Master of Education - Special Education: Moderate Disabilities

Lasell's M.Ed. in Special Education/Moderate Disabilities (grades Pre K-8) will prepare you to educate students with moderate disabilities in inclusive general education classrooms and classrooms specifically created for students with learning challenges. Gain professional licensure to begin, or enhance, your career as an educator.

An in-depth, flexible format

• 36 credits of coursework: 18 credits in required courses, 18 credits in licensure requirements
• 300 hours (minimum) of student teaching experience in two classrooms (including inclusive general education classrooms)
• The program is offered in a blended format, which combines on-campus coursework with online learning
• 8-week modules are flexible, convenient, and affordable

Engaged faculty
The Lasell Master of Education: Special Education/Moderate Disabilities is taught by seasoned, full-time faculty members. They are not only dedicated educators, but also expert practitioners in the field of special education. As such, they are well-versed in current trends and practices in school districts, engaged in meaningful research, and participate regularly in professional conferences. Lasell professors are invested in forging real relationships and consistently go the extra mile to counsel and mentor their students.

Rich practical and professional experience
Students in the program benefit from unique professional experiences, including everything from attending national conferences to undertaking self-driven research projects. Put your learning in the area of special education into practice through an immersive practicum - a research project that involves designing and executing an in-depth study on a topic of interest. By integrating hands-on learning with your classroom studies, Lasell will help prepare you to become a change agent in the classroom and a leader in the field of special education.  

Meaningful impact
Whether you're thinking of beginning a career as an educator or are already working in a classroom and hope to become the teacher of record, Lasell will provide rich professional experience and the required licensure to position you to effect real change in the lives of students. 

Note: Lasell offers licensure and non-licensure degree programs in education that are designed to meet the licensure requirements in the state of Massachusetts. Licensure may be valid in other states but may require additional steps and cannot be guaranteed. To learn more about licensure requirements in other states, please visit the Licensure Disclosure page.

Additional ways to pay for your Master of Education initial licensure program

• Graduate Assistantships offered - get professional experience while earning your master's and get paid a stipend
• Guaranteed practicum placements in high-quality partner schools
• Scholarships - Lasell offers some partial and full scholarships for M.Ed students

At Lasell, our curriculum provides you with the foundation of education, research, evaluation and education policy and will prepare you with teaching strategies to become an effective educator for students with special education and moderate disability needs. Available in both hybrid and online synchronous formats.

Please note: If you have already taken ED761 Sheltered English Immersion, you will take ED773 Teacher as a Leader.  If you have not previously taken an SEI class, then you would take ED761 Sheltered English Immersion and not take ED773 Teacher as Leader class. 

Get information on our Course Schedules.

Candidates seeking admission to Lasell University's M.Ed. graduate degree programs must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and demonstrate through academic background and/or work experience the ability to succeed in graduate studies. GRE/GMAT scores are not required.  

Lasell's M.Ed. programs are only offered part-time to domestic students.

Admission Requirements Checklist:

1. Online application
2. Official transcripts of all college-level coursework*
3. MTEL Communication & Literacy reading and writing subtests (Information on the MTEL is available here.)**
4. A one-page personal statement describing your goals, strengths, and potential for achievement in graduate school
5. Resume

*You may complete up to 6 credits as a non-matriculated student while you work toward these requirements, but will not be allowed to register for more than 6 credits.
**Students may be accepted on probation prior to completing the MTEL Communication & Literacy subtests, but the Communication & Literacy subtests must be completed before registering for more than 6 credits. 

International Applicants:

This program is not F-1 eligible, international applicants can only be considered for the online curriculum option.

All International applicants need to submit English equivalency from one of the following: TOEFL scores: minimum required score is 80 (iBT) or IELTS, minimum required score is 6.0; or Pearson PTE Academic minimum score is 53; or Duolingo minimum required score is 105. The English equivalency scores may be waived for international applicants who have earned a bachelor's degree at an accredited college/university in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada.

For additional requirements please visit our International Admission Requirement page.

Materials should be submitted through MyPortal or emailed to gradinfo@lasell.edu:
The Office of Graduate Enrollment
Lasell University
1844 Commonwealth Ave.
Newton, MA 02466

Questions about your application? Call/text us today at 617-243-2400!

Additional program requirements:

Coursework
You must complete a course in child or human development by the completion of 18 credits in the M.Ed. program.

Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL)
As an approved Massachusetts teacher licensure program, Lasell incorporates requirements for passing required sections of the MTEL:

• Communication & Literacy, Reading Subtest - by the completion of 6 graduate credits
• Communication & Literacy, Writing Subtest - by the completion of 6 graduate credits
• Foundations of Reading*
• General Curriculum: Multi-subject*
• General Curriculum: Math*

*These tests may be completed in any order, however, two of which must be passed by the completion of  18 graduate credits. The third MTEL exam must be passed by the completion of 27 graduate credits.