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Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education

Advance your career with this unique opportunity

Special education teachers make a huge difference in the lives of students with disabilities and challenges. If you’re employed as a paraprofessional or teacher assistant in a special education school setting, and you’re ready to take the next steps to become a special education teacher, Fontbonne’s Paraprofessional Pathways to Teaching is the way to get there. Simultaneously earn your master’s degree and K-12 mild/moderate cross-categorical certification.

The need for special education teachers continues to grow. Graduates of Fontbonne’s Paraprofessional Pathways program currently work in public and private schools and with students of all ages.

Due to the unique structure of the Paraprofessional Pathways program, you will be able to continue working while you complete your coursework for degree and certification. Field experience and/or student teaching may be completed outside of the Pathways program, depending on individual school district policy.

Program Highlights

You’ve already made a commitment to special education and, at Fontbonne, we want to help you take the next step in your career. Online classes and individualized instruction allow you to continue working in the field as you study.

  • Offered in an online format to provide maximum convenience.
  • Format comprised of two 16-week courses in the fall and spring and two eight-week online courses in the summer.
  • Requires clinical/practicum experiences that are completed on the job, so you can maintain your job while getting a master’s degree.
  • This program is approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Earn Missouri and Illinois certification eligibility with our unique program.

Did you know? Certification standards for special education instructors have recently changed. Now, by completing the Paraprofessional Pathways program at Fontbonne, you will be eligible to apply for Missouri certification, and then be able to immediately apply for certification in Illinois, too. Fontbonne’s unique program qualifies you as a special educator in both states—all from a leading institution of higher learning committed to developing highly skilled educators.

Program Contact

Andra Gwydir, MA
Paraprofessional Pathways Director

Email: agwydir@fontbonne.edu
Phone: 314-719-4358

Resources

Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education

Contact Information

6800 Wydown Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63105

1-314-862-3456
1-800-205-5862

fbyou@fontbonne.edu

Mon – Fri 8:00am – 4:30pm

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