The MAT in Special Education prepares graduates for a wide range of roles throughout the field of special education. Our progressive curriculum develops a broad skill set centered upon understanding all students identified as needing special education and other related services under IDEA. The program has been designed to place you in meaningful internship opportunities that will provide valuable experiences while helping you save on tuition costs via tuition remission.
Designed for prospective teachers who have already earned their bachelor's degree, the MAT in Special Education program is an intensive, cost-effective program that enables you to earn your master’s degree in teaching and your teacher certification in just over one year. Students will begin studying during the fall semester as full-time graduate students and spend time interning in a nearby school while taking focused special education courses online or foundational education courses on-campus in the evenings.
We have forged collaborative partnerships with several area schools to allow you to learn best practices in teaching while being an important part of that school’s educational team. We have partnerships with 20 school districts throughout the state of Connecticut that understand the importance of providing high-quality experiences for our teacher candidates in a hands-on classroom environment. Your internship or residency may also signifigantly reduce your cost of tuition.
Teaching students with special needs stands among the most fulfilling and rewarding careers within the field of education. With courses that explore the needs of students with autism and communication disorders, dyslexia and math disorders, reading disorders and more, our graduates will have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by students with specific learning disabilities, behavioral disorders and emotional disorders. Throughout the program, graduates will master how to develop and implement individualized education programs and 504 plans, conduct functional behavioral assessments and design behavioral intervention programs — all in an effort to prepare them for success in many roles within the field of special education.
As an MAT candidate, you may participate in an internship or residency during the fall and spring semesters of the program. Quinnipiac has collaborative partnerships with over 20 school districts throughout central and southern Connecticut to provide you with guided, hands-on professional practice while reducing some costs of the program.
Candidates who are not employed by a school district will be placed as either an intern or a resident. These candidates will receive a reduction in tuition of up to 50% by means of a tuition remission for serving in such capacity. Candidates employed by a school district may be eligible for employee tuition assistance. Financial aid is available for all candidates in the MAT program.
Interns serve in area schools in a variety of capacities and as substitute teachers with guidance from an on-site adviser and from a Quinnipiac faculty member. Each intern has the opportunity to participate in staff meetings and take part in all school operations.
Residents spend the entire school year with one teacher in one classroom in the role of co-teacher. The classroom teacher and a Quinnipiac faculty member will provide guidance throughout the school year. Each resident can participate in staff meetings and take part in all school operations.
School employees continue working in the capacity in which they were hired.
After successfully completing one year of studies in the MAT program, a candidate can be hired as a teacher of record under a Resident Educator Certificate issued by the State of Connecticut.
You will be off to a strong start — gaining experience in a professoinal envionrment while also gaining perspective and support from your Quinnipiac faculty and classmates.
We have placed student-teachers in 49 schools across 20 local school districts, allowing students to earn classroom experiences in a variety of school settings prior to graduation.
100% of students from our program passed the Special Education: Core Knowledge Praxis Test during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Openings for special education teachers that are projected each year through 2030. Many of these openings result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or retire. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The MAT in Special Education is designed for students with a bachelor's degree that hope to teach special education in public or private schools. The School of Education is proud to offer additional programs of study for individuals interested in the field of special education.
Current teachers who have already earned an initial teaching certification will be better suited for our MS in Special Education leading to Cross-Endorsement program.
Students who are interested in performing research into the theory and practice of special education, but do not plan to teach, are a perfect fit for our MS in Special Education program.
Individuals from any program of study who want to continue to build foundational competencies may be interested in our Certificate of Completion.
All programs in the School of Education are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and by the Connecticut State Department of Education.
School of Education graduates earn exceptionally high scores on licensure examinations required for certification both within and outside the state of Connecticut, including the Praxis II tests for special educators and elementary and secondary teacher candidates; the Foundations of Reading Test; Spanish ACTFL Test; and the Connecticut Administrator Test (CAT), taken by the candidates in the Sixth-Year Diploma in Educational Leadership program.
Our graduate admissions representatives are here to answer any questions you may have and help you navigate the application process.