Special Education (Graduate Certificate)
The Special Education certificate consists of five courses at three (3) credits each, for a total of 15 credits. THIS IS NOT A LICENSURE PROGRAM. Students interested in a licensure program should see an education advisor or contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.
15-credit Special Education certificate is for students who have an undergraduate degree and meet the university's requirements for graduate certificate admissions. Students who choose to apply certificate courses to earn the 30-credit M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction must meet all the current graduate admissions requirements set by Marymount and the Commonwealth of Virginia. All coursework must be completed at Marymount within three years of matriculation. Title IV federal financial aid is not available for these certificate programs, but private and institutional aid may be available.
Minimum Grade Requirements: Students must meet the university’s academic standards for graduate students and achieve a minimum grade of C for each course required for the certificate. All graduate students in the School of Education must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. The student must bring their cumulative GPA to 3.0 or higher within nine (9) graduate credits or be dismissed. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 a second time will be dismissed.
Prerequisite: Prospective students need to have an introductory curriculum/instruction course or one year of validated teaching experience. Students may also take ED 500SL Foundations of Education and the Teaching Profession or ED 551 Instruction and Assessment as a corequisite to meet this entrance requirement.
Certificate Requirements — Special Education
15 credits
Required Courses
| ED 509 | Special Education: Foundations and Characteristics of Exceptional Learners | 3 |
| ED 511 | Psychoeducational Assessment and Instruction | 3 |
| ED 523 | Diagnostic and Corrective Literacy Instruction | 3 |
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| ED 529 | Collaboration and Consultation in Special Education Settings | 3 |
| OR | |
| ED 558 | Elementary Math Methods | 3 |
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| ED 539 | Instructional Implementation of the Individualized Education Program | 3 |
Students seeking a Special Education add-on endorsement to a PK-6 license should take ED 558 Math Methods instead of ED 529 since math is a requirement of the Virginia Department of Education.