Special Education (MEd)

DePaul University

The Master of Education in Special Education will prepare you to teach students with exceptionalities in kindergarten through 12th grade in a variety of urban and suburban educational settings, including public and private schools. By completing the Special Education program, you will be eligible for the Illinois Learning and Behavior Specialist I (LBS1) license, provided you complete additional state requirements.

You’ll select one of three concentrations within this program:

Pre-Service Special Education

The Pre-Service Special Education concentration is for students who seek to obtain their initial Illinois licensure. Upon completion, candidates will be eligible for an LBS1 endorsement (Pre-K through age 21) as well as additional Illinois State Board of Education requirements.

Special and Elementary Education

The Special and Elementary Education concentration is for those seeking their initial Illinois licensure with additional endorsements in special and elementary education. Upon completion, candidates will be eligible for Illinois licensure with an LBSI endorsement and Elementary Education Endorsement (1–6).

Special Education for Teachers

The Special Education for Teachers concentration is for candidates who already hold a current and valid Illinois Professional Educator License. Courses within this concentration are designed for practicing educators and are not open to students seeking their initial Illinois teaching license.

Classes are offered on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus, and this program can be completed in two to three years.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Understand how exceptionalities may interact with development.
• Use foundational knowledge of the field and their professional ethical principles and practice standards to inform special education practice, to engage in lifelong learning, and to advance the profession.
• Create safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments.
• Use knowledge of general and specialized curricula to individualize learning for individuals with exceptionalities.
• Select, adapt, and use a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to advance learning of individuals with exceptionalities.
• Use multiple methods of assessment and data sources in making educational decisions.

• Pre-service Special Education
• Special Education for Teachers
• Special and Elementary Education