Accelerated Master's Degree in Special Education
This accelerated program lets undergraduate students begin taking graduate-level courses during their final years of undergrad, saving time and money while deepening expertise and advancing careers sooner.
Current UM Students: Get a Head Start on Your Master's Degree in Special Education
Undergraduate students at UM that are interested in graduate study in Special Education can get a head start through the Accelerated Master’s Degree Program.
Undergraduate students that would like to qualify for the Accelerated Master's Degree Program must meet the following requirements:
- 3.0 minimum GPA and 3.0 on the most recent 45 hours of undergraduate work
- 90 completed credit hours as an undergraduate
- 15 credit hours
- EDCI 6210: Brain/Mind Theories
- EDCI 6310: Differentiated Instruction
- EDSP 6010: Exceptional Students in the Secondary Classroom
- EDSP 6410: Educational Assessment of Students with Disabilities
- EDSP 6430: The Learning Brain
- EDSP 6450: Cognitive Neuroscience & Education
- EDSP 6530: Practicum and Field Experiences with Exceptionalities—Summer Online
- EDSP 6760: Education & Psychology of Individuals with Behavior Problems—Spring Online
- EDSP 6780: Positive Behavior Support—Summer Online
- EDSP 6800: Applied Behavior Analysis and Management—Fall Online
- EDSP 6830: Examination of Research with Exceptional Students
- EDSP 6850: Characteristics of Gifted Learners (Summer 1 Online)
- EDSP 6890: Inst. Methods and Materials in Gifted Educ. (Summer 1 Online)
- EDSP 6900: Curriculum, Program Development & Prac. For Gifted Learners (Summer 2 Online)
- EDSP 6950: Differentiated Instruction for Atypical Gifted Learners (Summer 2 Online)
Remember: For students who participated in the accelerated program prior to fall of 2026, 500-level courses for graduate credit required the student to reserve the course for graduate credit. A student who did not do so will be unable to use the 500-level course for the graduate degree and it will be considered the same as a course between 5000 and 5499 in the new course-numbering system.
Students enrolled for the graduate credit in a 5500- to 5999-level course must complete the graduate work. Should they decide they do not wish to do so, they need to work with the instructor, their dean's office, and the Registrar to change their enrollment to the appropriate undergraduate course number. Otherwise, they will be graded based on the criteria for the graduate course number.
Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator
If you still have questions about the Accelerated Master's Degree in Special Education, don't hesitate to get in touch!
Diane Lowry
Clinical Associate Professor of Special Education