A master’s degree in special education is an outstanding way to enrich and advance your special education teaching career. In just 12 months, students grasp real-world experience based on ongoing, local research within one of the most diverse cities in the world: Miami.
However, the real strength of FIU’s online special education programfor students versus other institutions, says Elizabeth Cramer, PhD, professor and online graduate program director of special education in the Department of Teaching and Learning, is that it has a very strong focus on culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners—especially those with disabilities. The fully online program also leads to a Florida Autism Endorsement, providing those with the skills to teach learners on the autism spectrum.
“We have an entire class that is specifically focused on CLD learners with disabilities, but this topic is covered throughout the entire curriculum as it is highlighted and embedded in every course—even in the autism endorsement classes. For us in Miami, CLD is a given, and an automatic. It’s almost second nature for us.”
Elizabeth Cramer
As a researcher who specializes in special education, Cramer has spent more than 20 years studying the learning opportunity gap for CLD learners and those with disabilities. She has advised that there is a need to change perspectives and talk about the CLD student, so we can find solutions for these individuals. With hope, she’s determined that a change in the conversation could lead to a change in policy for our education system.
TheBestSchools.org recently ranked the program as no.17 amongst the best online master’s in education.
Visit the FIU Online website for more information on special education and other FIU programs.
This article first appeared in FIU Online on June 11, 2019.
