Learn more about special education and strategies that can prepare you for the classroom.
To earn the SPED credential portion, you will need to complete 36 credit hours of coursework — 18 introductory block credits (six courses) and 18 content area block credits (six courses), along with 10 or 12 credit hours of internship teaching or student teaching. From there, earning your Master of Arts in Teaching will require an additional nine credit hours (three courses).
The credential can be earned as quickly as 10 to 12 months, with the MAT adding two to four extra months. This timeframe assumes you take two courses per eight-week session, and it may vary depending upon the session in which you start.
Remember, should you choose the UMass Global Internship Pathway, you can begin intern teaching as the teacher of record in a classroom after only four courses. That way you can start earning a salary while finishing your credential and MAT courses.
Earning a master’s in teaching has numerous benefits for an educator. Here are a few key benefits:
- Expertise — You’ll expand your skills as an educator through the additional courses needed to earn your MAT, which all focus on broader issues in education.
- Increased salary potential — Most school districts offer higher pay tiers depending on the level of education.
- Career options — Having a master’s degree expands career options into areas such as curriculum coordinator, department head, assessment director, and various administrative roles.
- Expanded teaching — Should you choose at some point to broaden your teaching from the special education realm, an MAT can allow you to do so, although you may still have to gain subject matter
expertise if you move into a completely new area. Still, your MAT would open possibilities teaching at community colleges, doing educational consulting, working at education nonprofits, and other options.
A Preliminary Education Specialist, Extensive Support Needs Credential authorizes the holder to teach students with extensive support needs, including those with moderate to severe disabilities, in grades K-12 and through age 22 in California. This credential prepares educators to work in specialized and inclusive settings, focusing on individualized education plans (IEPs), behavior support, communication strategies, and adaptive skills. It is the initial credential required for those seeking to enter the field of special education with a focus on students who require more intensive support and specialized instruction.
The Preliminary Education Specialist, Extensive Support Needs Credential is distinct from other special education credentials primarily due to its specialized focus on students with moderate to severe disabilities, multiple disabilities, autism, or other serious impairments. The other California special education credentials are for Early Childhood Special Education, Mild to Moderate Support Needs, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Standards Visual Impairments.
