Childhood Special Education: Severe/Multiple Disabilities for NYS Certified Teachers
This program is no longer accepting new applications after Spring 2025. Candidates can now apply for the Multiple Disabilities All Grades MSEd to begin in Fall 2025.
Program Overview
This graduate program will prepare you to work with learners with significant, severe/multiple disabilities in both self-contained special education classrooms and inclusive general education environments through the principles of Universal Design for Learning. You will learn to use strategies to teach communication skills to learners with cerebral palsy (CP), traumatic brain injury (TBI), deafblindness, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and intellectual disabilities using augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC), tangible symbols, and other assistive technology (AT). Graduates from this program go on to work as specialized teachers of learners with severe disabilities, including deafblindness, in NYC’s District 75, as inclusion support providers (SETTS or SEIT), and as collaborative team teachers with general education teachers in both public and private schools, private early intervention agencies, hospitals, and clinics.
Credits
37
Certification
Students with Disabilities, Grades 1-6 with an extension annotation in Severe and Multiple Disabilities
Eligibility and Admission Requirements
This program is designed for applicants who hold NYS certification in Childhood Education or PreK-6
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of at least 3.0 or a master’s degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of at least 3.5
- NYS initial or professional certification in Childhood Education Grades 1-6 or PreK-grade 6. Those holding permanent certification must either show proof that they have satisfied the New York State requirements regarding wellness, child abuse, drug abuse, fire safety, and violence prevention or take HED 71500, a one-credit course covering these topics.
- Two letters of recommendation
- A statement of purpose
- An official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score report (Waived for Spring 2025 applicants)