Program: Special Education Master’s Program with Secondary Certification - Visual Impairment (SMVS-SEM-T) - Eastern Michigan University

May 28, 2025

2015-2016 Graduate Catalog

The Department of Special Education offers a Master of Arts Degree with Teacher Certification (SEM-T) that encompasses the range and depth required to accommodate contemporary programs and service delivery systems. The program is designed to allow maximum flexibility in meeting the needs of individual students while maintaining the basic academic integrity implicit in a graduate program. Students in the SEM-T program earn a provisional teaching certificate in secondary education as well as an endorsement as a teacher of students with visual impairment in addition to their Master of Arts Degree.

Model
Eastern Michigan University’s advanced professional education programs develop leaders who demonstrate reflective thought and scholarship within the context of a culturally diverse society. In addition, the master’s-level programs in the Department of Special Education produce professionals with the comprehensive knowledge, skills and attitudes to deliver a continuum of habilitative/rehabilitative services to persons with special needs, and to their families, within a diverse society.

Admission Requirements:

Students must have taken the GRE.
Students must submit a Personal Statement.
Students must submit two letters of recommendation.
Students must submit documentation of passing scores on the Michigan Test of Teacher Certification (MTTC-Basic Skills).

Click here to apply!

Program Requirements:

Graduate students seeking endorsements must:

Complete an appropriate program of study as planned with a graduate advisor for the program area;
Meet all other requirements of the Graduate School.

Exit Requirements:

Exit criteria involve achievement of the objectives for graduate study in special education listed previously, as demonstrated by:

Successful completion of all course work on program (minimum GPA of 3.0);
Successful completion of required practicum/internship;
Successful completion of independent study or thesis project.

http://www.emich.edu/coe/sped/docs/sped_grad_student_teaching_app.pdf

Department Information:

Special Education - College of Education

Janet Fisher, Ed.D.
Department Head

128 Porter Bldg
(734) 487-3300
jfisher3@emich.edu

Department Website

Advisor Information:

Alicia Li, Ed.D.

128 Porter
(734) 487-3300
tli@emich.edu

Curricula

Students in the SEM-T program must complete the requirements for a provisional certificate in secondary education as well as those for endorsement in special education. Students selecting Secondary Certification must select a teachable minor from the approved list, and students must pass the certification test related to the minor in order to be recommended for endorsement in the minor field. See the undergraduate catalog for information on these requirements.

A description of the initial Visual Impairment endorsement sequence follows. Endorsement sequences for those already endorsed in one area of special education, but seeking additional endorsement(s), consist of different courses than listed here. Students should consult the appropriate graduate advisor.

An initial endorsement sequence generally consists of the following core special education classes, plus the specialty classes required by the specific program area. Students with teaching certificates are admitted to the professional preparation program at the time of admission to the graduate program in Special Education.

Special Education Master’s Program with Secondary Certification - Visual Impairment

Special Education Core Courses: 27 hours

AND

Program Total: 27 hours

Courses Required for Initial Endorsement:

Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment (SMVS):

Special Education Core Courses: 30 hours

AND

Courses Required for Initial Endorsement: 26 hours

AND

Endorsement with Core Courses Total: 56 hours

Note:

* These courses require formal admission to the Initial Teacher Preparation Program.

Special Education - Curriculum Information

Courses in General Education:

Undergraduate transcripts will be reviewed to determine completion of hours to be credited toward meeting a required 40 hours of general or liberal education. Additional course work may be necessary to meet this 40-hour requirement.

Endorsement/Approval Sequence:

Students must be free from any probation, administrative or academic, before an internship or practicum experience is approved. The endorsement sequence is independent from a degree program. Completion of the minimum degree requirements does not guarantee endorsement and the completion of endorsement requirements do not result in the awarding of a degree. It is important for SEM-T students to meet with their graduate advisor to develop a program of study to meet certification, endorsement and degree requirements.