Master of Science in Education in Special Education

The Department of Special Education offers graduate online and campus based education for students interested in teaching, research, and professional service related to infants , toddlers, children, adolescents, and adults with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. Since the 1970s, the department has received national and international recognition. The faculty is known for its leadership to the field, commitment to high-quality education for children and youth with developmental delays and disabilities, innovative field-based research, and preparation of highly effective program graduates. The annual U.S. News and World Report graduate program survey consistently ranks KU's Department of Special Education at the top when compared to more than 200 graduate programs in this field. As one of the most comprehensive special education preparation programs in the country, the department attracts students from many states and countries.

Students may pursue a master’s degree emphasizing teaching in one of 5 areas:

• Autism spectrum disorder (online)
• Early Childhood Unified (ECU, birth through kindergarten) (campus-Lawrence and Edwards)
• High-incidence disabilities (online)
• Low-incidence disabilities (campus-Lawrence)
• Secondary transition education and services (online)

In 1866, the University of Kansas welcomed the first class of 55 students to an unfinished building on a treeless ridge called Mount Oread.

Today, our enrollment sits at 28,500. From that single building, we have grown to five campuses — the Lawrence campus, the Edwards Campus in Overland Park, and medical branches in Kansas City, Wichita, and Salina. The once barren landscape has grown into a wooded campus considered one of the most beautiful in the nation.

We embrace our role as the state’s flagship university and a premier research institution, serving the state, nation, and world. We celebrate the energy and compassion that infuse the Jayhawk spirit. And we remain true to our historic values: the elevating force of education, the transformative power of research, and the healing power of service.

MISSION

The mission of the University of Kansas is to lift students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that change the world. We advance this mission every day across KU's five campuses, which include the Lawrence Campus, the Edwards Campus, and three KU Medical Center campuses in Kansas City, Salina and Wichita.