Long Island Infant/Toddler Early Childhood Special Education Degree

Earn your teaching certification or continue your studies in the field of Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education.

What makes our program stand out from the rest?

St. Joseph's University was the first on Long Island to offer a 37-credit Master of Arts in Infant/Toddler Early Childhood Special Education leading to New York State initial and professional certification. Our program focuses on a collaborative perspective and includes faculty from multidisciplinary backgrounds which offers a unique learning experience. We emphasize the interrelated development of knowledge, understanding, sensitivity and skills that best prepares students to be effective teachers of children from birth to second grade, and to work with their families and other professionals. By focusing on the most advanced theories and methods, course work and field experiences present solutions to the challenges teachers face in early intervention and special education.

Highlights of our Master of Arts program include ...

• Courses and fieldwork/practicum experiences designed to fit into the schedules of busy professionals
• Course content that crosses disciplinary boundaries and helps graduates work collaboratively in a variety of settings with other professionals (i.e. physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and other educators)
• Highly qualified and caring faculty coming from multidisciplinary backgrounds who have extensive past and current experience in the field of early childhood special education
• A high placement rate in the field by the time of graduation
• This program leads to both Initial (for those without a teacher certification) and Professional(for those with certification) New York State Teacher Certification