access to affordable housing and supported living, acquisition of independent living skills with assistive technology, service provision in underserved communities
Sullivan Hall, Room 412
718-990-7686
[email protected]
Assistant Professor
Dr. McDevitt received her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to joining the St. John’s University community, she spent over a decade working with young children with and without disabilities and pre- and in-service teachers in various educational settings. Her research interests are broadly in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. More specifically in the field of early childhood inclusive education, she examines teacher development and diversity, young children’s experiences of “schooling,” and inclusive, culturally sustaining and relationship-based practice.
Research Interests: Teacher education and development for teaching immigrant children and children with disabilities; Young children’s experiences of transition; Inclusive, culturally sustaining and relationship-based practice
Sullivan Hall, Room 413
718-990-1560
[email protected]
Program Contact
Federal Regulations require all higher education institutions offering an academic program designed to meet the educational requirements for a professional license or certification or advertised as such, to provide potential students with information about whether completion of that program would meet the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the state of the student’s location upon enrollment.
This program prepares students for licensure/certification in New York State. Students who plan to work in a state other than NY, must visit our Professional Licensure Disclosure Information page where we have indicated if this program meets or does not meet the educational requirements for specific states.
Interested in Education, but not sure if Teaching Children with Disabilities in Childhood Education (1-6), Master of Science in Education (online) is right for you?
Related Programs
The doctoral degree in educational administration and supervision is an opportunity for educational leaders to enhance their knowledge and skills in research and current trends in education.
- Queens Campus
The program is designed to foster the ability of teachers to develop the skills, attitudes, and abilities needed to identify and remediate major learning and behavior disorders, ranging from mild to profound, regardless of etiology.
- Queens Campus
Leads to initial certification to teach a specific content area in grades 7 through 12 in New York State.
- Queens Campus
The Master of Science programs in Adolescent Education (Career Change) enable prospective teachers to acquire the skills they need in such areas as language acquisition and literacy, curriculum development, instructional planning, and more.
- Queens Campus
Today’s teachers must be prepared to teach literacy to a very diverse population of students. New York State recognizes the need for all teachers to be proficient in literacy instruction to meet the needs of all students.
- Queens Campus
The department offers a 15-graduate credit course sequence leading to bilingual education extension.
- Queens Campus
- Online
This five-year program is open to undergraduate education majors who achieve a 3.5 GPA and are willing to purse a more demanding and comprehensive program of study, and who, by virtue of their academic performance and interview with the faculty, are invited to participate in this unique B.S.Ed./M.S.Ed. program.
- Queens Campus
Today teachers must be prepared to work with students with diverse needs and abilities.
- Queens Campus
The Childhood and Childhood Special Education, Master of Science in Education (Career Change) program is an accelerated program for college graduates seeking to become special education teachers.
- Queens Campus
Leads to initial certification to teach grades 1 through 6 in New York State.
- Queens Campus
The Master’s Degree Program in Childhood Education and TESOL is a unique, robust, specially designed 36 credit program intended for graduates from “non-education” programs who want to change their career path and fulfill their desire to become multiculturalist professional NY State certified TESOL teachers of English learners (PreK-12), or general classroom teachers in grades (K-6) with expertise and certification in TESOL, that is now required of all classroom teachers.
- Queens Campus
The Master of Science program in Childhood Education (Career Change) advances the knowledge and experience of graduates in teaching elementary education. The program includes a range of relevant pedagogical methods for teaching and learning and strategies for devising, implementing and assessing learning experiences for all learners.
- Queens Campus
Our new program — an MS.Ed in Childhood Special Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) — is a 39-credit program designed for candidates with an initial certification in childhood education and is the only one of its kind in New York State.
- Queens Campus
Students who have completed a CACREP master’s degree in another counseling specialization, such as school counseling, can earn an Advanced Certificate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC).
- Queens Campus
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program is a 60-credit program leading to a Master of Science in Education degree.
- Queens Campus
The Field Change and Career Change programs are intended to foster the development of skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to teach diverse populations of young children (birth to grade 2) across the full range of abilities.
- Queens Campus
Enhance your knowledge and skills in research and current trends in education with an M.B.A. concentrating on Educational Leadership from St. John's University.
- Queens Campus
- Manhattan Campus
- Online
The advanced degree programs in instructional leadership have been designed to provide students with an intellectual environment that enables them to take leadership positions in the areas of curriculum, learning and instruction.
- Queens Campus
This fully online program provides students with an intellectual environment to refine existing knowledge and develop new knowledge, practices and skills in higher education policy, student development theory and educational leadership.
- Online
Our vision in the PhD Literacy program is to create an academic community of literacy practitioners and leaders who intend to address real-life social problems through scholarship. The program is designed to develop research skills applied in the field of literacy to learn about the role of reading and writing in schools and everyday life.
- Online
Extensions are available for Adolescent Education certificate holders and Childhood Education certificate holders.
- Queens Campus
- Manhattan Campus
The Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction is a 45-credit post-Master’s degree program comprised of four strands: Teaching, Learning, and Knowing; Early Childhood; Global Education; and STEM Education.
- Queens Campus
We have designed the Master and Advanced Certificate in Administration to comply with New York State regulations, keeping in mind the technological, cultural, political, social and economic changes that our students face in their school communities.
- Queens Campus
- Online
The graduate programs in Educational Administration enable educators to acquire scholarly knowledge, technical skills, intellectual curiosity and legal and ethical awareness in order to make a positive contribution in the organization and administration of public and nonpublic schools. The programs seek to produce informed leaders whose expertise will be well grounded in theory to support their efforts to deal with varied issues and problems in the school setting and to make innovative contributions to the reform and restructuring of current educational practice.
- Queens Campus
- Manhattan Campus
- Online
The Dual Advanced Certificate Program for School Building Leader (SBL) and School District Leader (SDL) is a nationally accredited program that provides students with an intellectual environment that enables them to refine existing knowledge and develop new knowledge, practices, and skills in the areas of administration, assessment, and curriculum.
- Queens Campus
- Online
Students who have completed a 60 credit master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) have the opportunity to complete the Advanced Certificate in School Counseling Bridge program. The program is designed to provide advanced graduate students with the opportunity to earn their initial New York state certification in school counseling.
- Queens Campus
- Online
The School Counseling Program consists of a 60-credit Master of Science in Education degree, which prepares counselors-in-training for fulfilling the roles of the urban school counselors serving elementary, middle, and high school students in grades K-12 in the areas of academic, personal/social, and career development, according to the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA’s) new vision.
- Queens Campus
The Advanced Certificate program in School District Leader (SDL) provides students with an intellectual environment that enables them to refine existing knowledge and develop new knowledge, practices, and skills in the areas of administration, assessment, and curriculum.
- Queens Campus
- Online
The program prepares teachers to develop a strong command of content and pedagogical knowledge, multicultural perspectives, and instructional skills appropriate in addressing the social, cultural and educational needs of their students.
- Queens Campus
The Masters in Early Childhood Special Education ( B – Grade 2) is intended for field/career changers to foster the development of skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to teach diverse populations of young children (birth to grade 2) across the full range of abilities.
- Queens Campus
The Adolescent Education Master’s Degree Program at St. John’s University qualifies students for a full-time salaried teaching position in Grades 7-12.
- Queens Campus
The Adolescent Education Advanced Certificate Program at St. John’s University qualifies students to teach students with disabilities in Grades 7-12.
- Queens Campus
The program prepares teachers to develop a strong command of content and pedagogical knowledge, multicultural perspectives, and instructional skills appropriate in addressing the social, cultural and educational needs of their students.
- Queens Campus
Students in this program further develop the attitudes and abilities needed to identify and remediate major learning and behavior disorders, ranging from mild to profound, regardless of etiology.
- Queens Campus
This degree will give teachers the opportunity to enrich their classroom pedagogy with specialization in Literacy instruction and instruction for the English Language Learner.
- Queens Campus
- Manhattan Campus
This degree will give teachers the opportunity to enrich their classroom pedagogy with specialization in Literacy instruction and instruction for the English Language Learner.
- Queens Campus
- Manhattan Campus
To be eligible for the Advanced Certificate in Literacy, you must have completed a Master’s Degree in Education possessing initial teaching certification.
The programs with a specialization in Teaching Literacy B-6, Teaching Literacy 5-12 and Teaching Literacy B-12 give the initially certified teacher the skills to teach reading, writing, and related language arts to students from early childhood to high school levels.
- Queens Campus
- Online
The Advanced Certificate in TESOL Program subsumes creativity and critical pedagogy and provides the holder of it with a powerful array of advanced approaches for a variety of positions.
- Queens Campus
- Manhattan Campus
- Online
This 33 credits research and standards-based graduate program is intended for those educators who wish to obtain a Master’s of Science Degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). This program addresses the needs of educators interested in working with linguistically and culturally diverse learners. The focus is on creative and critical pedagogy and best teaching practices with socially just awareness as well as multi-modal curriculum design and planning for ENL (English as a New Language) students.
- Queens Campus
- Online