RMU Launches Special Education Masters Program

this fall will launch a masters program in special education. 

The university is responding to the growing demand for special education teachers in Pennsylvania, according to a university statement. 

“In the past decade, Pennsylvania has seen a 15 percent growth in need for special education teachers,” Vicki J. Donne, assistant professor of secondary education and graduate studies, said in a statement. “Even with budget cuts, that’s likely to continue because special education instruction is federally mandated.” 

The new program will consist of 10 courses totaling 30 credit hours, as well as field visits and student teaching. Two students graduated in May with the degree, but the masters program will be offered university-wide in the Fall 2011 semester. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the need for special educations will increase 17 percent from 2008 to 2018.