Special Education High Incidence Alternative Certification

Wichita State University Master of Education in Special Education High Incidence Alternative Certification consists of 37 graduate hours. The courses include:

Preparatory Courses (7):

* Taken as a cohort during the first semester of the program while still employed as a paraprofessional. If summer start, employment as paraprofessional is not required. Students must receive departmental permission to enroll in preparatory coursework by securing a teaching position to start by the second semester of the program and completing KSDE Form 24.

• SPED 784: Foundations of Education for Individuals with Exceptionalities (3)
• SPED 506: Introduction to the Education Profession for Special Educators (2)
• SPED 556: Introduction to Instructional Planning and Classroom Management (2)

Required Core Courses (23):

* Students MUST start full-time employment as a special education teacher of record at the start of their second semester. Students must successfully complete preparatory coursework and submit KSDE Form 24P to begin required core courses. 

When applying for admission to the Master of Education in Special Education High Incidence Alternative Certification program, you must:

To be considered for admission to the special education high incidence alternative certification program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• For full admission, students must have a GPA of 2.750 or better;
• Applicants with a GPA below 2.750 are required to meet one of the following:
  • GRE scores of at least 150 in verbal reasoning, 148 in quantitative reasoning, and 3.5 in analytical writing.
  • Miller Analogies Test (MAT) score of 400 or above. 
• Full admission to the WSU Graduate School; graduate school application. 
• Email the following to Dr. Reagan Murnan at reagan.murnan@wichita.edu.
  • Signed documentation from a building or district administrator confirming work as a paraprofessional for at least one year. 
  • Letter of recommendation from a building or district level administrator that highlights strengths as an educator and the school district's commitment to mentoring. This letter must be on school or school district letterhead.   

Applications are evaluated when received for the special education high incidence alternative certification program.

Upon admission, students will be required to sign documentation that acknowledges their understanding of the following program requirements:

1. Successful completion of the first semester of coursework and submission of the fully completed and signed KSDE Form 24 to the program advisor is required to begin the required core courses.
2. Students must gain employment as a special education teacher of record at the start of their second semester and remain employed throughout the duration of their program. If employment is lost, students will not be allowed to remain in the program.
3. All preparatory and required core courses must be completed within two years.

Application Process

You can view the progress of your admission status by visiting wichita.edu/onestop and click on Track My Progress. For information on how you will be notified of your admission decision, please click here.

After Admission 

Upon admission, students will be provided with a plan of study and required to sign documentation that acknowledges their understanding of the following program requirements: 

1. KSDE Form 24-Limited Apprentice Application with sections A and B fully completed and signed by appropriate parties must be submitted to program chair in order to enroll in preparatory coursework. KSDE Form 24 provides the necessary documentation of having secured full-time employment as a special teacher that will start no later than the second semester of the program.
2. Successful completion of the first semester of coursework and submission of the fully completed and signed KSDE Form 24P to the program chair are required to begin the required core courses. If employment is lost, students will not be allowed to remain in the program.
3. All preparatory and required core courses must be completed within two years.