Certification and/or Masters Degree Program in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education
This distance education program will prepare you to become a professional educator who can provide quality early intervention and early childhood special education services to young children with special needs and their families under the auspices of public schools and other community agencies. (More about the program's mission)
The Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Special Education Program at WVU offers you three options:
- Certification Only in Preschool Special Needs Grades 0-PreK-K (or equivalent in other states) for 30 credits;
- Master's Degree in Special Education plus Certification in Preschool Special Needs Grades 0-PreK and PreK-K (or equivalent in other states) for 36 credits;
- Master's Degree only in Special Education with area of concentration in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education for 36 credits.
This program is available ENTIRELY ONLINE throughout West Virginia, across the United States, and in approved international areas.
The certification program leads to eligibility for initial certification or additional endorsement in West Virginia in Preschool Special Needs, which includes children from birth through age six with developmental disabilities, delays, and at risk conditions in Grades 0-PreK and PreK-K (or the equivalent in other states). Individuals with this certification may also be assigned to regular pre-kindergarten classrooms. It also is applicable to qualification as a Qualified Early Intervention Professional (QEIP) for Birth to Three services. This program does NOT require prior certification for certification in West Virginia. Individuals seeking certification or endorsement in other states or in international areas should consult with local and state agencies about certification requirements that apply specifically to them and confirmation that the WVU program will satisfy those requirements.
This qualifies as an alternative certification program in West Virginia.
For more details about admission to these programs, please review the information provided under Future Students.
For more details about completion of these programs, please review the information provided under Current Students.
WVU is fully accredited by the North Central Association, while the program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and meets professional standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).