Admission Requirements
The M.A. degree and licenses in special education will consider applicants who:
- Meet the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School.
- Submit an official transcript (U.S. schools) or NACES or AICE evaluation (international schools) showing an earned baccalaureate degree and official transcripts or NACES or AICE evaluations from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended. Undergraduate transcript(s) may be waived if transfer credit(s) are not used being used to fulfill content area requirements.
- Have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher from an institutionally accredited (or internationally recognized as equivalent) institution.
- Have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale on the highest degree completed.
- Submit two professional Admission References.
- Submit a written Statement of Purpose.1
- Interview with the program director or enrollment counselor.1
- Submit a copy of current or most recent state or internationally recognized teaching license at the elementary, secondary, or K–12 (or equivalent) level. Applicants without a current teaching license will be considered for admission to the special education program.
NOTE: Students who become licensed in ABS K–12, ASD B–21, DD K-12 or EBD K–12 but do not have a regular teaching license prior to entering the program will only be eligible to teach in those areas of special education license, not as regular education teachers. - Submission of current Tier 3 or 4 Minnesota teaching license is sufficient documentation of completion of equivalent Standards of Effective Practice (SEP) coursework listed in the degree requirements.
- Submit a current resume.
Students who have not achieved the minimum GPA, grade standards, or other assessment criteria may still apply to be considered for provisional acceptance. See Admission Categories.
- 1
Required if this is the student's first special education license.
License Requirements
To be recommended for a license students must:
- Maintain academic success, which is defined as completion of each teacher licensure course and each content course with a passing grade: S, C, or higher.
- Maintain character, ethics, and relational skills consistent with the professional educator's role and responsibility. Any student failing to meet this expectation may be asked to discuss other viable options for professional development with the program director.
- Complete required license standards, which are subject to change at any time by the Professional Education Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB).
- Meet the PELSB license standards in place at the time of program completion.
If the MN Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) changes any content standards or education standards after a student is admitted into a Bethel education program, the student is responsible to complete and pay for appropriate classes to meet the standard(s) either at Bethel or another college/university.
Developmental Disabilities K-12 License
The curriculum for the Developmental Disabilities K-12 License is 37-54 credits. Courses are designated as Standards of Effective Practice (SEP) courses, Special Education License Core (SPED) courses, and DD License (DD) courses. Students with a full professional teaching license take only the SPED Core and DD courses. Students with a qualifying special education license take only the DD courses. All others take the SEP, SPED Core, and DD courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Standards of Effective Practice courses: 16 credits ‡ | ||
| TEAC 521 | Foundations of Education | 2 |
| TEAC 524 | Educational Psychology | 4 |
| TEAC 526 | General Methods of Instruction | 4 |
| TEAC 528 | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Education | 4 |
| TEAC 595 | School-Wide Systems Field Experience ‡ | 1 |
| TEAC 751 | Student Teaching Seminar * | 1 |
| Special Education License Core courses: 16 credits | ||
| SPED 602 | Introduction to Special Education: History, Law, Academics, and Behavior | 4 |
| SPED 617 | Norm-Reference Assessment and Field Experience ‡ | 4 |
| SPED 623 | Consultation, Collaboration, and Resources | 2 |
| SPED 627 | Programming and Planning for Special Education | 2 |
| SPED 629 | Reading Foundations and Field Experience ‡ | 4 |
| DD License courses: 21-22 credits | ||
| SPED 618 | Instructional Strategies for Students with Mild-Moderate Disabilities | 4 |
| SPED 661 | Foundations of Developmental and Cognitive Disabilities/Intellectual Disabilities | 2 |
| SPED 655 | Classroom-based Assessment and Field Experience | 4 |
| SPED 667 | Instruction and Intervention for Students with Intellectual Disabilities | 4 |
| SPED 669 | Supporting Students with Intellectual Disabilities Across Systems and Field Experience ‡ | 4 |
| SPED 784 | DD: Student Teaching * | 3-4 |
| or SPED 782 | SPED Practicum for Teachers of Other Licenses | |
| Total Credits | 37-54 | |
Developmental Disabilities K–12 (DD) License add-on
The curriculum for the DD License as an additional special education license is 13 semester credits.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SPED 661 | Foundations of Developmental and Cognitive Disabilities/Intellectual Disabilities | 2 |
| SPED 667 | Instruction and Intervention for Students with Intellectual Disabilities | 4 |
| SPED 669 | Supporting Students with Intellectual Disabilities Across Systems and Field Experience ‡ | 4 |
| SPED 779 | DD: Practicum | 3 |
| Total Credits | 13 | |
- *
Course must be taken for credit at Bethel.
- ±
Required for all students who do not already hold a full professional teaching license.
- ‡
This course requires 30 hours of field work in a K-12 setting.