JBU to offer M.Ed. in Special Education

John Brown University has been approved by the Arkansas Department of Education to offer the Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in Special Education K-12.

Designed to prepare students for an Arkansas special education K-12 endorsement, the new program will help meet a vital need in schools throughout the nation.

“Special education teachers have been on the list of critical shortage areas in states across the nation for several years,” Connie Matchell, professor of teacher education and program director for graduate teacher education, said. “With rising numbers of students being identified with special needs, the demand for special education teachers will continue to increase.”

The special education program will expand degree offerings in the JBU Graduate School, which also includes master’s degrees in business, counseling, higher education and visual arts.

“We are really pleased to add special education to our list of graduate programs at JBU,” Richard Ellis, dean of the Graduate School, said. “This new degree opens another avenue for JBU to equip school teachers in Arkansas for the important, challenging and rewarding work they do.”

In addition to the Master of Education degree in special education, JBU offers a non-degree endorsement in special education that leads to state endorsement as a K-12 special education teacher. School teachers wanting to work with special education students in resource or co-taught classrooms may consider a third option, the 12hour special education resource endorsement.

JBU’s Graduate Teacher Education department is also approved by ADE to offer the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree for those seeking initial teaching licensure and the M.S. in School Counseling for individuals pursuing careers as school counselors.

Additional information about the special education programs at John Brown University may be found on the university website: jbu.edu/grad.