Dual Certification-Childhood Special Education: Severe/Multiple Disabilities

 

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

44 to 56

Certification

Childhood Education Grades 1 to 6, and Students with Disabilities Grades 1 to 6 with an extension annotation in Severe and Multiple Disabilities

Eligibility and Admission Requirements

  • 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
  • A liberal arts or science major or interdisciplinary concentration of at least 30 credits
  • General education core in the liberal arts and sciences including coursework in artistic expression, communication, information retrieval, concepts in history and social sciences, humanities, a world language other than English, scientific and mathematical processes, and written analysis and expression (Waived for Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 applicants)
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • A statement of purpose
  • An official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score report (Waived for Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 applicants)

To Apply

Applications are accepted each Fall and Spring semester.

To start your application, visit the Hunter College Online Application.

When applying to this program, under Program of Study, select School of Education – Special Education, and Severe and Multiple Disabilities no prior NYS Teacher Cert.

Application Deadlines

Fall Start

  • March 15 (Priority Deadline)
  • April 15 (Extended Deadline)

Spring Start

  • October 15 (Priority Deadline)
  • November 1 (Extended Deadline)

Visit How to Apply for information about deadline extensions.

Related Programs

If you have New York State Teacher Certification in Childhood Education, you may be eligible for the Childhood Special Education: Severe/Multiple Disabilities program for NYS Certified Teachers.

If you have a Master’s Degree and New York State Teacher Certification in Special Education, you may be eligible for the Specialized Additional Teaching Certificate program in Severe and Multiple Disabilities.

Contact an Admissions Advisor

edadmissions@hunter.cuny.edu

Program Leader

Virginia Gryta

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