Special Education - Concentration in Moderate and Severe Disabilities - Teacher Residency (MAT)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2024–Spring 2025 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education – Concentration in Moderate and Severe Disabilities P-12, Teacher Residency
Unit: College of Education and Human Development (GE)
Program Website 
Academic Plan Code(s): SPE_MATMSD

Program Information

The special education licensure program provides a strong foundation in general education content, special education theory and methods, and teaching experience. Extensive classroom experience allows students to develop the skills, competencies, and confidence for successful teaching, including strategies for inclusion, behavior management, social skill instruction, and modifying instruction in the general curriculum. Students also benefit from the supervision and mentorship of experienced practitioners and field supervisors. The program's special education professors are experienced practitioners who are experts in their fields as researchers, teachers, and administrators.

Licensure to teach students with moderate and severe disabilities prepares candidates to teach students with intellectual disabilities that impede academic achievement and adaptive behavior skills (e.g., communication, social behavior, and daily living activities). Elementary teachers work primarily with beginning or remedial skills in academic content (English language arts, math, science, and social studies) and adaptive behaviors. Middle Grades and Secondary teachers address these skills in addition to preparing students to transition to vocations or to post-secondary education. Students with moderate and severe disabilities may spend all or part of their time in traditional classroom settings, but may also receive special education instruction for part of the day in resource rooms, or in self-contained classrooms within the school. Students with moderate and severe disabilities may have intellectual disabilities, autism, multiple disabilities, or other health impairments.

The Teacher Residency program is designed to assist local school districts in meeting the demand for a diverse cadre of qualified teachers. Residents are enrolled in a one-year MAT program at the University of Louisville while employed with JCPS as a resident. Candidates receive personalized instruction throughout the process to help them succeed in the classroom. Candidates selected for the Louisville Teacher Residency (LTR) program commit to teach in accelerated improvement schools (AIS) for five years.

Although this program has determined that it meets educational requirements for licensure in other US states and jurisdictions, this program is designed specifically to align with Kentucky certification requirements for the supervised student teaching or culminating clinical experience.  Therefore, students in this program are required to complete their student teaching or clinical experience at an approved placement location in the state of Kentucky.  Please contact the program director to discuss possible arrangements to complete culminating experiences in Southern Indiana before enrolling in the program.

Admission Requirements

Candidates who meet the following criteria may be eligible to apply to the Master of Arts in Teaching, Teacher Residency program. Candidates considering an application to the MAT program should contact the MAT admissions counselor (teacher@louisville.edu) prior to applying for admission. Admission is competitive.

Applicants must complete/satisfy the following:

1. Application to Graduate School. This should be completed three to four weeks prior to the application deadline.
2. Bachelor's degree from Accredited College or University with major in content area or appropriate prerequisite courses and a minimum 2.75 Grade Point Average (official transcripts required)
3. Grade of C or higher in ENGL 102 (or equivalent)
4. C or higher in oral communication course
5. TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo
6. Professional Statement
7. Three Letters of Recommendation
8. Signed Professional Code of Ethics/Technology User Agreement/Statement of Understanding of Admissions Guidelines
9. Acceptable interview with school district

Program Requirements

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EDAP 604 is taken twice during the program and is taught by district and school personnel.

Mid-Point Assessment: Satisfactory dispositions assessment; 3.0 cumulative GPA in course work above with no grade lower than a "B-"; all pre-requisites met; successful completion of  EDTP 651, EDTP 652 and EDTP 654; electronic documentation of 200 hours of diverse and approved field experiences; satisfactory performance on all Hallmark Assessment Tasks; Target or better on all rubrics.

Certification Assessment:  Satisfactory dispositions assessment; passing scores on required PRAXIS exams; completion of degree requirements.

Degree Assessment: All program course work with 3.0 cumulative GPA; no grade lower than a "B-" in all course work; satisfactory performance on all Hallmark Assessment Tasks; Target performance or better on all rubrics.

Praxis Disclaimer: Teacher certification requirements are subject to change. Before registering for certification test(s), please refer to the Education Profession Standards Board (EPSB) website at www.epsb.ky.gov or www.ets.org/praxis for current requirements.

Degree Candidacy: Students not enrolled during the semester in which they intend to graduate must register for degree candidacy as outlined in the Graduate Catalog. 

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Special Education with a concentration in Moderate & Severe Disabilities prepares students to meet the requirements for certification and/or licensure.  If you plan to pursue professional licensure or certification you should first determine your state’s criteria for examination and licensure to see how/if our program meets those requirements prior to enrollment. We recommend that you also contact your state’s licensing board directly to verify that the requirements have not changed recently and to answer any questions especially those regarding additional requirements beyond the degree. 

Although this program has determined that it meets educational requirements for licensure in other US states and jurisdictions, this program is designed specifically to align with Kentucky certification requirements for the supervised student teaching or culminating clinical experience.  Therefore, students in this program are required to complete their student teaching or clinical experience at an approved placement location in the state of Kentucky.  Please contact the program director to discuss possible arrangements to complete culminating experiences in Southern Indiana before enrolling in the program.

More information about certification or licensure is available at the following website:  https://louisville.edu/oapa/licensure-information (you may search by school or by the name of the program then click on 'View Details' to display the information).

For programs with an online option, more information about certification or licensure is available here: https://louisville.edu/online/About-Us?tab=disclosures.