Master of Science in Special Education – High Incidence Online

This cost-effective online degree program is ideal for working teachers who want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of students with high-incidence disabilities, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and high-functioning autism.

Apply By: 1/2/25
Start Class: 1/13/25 Apply Now

Program Overview

Get to know the Master of Science in Special Education – High Incidence online program

Earn your Master of Science in Special Education – High Incidence online from Emporia State University and meet the increasing demand for qualified special education educators. Prepare for a variety of classroom and administrative roles in special education with program curriculum that meets the endorsement standards for both early childhood through late childhood (grades K through 6) and early adolescence through late adolescence (grades 6 through 12).

In this CAEP-accredited program, you will develop your ability to identify, implement, and evaluate appropriate interventions for students across the spectrum of special education. Qualified faculty—all of whom have a doctorate or master’s degree in special education—will provide you with the adaptive instructional strategies and classroom management techniques necessary to create engaging learning experiences for students with diverse learning and behavioral needs.

Core courses include Strategies for Students with High Incidence Disabilities, Promoting Literacy for Students with High Incidence Disabilities, Assessments in Schools, Analysis of Research, and more. You will also choose two courses from the following electives: Cultural Influences & Educational Practice, Student Behavior and Neurologically Informed Practice, Integrating Creative Arts into Inclusive Early Childhood Education, Creative Teaching and Learning, and Characteristics of the Gifted.

Please note this program does not lead to obtaining a teaching license.

In this online MS in SPED – High Incidence program, you will:

  • Gain strategies and skills to teach special education high incidence in grades K through 12
  • Belong to a professional community of educators that work in schools to provide healthy environments for learning and teaching
  • Be able to respond to uncertainty and change caused by different needs of students
In this online MS in SPED – High Incidence program, you will:+
  • Gain strategies and skills to teach special education high incidence in grades K through 12
  • Belong to a professional community of educators that work in schools to provide healthy environments for learning and teaching
  • Be able to respond to uncertainty and change caused by different needs of students

This online special education program prepares you for roles such as:

  • Special Education Teacher
  • Special Education Administrator
  • Special Education Coordinator
This online special education program prepares you for roles such as:+
  • Special Education Teacher
  • Special Education Administrator
  • Special Education Coordinator

Also available:

Emporia State offers a wide range of graduate education degree programs in a convenient online format. Explore all of our online education programs.

$9,960* Total Tuition
As few as 12 months Duration
30 Credit Hours

Accreditation

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

The Teachers College at Emporia State is accredited under the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation standards through the CAEP accreditation system, for a period of seven years.

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Tuition

Take a look at ESU’s affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition

Tuition for the MS in Special Education – High Incidence online degree program is the same for in-state and out-of-state students. All fees are included.

View additional tuition information+

Program Per Credit Hour Per Course Per Program*
MS in SPED – High Incidence $332 $996 $9,960

Tuition breakdown:

$9,960* Total Tuition
$332 Per Credit Hour

Calendar

The online MS in SPED – High Incidence program features multiple start dates

The MS in Special Education – High Incidence is delivered in an online format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring multiple start dates each year. Choose the start date that's best for you.

View full calendar  + 

7 week coursesProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment Due
Spring 2025, Session I1/13/251/2/251/5/251/6/251/9/25
Spring 2025, Session II3/10/252/24/252/27/253/3/253/6/25
Summer 2025, Session I5/12/254/28/255/1/255/5/255/8/25
Summer 2025, Session II6/30/256/16/256/19/256/23/256/26/25

Now enrolling:

1/2/25 Apply Date
1/13/25 Class Starts

Have questions or need more information about Emporia State online programs?

Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online from Emporia State?

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Admissions

Here’s what you need to begin your online application

Your journey begins here! The admission process is the first step toward earning your degree. Be sure to get familiar with these requirements to enroll in the MS in Special Education – High Incidence online program.

Admission Requirements:

  • Official transcripts
  • Bachelor's degree
  • Minimum GPA of 2.75
View all admission requirements +

MS in Special Education – High Incidence Online Admission Requirements

  • Graduate school application
  • Copy of teaching license
  • Government-issued ID
  • Official transcripts from all attended colleges and universities from regionally accredited institutions with a minimum GPA of 2.75 or higher
    • Students must submit official bachelor's degree transcripts containing a cumulative or last 60 semester hours of study GPA of 2.75 or higher or a completed master's degree with at least a GPA of 3.0 Any additional transcripts from college credits accumulated after the bachelor’s degree MUST be submitted if you will be using these credits for transfer credit.

Official transcripts from all institutions attended can be submitted via a secure electronic service offered by the issuing institution to [email protected] or by selecting Emporia State University on the transcript request form, mailed (or overnighted) to:

Emporia State University
Graduate School
Room 313 Plumb Hall
1 Kellogg Circle
Emporia, KS 66801

Students who have obtained a degree from a foreign university/college must have a transcript evaluation from a recommended external source that is a member of NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services). Students will not be allowed to enroll until the evaluation has been received in the Graduate School.

Have a question? Call us at 800-721-2248.

Courses

What you will study in the MS in Special Education – High Incidence online program

To complete the MS in SPED - High Incidence Online program, students must complete 30 credit hours for this program: 27 core credit hours and 3 credit hours of electives.

Expand All

Students must take all of the following courses:

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course will provide the candidate with the basic characteristics of mild and moderate disabilities, as well as the descriptions and applications of methods and strategies for teaching students with mild and moderate disabilities in need of an adapted curriculum. Candidates will participate in a variety of activities to demonstrate knowledge and skills to meet the academic and behavioral needs of learners in primary through secondary levels. Candidates will learn educational programming techniques, implementation, and evaluation of appropriate interventions in a variety of roles including consultation and co-teaching. Specific emphasis will be on teaching mathematics and providing methods and strategies to promote better mathematics understanding for students with mild and moderate disabilities.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides practical approaches for students to refine and practice effective communication skills. Current models of consultation/collaboration will be presented. Topics studies include communication skills; academic diversity issues; teaming; problem solving; co-teaching approaches; working with paraeducators; models for collaboration with regular educators; engaging and empowering families and community in the education of the learner; and the use of technology for collaborative communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides a practical guide to experienced teachers, teachers in-training, parents, and paraprofessionals for applying behavior management techniques both in general and special educational settings and in the home. The course focuses on the principles of behavior management and their application in the educational programs, as well as in the home. This course will help the student become a critical thinker, creative planner, and effective practitioner. The primary goal of this course is the ethical, effective, and efficient management of behavior and learning problems of children and youth as they learn to explore, manipulate, and ultimately control their world for personal satisfaction and benefit for the betterment of society.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The focus of this course is to provide candidates with the background knowledge, current research, and instructional design that make up a literacy program. The course content will cover the critical elements of language and literacy; identifies and uses evidence-based interventions to meet the instructional needs specific to reading, writing, math and other content areas; and includes the principles of universal design for learning and the use of technology to support literacy and to make databased decisions.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is a survey of the broad spectrum of psychological tests used in the assessment of human potential and functioning. The focus is on the nature, use, and interpretations of various methods of evaluation with specific reference to measurement in the areas of aptitude, achievement, interest, personality, and intelligence. Analyzing data and the interpretation of test results is a major emphasis.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides initial organized observation and instruction of the student with special needs in various learning situations. Candidates will participate in activities associated with the role of a professional educator. A course fee of $300 will be charged to support mentor teachers.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides an opportunity to expand and refine competencies acquired in courses leading to full licensure in K-12 High Incidence Special Education. Candidates will participate in activities associated with the role of a K-12 special education professional educator. A course fee of $300 will be charged to support mentor teachers and should be taken towards the end of the program. Pre-req: SD 710
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
(offered every fall) This course will provide the candidate with descriptions and applications of methods and strategies for teaching students with autistic spectrum disorders. Candidates will participate in a variety of activities to demonstrate knowledge and skills to meet the academic, social, and behavioral needs of learners in primary through secondary levels. Candidates will learn educational programming techniques, implementation, and evaluation of appropriate interventions in a variety of roles including consultation and co-teaching.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This is an introductory graduate-level course in research methodology designed to allow the student to function as a knowledgeable and critical consumer of scholarly research in his/her field. The course will also emphasize the use of action research for program improvement.

Students must pick one course from the following electives:

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides an overview of legal issues, administrative policies and professional practice related to special educator paraprofessional supervision in elementary and secondary schools. The course focuses on effective paraprofessional training as well as effective scheduling and supervising strategies. This course helps prepare teachers to supervise special education paraprofessionals. Inservice training, scheduling, and supervision as pertains to special education paraeducators will be discussed.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is designed to prepare students to effectively educate culturally, ethnically, racially different, and differently abled students. Major components are: to explore personal biases and methods of overcoming them; explore the basic principles underlying multicultural education and to develop appropriate strategies for teaching, leading, and other functions of the school and its community.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Neurological research, traditional sources of knowledge, and contributions from mental health are accessed to design socially, emotionally, and physical safe learning environments for all students and staff. Construction of schooling conditions, to include adults who model and teach healthy social interaction patterns. A comprehensive view of behavioral support is provided.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course will focus on creativity and artistic creativity of children birth to age eight. This elective would be for Early Childhood & Master Teacher graduate credit. Psychology, Rehabilitation/Counseling and Art Therapy graduate students might be interested. This would also work well for recertification credits.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The course, appropriate for both special teachers of the gifted and general educators, including teachers, counselors, and administrators, explores the nature of creativity, with the emphasis given to attitudes, motivations, and educational practices which foster the identification, development, and maintenance of creative behaviors.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course emphasizes definitions of giftedness, characteristics of the gifted, special populations of the gifted and factors involved in the identification of the gifted. Special problem topics are identified and addressed.

*Tuition is subject to change on an annual basis.

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