Education Specialist in Teaching and Leading – Special Education Online

This online Ed.S. program prepares you for leading professional roles in special education classroom environments focused on positive learning outcomes for exceptional students.

Apply by 1/3/25
Start class 1/13/25 Apply Now

Program Overview

What our online Ed.S. – special education program offers you

Help shape the future of children with exceptionalities by earning your Education Specialist in Teaching and Leading – Special Education degree online from NKU. Learn how to become a more effective educator for students with special needs while building toward Rank 1 teaching certification in Kentucky.

Deepen your expertise in working with exceptional children by assessing students with learning and behavior disorders, planning lessons that allow them to thrive, analyzing legal requirements and educational approaches, and learning applied behavior analysis techniques applicable to all children. The education curriculum includes clinical experiences and an embedded capstone project.

In this accredited special education program, you will:

  • Learn how to apply methodology and management techniques toward educational programs for students with intellectual disabilities or orthopedic and/or health impairments
  • Gain a working understanding of principles, instruments, and procedures to place and plan instruction for students with learning or behavior disorders
  • Learn from the same experienced faculty who teach on campus
  • Learn how to apply methodology and management techniques toward educational programs for students with intellectual disabilities or orthopedic and/or health impairments
  • Gain a working understanding of principles, instruments, and procedures to place and plan instruction for students with learning or behavior disorders
  • Learn from the same experienced faculty who teach on campus

Online education programs also available:

Northern Kentucky University offers a variety of graduate education programs online. Check out our other quality online education programs.

Total Tuition $12,840
Program Duration In as few as 18 months
Credit Hours 30

Accreditation

CAEP Accredited

The Northern Kentucky University College of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

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Need More Information?

Call 800-985-7215

Call 800-985-7215

Tuition

Discover the value of our low-cost tuition

The Ed.S. in Teaching and Leading – Special Education online program offers the same affordable, pay-as-you-go tuition to in-state and out-of-state students.

Tuition Breakdown:

Total Tuition $12,840
Per Credit Hour $412
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“Top Public College”

Ranked among the “Top Public Colleges” by Forbes, 2022

Calendar

Read about dates you need to know

The Ed.S. in Teaching and Leading – Special Education online program is convenient and flexible, featuring six start dates on an accelerated course schedule. View the calendar to find the best start date for you and be sure to note all corresponding deadlines.

SessionProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment Due
Fall 210/16/2410/3/2410/8/2410/11/2410/16/24
Spring 11/13/251/3/251/7/251/10/251/13/25
Spring 23/17/253/5/253/10/253/14/253/17/25
Summer 15/12/254/30/255/5/255/9/255/12/25
Summer 26/30/256/18/256/23/256/27/256/30/25

Now enrolling:

Apply Date 1/3/25
Class Starts 1/13/25
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Admissions

Find out the details of our admission criteria

The streamlined admission process for our Ed.S. in Teaching and Leading – Special Education online program helps you get started right away.

Admission Requirements:

  • Official transcripts of all coursework from accredited institutions
  • Teaching certificate or out-of-state equivalent
  • 3.0 GPA or higher in all master's-level coursework

Ed.S. in Teaching and Leading – Special Education Online Admission Requirements

  • Complete online application for admission
  • Pay $40 non-refundable application fee
    • If you are an NKU alum or active/veteran military member, your application fee will be waived
  • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework from accredited institution(s). One transcript must show successful completion of a master's degree in education or in the content area of the applicant's teaching certificate.
  • Minimum 3.0 GPA in master's-level coursework
  • Teaching Certificate: Submit a copy of current teaching certificate showing certification at the Rank 2 level or out-of-state equivalent. New teachers in Kentucky may submit a Kentucky Statement of Eligibility.
  • Supplemental application

Official documents may be mailed or emailed to:

NKU Office of Graduate Education
302 Lucas Administrative Center
Highland Heights, KY 41099

[email protected]

Have a question? Call us at 800-985-7215.

Courses

Examine the degree plan for our online Ed.S. in Teaching and Leading – Special Education online

For the Ed.S. – Teaching and Leading – Special Education online, students must complete 10 courses for a total of 30 credit hours.

EDG 702 and EDG 703 must be taken twice to receive full credit.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to education research enabling candidates to become effective consumers and users of research in education. It will improve candidates’ ability to apply research findings appropriately in school settings and will lay a foundation for an original action research project.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Legislation and instructional practices relating to the education of students with exceptionalities. Course covers various methods of co-teaching as well as locating, adapting, and developing materials and methods for including students with disabilities in general elementary, middle, and secondary classrooms.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines the role of the cooperating teacher in developing and mentoring prospective teachers and interns and standards-based observation and feedback. This course includes a job-embedded requirement of supervising a student in field or clinical experience.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1.5
In this course students will conduct a comprehensive literature review on a topic that relates to a specific educational issue that impacts P-12 student learning and create a research-based design of an action research project that can be conducted and reported as their capstone project. This class must be taken in the first 7-week of a semester and followed by 703.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1.5
In this course students will conduct a comprehensive literature review on a topic that relates to a specific educational issue that impacts P-12 student learning and create a research-based design of an action research project that can be conducted and reported as their capstone project. This course should be taken in the second 7-week period of the same semester in which 702 is taken.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Characteristics and educational programs for students who have intellectual disabilities or orthopedic and/or health impairments.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Definitions, etiological factors, assessment, and remedial approaches for learning and behavior disorders.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Principles, instruments, and procedures to place and plan instruction for students with learning or behavior disorders.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Principles of behavior analysis applied to curriculum, methodology, and management of students with disabilities; behavioral teaching methods contrasted with alternative management techniques.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Nature and needs of students with exceptionalities; overview of legal requirements and educational approaches.

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