Special Education - Advanced Practitioner P-12 (RANK1)

Admission Requirements

  • Complete graduate application
  • Official transcripts with a minimum 2.75 GPA in the Bachelors degree and 3.0 GPA or higher for graduate work
  • Kentucky teaching certificate
  • Master's degree/Rank II
  • Signed Professional Code of Ethics/Technology User Agreement form

Candidates who earned a baccalaureate (and/or advanced) degree outside the U.S., and whose native language is not English, must submit official TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo scores that meet minimum criteria, and must submit an evaluated transcript from WES (World Education Services) or ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators).

Program Requirements

Inquiry (Critical Thinker)3
Select one of the following
Education Research in P-12 Setting
Applied Statistics
Advocacy (Professional Leader)
Leadership3
Select one of the following:
Professional and Ethical Practice of Applied Behavior Analysis
Academic and Behavior Response to Intervention
Curriculum Theory
Using Assessment to Improve Student Achievement
Administrative Leadership in a Reform Environment
Administration and Supervision in Special Education
Creating Equitable & Reliable Learning Environments
Diversity3
Select one of the following:
Exceptional Children in the Regular Classroom
Teaching English Learners in the Classroom
Instructional Strategies for Diverse Learners
Literacy Learning and Cultural Differences
Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: Teaching Students from Diverse Backgrounds
Action (Problem Solver) 3
Select one of the following:
Single Case Research Methods and Designs
Behavior Assessment (Or capstone course equivalency approved by advisor)
Area of Emphasis15
Elective3
Minimum Total Hours30

Midpoint Requirement: Candidates are required to submit a mid-program performance assessment to their faculty advisor at the completion of fifteen (15) credit hours of coursework. The faculty advisor will assess the candidate's performance, which must be at the exemplary or target level. The performance assessment must address content, classroom environment, teaching, assessing, and reflection, and an artifact such as a video, to document professional learning.

Exit Requirement: Project that demonstrates exemplary or target in all of the Kentucky Teacher Performance Standards.

Up to fifteen (15) credit hours of graduate credit may be transferred to the Rank 1 program, as long as the student will have completed 60 credit hours of approved graduate credit including a master's degree at the end of the Rank 1 program. Transfer credit must be officially accepted by the advisor and final acceptance is dependent upon receipt of official transcripts.

In the Rank 1 program, at least fifteen (15) credit hours of new graduate coursework must be taken at the University of Louisville.

To complete the program, students must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average. No credit shall be accepted for carrying a grade lower than B-minus.