The Special Education Program within the Department of Instruction and Learning offers a variety of graduate study opportunities to individuals whose career goals include working with people with disabilities. Special Education offers programs of study that lead to a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania teaching certificate in education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, education of students with mental and/or physical disabilities, or education of students with visual impairments. In Vision Studies,
students may acquire dual certification as teachers of children with visual disabilities and as orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists.
Preparation for certification can be combined with master's degree study in each of the program's specializations: Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities; Education of Students with Mental and/or Physical Disabilities; and Vision Studies. Each specialization includes academic and field work for full-time or equivalent part-time study. Field work appropriate to the individual specialization is carried out at schools, agencies, and other settings. Individually-designed master's degree
specializations are also available for students who already hold Pennsylvania teaching certificates; these master's degrees are designed to accommodate individualized professional goals but do not provide students with special education certification.
The Special Education program also offers courses of study leading to certification as supervisor of special education. A separate web-based supervisory certificate program is available for individuals who cannot attend classes at the University of Pittsburgh campus. At the doctoral level, the Special Education program provides opportunities for specialization studies with particular emphasis on Learning Disabilities, Severe Disabilities, Vision Studies, Orientation and Mobility, or Early Intervention.
Funding is often available for full-time doctoral students in each of the doctoral specializations.
Areas of Specialization
Contact Information
School of Education Office of Admissions and Enrollment Management
5500 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
230 S. Bouquet St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
PHONE: 412-648-2230
FAX: 412-648-1899
EMAIL: soeinfo@pitt.edu
ONLINE (preferred): Inquiry Form
APPLICATION: Admissions Application
