Director of Special Education

Rank 1 and Certification for Director of Special Education Endorsement (30 hours) - Ref. # 0426

The endorsement for Director of Special Education may be recommended when the student has met the following conditions:

• Has a valid certificate as a teacher of exceptional children or school psychologist in one of the recognized categories of exceptionality;
• Has three (3) years of full-time teaching as a teacher of special education or school psychologist;
• Has a master's degree from an accredited institution;
• Has a 3.0 GPA or above on all graduate work;
• Has an acceptable score on the GRE, MAT, or NTE;
• Submits recommendations;
• Has gained acceptance to Graduate Studies and Research and the Department of Educational Administration, Leadership, and Research; and
• Has completed a minimum of 15 graduate hours in the approved program of study with at least nine hours taken at WKU.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite Courses
EDFN 500 Research Methods
Three hours from:
   SPED 518 Seminar: Contemporary challenges in Special Education
   SPED 534 Research in Exceptional Education
Nine hours from:
   SEC 580 The Curriculum
   ELED 503 Organization of the Elementary School Curriculum
   MGE 571 The Middle School Curriculum
   EDAD 683 Seminar in Curriculum Development
   SPED 533 Curriculum for Learning and Behavior Disorders
   SPED 535 Curriculum for Moderate and Severe Disabilities

Level I
EDAD 585 Fundamentals of School Administration
SPED 516 The Exceptional Child: Perspectives & Issues
SPED/EDAD 620 Seminar in Administration of Special Education
SPED/EDAD 625 Practicum in Administration of Special Education
SPED/EDAD 630 Special Education Law and Finance
EDAD 677 School Law
EDAD 682 School-Community Relations
SPED 534 Research in Exceptional Education

Level II
EDAD 686 Principles of Supervision
EDAD 598 Field Practicum in DOSE
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Summary:
Prerequisites: 15 hrs.
Level I: 24 hrs
Level II: 6 hrs

Must have a minimum of three years experience teaching exceptional learners or working as a school psychologist.