College of Education and
Human Sciences

The primary purpose of Special Education is to individualize educational instruction in order to meet the unique educational and related needs of individuals with disabilities. The Special Education Endorsement Program at The University of Montana is designed to prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities in Preschool-12th grade (P-12) settings. The School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Montana State Board of Public Education. These accreditations support the institution’s initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation programs.

Program Options:

Elementary or Secondary Teacher Certification and Special Education Endorsement:

Primarily designed for students in the process of completing an elementary or secondary certification program who have junior class standing or higher.
Following application and admission to the Special Education program, endorsement courses may be taken prior to student teaching and then arrangements can be made to complete the student teaching requirements and the Special Education internship.

Special Education Endorsement ONLY:

• Primarily designed for teachers who hold a current certification and who wish to add a Special Education endorsement to their elementary or secondary certification.
• Following application and admission to the Special Education program, teachers complete 20 hours of approved Special Education coursework and an arranged, supervised 10 credit hour internship.
• Upon successful completion of program requirements, teachers apply for a P-12, non-categorical endorsement with the State of Montana. This application can be obtained from the Student Teaching and Certification Office in the Education Building, Room 209A.

Special Education Endorsement within a Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) Degree:

• Primarily designed for teachers who wish to complete the Special Education endorsement within the Master’s of Education graduate degree program.
• Follow the same endorsement process noted above, and;
• Complete all graduate school admission requirements as listed in the UM Graduate Catalog. The M.Ed. program requires a minimum of 37 credit hours of coursework and all approved SPED endorsement credits can be applied toward this degree requirement.
  NOTE: All courses to be applied to the M.Ed. degree must be advisor approved and be assessed at the graduate tuition rate.