Degree

Graduate Certificate

School

Teacher Education

Overview

We offer six graduate certificate programs to supplement an existing graduate program or to provide specialized knowledge to professionals in several areas of Exceptional Student Education.

Certificate programs are often ideal for non-degree seeking students who would like to sample graduate courses before committing to a graduate degree program. In addition, certificate programs may round out a graduate degree program, providing a special emphasis in addition to a graduate degree.

Several of our certificate programs are fully online.

Applied Behavior Analysis, Graduate Certificate

Stand out as an educator with highly specialized credentials, or work toward becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. The Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Graduate Certificate is a Verified Course Sequence (VCS), housed in the College of Community Innovation and Education, School of Teacher Education. The ABA graduate certificate program is designed to provide specialized coursework for students in Education, Psychology, Communication Disorders, and related fields. The program fulfills the coursework requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, fourth edition task list. Some of coursework overlaps with the MEd in Exceptional Education and Project ASD.

Clinical Opportunities

Students completing our Verified Course Sequence (VCS) in ABA are invited to participate in our clinic providing them an onsite "hands on" learning experience. Our clinical program is designed to combine support for children, student learning, and research. Children we serve are typically between the ages of 0-7 presenting with deficits in communication skills. Our targeted practice consists of ABA and Verbal Behavior Training (VBT). All services are supervised and monitored by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA). The overall operations are supervised by multiple Board Certified Behavior Analysts-Doctoral level (BCBA-D).

Application Requirements

Admission is open to those with a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or those currently enrolled in or possessing a master’s degree in education, psychology, or a related field. An application to the graduate certificate program and official transcripts must be submitted. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

The Applied Behavior Analysis Graduate Certificate program admits twice per year in the fall and summer terms only.

Individuals seeking national certification through the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) must obtain a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis, education, psychology, or a related field; complete acceptable graduate coursework, complete a defined period of supervised practical experience, and apply for the national board certification exam. For more information on requirements, please visit the BACB website.

This program has potential ties to professional licensure or certification in the field. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please view the licensure disclosure for this program.

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Contact: Dr. Kelly Schaffer and Dr. Matthew Marino

Autism Spectrum Disorders, Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) provides additional training for professionals with specific focus on knowledge, skills, and competencies for working with students with ASD. The program is composed of four graduate courses that can be incorporated into a master's program of study in Exceptional Student Education or taken as an add-on to an undergraduate or graduate degree. Each course includes a field-based component. Students may complete field-based assignments in their own classrooms or schools if they serve students with ASD. There are also opportunities to complete these assignments at Project ASD demonstration sites. This program is approved by the Florida Department of Education as meeting requirements for State Endorsement in Autism (Administrative Rule 6A-4.01796). An Electronic Portfolio is required for completion of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate program.

Autism Spectrum Disorders Graduate Certificate may be completed fully online, although not all elective options or program prerequisites may be offered online.

This program has potential ties to professional licensure or certification in the field. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please view the licensure disclosure for this program.

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Contact: Dr. Kelly Schaffer and Dr. Matthew Marino

Collaborative Intervention Specialist, Graduate Certificate

The Collaborative Intervention Specialist graduate certificate provides advanced coursework for educational leaders to use school-based and classroom instructional and behavior data to meet the needs of all students, including at-risk and struggling students, beyond the typical, initial classroom instruction within a multi-tiered system of supports. This certificate will provide an advanced, multi-disciplinary theoretical approach and applied knowledge base to educators from diverse disciplines.

Coursework focuses on knowledge, skills and competencies for educators who provide direct and indirect instruction focused on student outcomes within an intervention framework. The Collaborative Intervention Specialist certificate is multi-disciplinary and includes coursework in exceptional student education, school psychology, reading education, or math education. The graduate courses provide an opportunity for students to complete the Collaborative Intervention Specialist certificate beyond the undergraduate degree. Should a student wish to earn a Master’s degree, Education Specialist degree, or Education Doctorate, the courses in this graduate certificate could be applied to one of several degree programs in the College of Community Innovation and Education. Not all courses in this certificate program are available online.

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Contact:  Dr. Mary Little
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Interdisciplinary Language and Literacy Intervention, Graduate Certificate

The Interdisciplinary Language and Literacy Intervention graduate certificate provides advanced coursework focused on evidence-based knowledge, skills, and resources for individuals who work with students who have high-intensity needs. This collaborative and inter-professional graduate certificate address competencies for an intervention specialist from the Council for Exceptional Students (CEC) and from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). This certificate is designed to meet the needs of educators and speech-language pathologists who use school-based and classroom instructional data to meet the instructional and intervention needs of all students, including at-risk and struggling students, beyond the typical, initial classroom instruction within a multi-tiered system of supports.

This certificate will provide an advanced, multi-disciplinary theoretical approach and applied knowledge base to experienced educators and speech-language pathologists.

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Contact: Dr. Mary Little

Pre-Kindergarten Disabilities, Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) Disabilities prepares graduate students to teach pre-kindergarten students with disabilities. The goal of the program is to prepare qualified students to teach the pre-kindergarten handicapped population. Prekindergarten Disabilities Graduate Certificate may be completed fully online, although not all elective options or program prerequisites may be offered online.

This program has potential ties to professional licensure or certification in the field. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please view the licensure disclosure for this program.

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Special Education, Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Special Education provides out-of-field teachers and students with some of the course work needed to meet state certification requirements in special education. This certificate will help out-of-field teachers become more effective in their classrooms and will enhance the delivery of education to children and youth with disabilities.

This program has potential ties to professional licensure or certification in the field. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please view the licensure disclosure for this program.

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