Endorsement Programs

Four endorsement programs are available. For students seeking their first graduate level special education endorsement, they may select from the Emotional Impairment Endorsement or the Cognitive Impairment Endorsement. Special education endorsements that are offered as a second endorsement are the Learning Disabilities Endorsement and the Autism Endorsement.

Graduate Certificate Program

There is a Graduate Certificate in Autism program that involves an 18 credit hour program leading to a document of certification for individuals who desire to gain expertise in Autism, but who do not need a special education teaching endorsement. Specifically, the Graduate Certificate in Autism was developed for parents or professionals with a bachelor's degree who do not have a teaching certificate or who do not have an initial special education endorsement (for example, general education teachers, school psychologists, social workers, clinical speech therapists, mental health professionals or other service providers).

Internet-based Options

It is noteworthy that some of the courses required on the Autism Endorsement program or the Autism Certificate program may be available as on-line, web-based courses through the Autism Collaborative Endorsement (ACE) Program. This feature of these two programs may be appealing for graduate students in remote locations who want to further their knowledge in the area of Autism.