MA in Special Education with Mild and Moderate Education Specialist Credential in San Francisco United States | University of San Francisco

The Master's in Special Education and Mild/Moderate Education Specialist Credential Program equips future educators for careers in culturally diverse urban school settings. This graduate program leads to a Master of Arts in Special Education while providing preliminary certification as a Mild/Moderate Education Specialist. Participants complete an intensive summer session running from late May to mid-July before beginning their teaching roles. The program combines coursework with full-time employment as compensated special education intern teachers.

Graduates will develop skills to create and implement structured, asset-focused lessons incorporating Explicit Instruction fundamentals (Introduction, Modeling, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, and Closure) while applying Universal Design for Learning principles to engage diverse learners, present accessible content, and accommodate varied demonstration of mastery.

Participants will learn to employ culturally responsive teaching strategies that ensure equitable curriculum access, honor students' existing knowledge, develop academic language proficiency, foster critical thinking, and address performance disparities among marginalized student populations.