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Special Education and Child Development: Academically or Intellectually Gifted, M.Ed. – Online

Program Overview

The M.Ed. in Special Education with a Concentration in Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) is designed to cultivate advanced competencies in gifted education, empowering graduates to become knowledgeable experts in their schools, districts, and statewide. This fully online, part-time program includes 11 graduate-level courses totaling 33 credit hours. It incorporates the four-course Graduate Certificate in AIG as an initial entry point, allowing candidates to apply for the M.Ed. before, during, or within three years of completing the certificate coursework.

Coursework and Requirements

  • Writing-intensive courses focused on best practices for AIG teaching and learning.
  • Practical application of skills in public or private school classrooms.
  • Access to a classroom with AIG or advanced students is required for field experience.
  • Capstone research project as a culminating experience.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the Master of Education in Special Education: AIG will be able to:

  1. Employ Varied Instructional Practices: Enrich, extend, and accelerate the standard curriculum for gifted students.
  2. Serve as Collaborative Leaders: Be effective, reflective, and responsive instructional leaders for AIG students.
  3. Apply Research-Based Strategies: Address the instructional and affective needs of gifted and academically advanced learners.
  4. Design Original Research: Implement a research study to solve a problem or issue in gifted education.
  5. Collaborate Effectively: Work with AIG teachers, colleagues, and parents to enhance student learning.
Cato College of Education

Program Contact

Ashley Gibson

Enrollment Team

online@charlotte.edu

704-687-5235

Schedule appointment

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Special Education and Child Development: Academically or Intellectually Gifted at a Glance

Advance your career with UNC Charlotte’s Special Education and Child Development: Academically or Intellectually Gifted, M.Ed. program. Designed for educators, this program enhances your skills in identifying and nurturing gifted students, providing specialized strategies for their unique learning needs, and building educators' capacity for leadership in the field.

Delivery
Online
Credits
33 Credit Hours
Admits
Spring, Summer & Fall

What Our Alumni Say

“When selecting a university to pursue my AIG certification, UNC Charlotte was my first choice. The close proximity of the campus, even though the program is delivered in its entirety online, was a definite must. I enjoyed the opportunity to work with educators across North Carolina, a few in my district, and always looked forward to familiar “faces” in subsequent courses. Throughout each course, I learned more about my students, and my daughter. Their gifts and talents are what make them special, and the AIG label does not encapsulate one type of student, but a multitude of individuals whose uniqueness sets them apart from others.”

Elizabeth Henley ’18, Rowan Salisbury Schools

Courses

This program is offered as a part-time program. The 12 graduate-level credit hours completed through the online AIG Graduate Certificate program can be applied directly to the online M.Ed. for those meeting M.Ed. admission requirements.

Phase I: Developing Perspective (15 credit hours)

Phase II: Content and Pedagogy (15 credit hours)

Introductory Research Course (3 credit hours)

Prospective students should be prepared to participate in our academically rigorous program of writing-intensive courses in which they will learn about best practices in AIG teaching, learning, and program development and apply these skills to their work with AIG students in public or private school classrooms and related educational settings. Prospective applicants must have access to a classroom with AIG or advanced students to meet the program’s field experience requirements. A capstone research project completed by each candidate serves as the program’s culminating experience.

Admissions & Requirements

Test Score Requirement Waiver

Applicants who previously have received a grade of A in three (if the fourth course is in progress at the time of application) or all four of the four Graduate Certificate courses in Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) at UNC Charlotte may waive the GRE/MAT score requirement. Note: Waiver requests should be sent to the AIG Graduate Program Director. Students who have received one or more course grades below A in UNC Charlotte graduate certificate courses in AIG, or who are applying directly to the M.Ed., are not eligible for this waiver and must provide GRE or MAT scores with their application.

Application Deadlines

Priority Application Deadlines:

Applicants can apply via the UNC Charlotte Graduate Admissions website.

Apply Now
Outlook

What Can You Do With the Special Education and Child Development: Academically or Intellectually Gifted, M.Ed.?

UNC Charlotte alumni who work in AIG-related areas serve in many occupations such as:

UNC Charlotte alumni who completed degrees in AIG-related areas work in school districts and organizations such as:

Why UNC Charlotte?

Program Highlights:

Tuition

Resident: $288.82 per credit hour

Outside of NC Non-Resident: $536.98 per credit hour

Non Resident: $1,098.21 per credit hour

More information regarding tuition and fees

Please note: Rates are subject to change.

Related Programs

Special Education and Child Development: Applied Behavior Analysis, M.Ed.
Special Education and Child Development: Child and Family Studies, M.Ed.
Special Education and Child Development: Special Education, M.Ed.