Special Education Certificate of Graduate Study

Teachers in the state of New Jersey may apply to the Special Education Certificate of Graduate Study program through the New Jersey Teacher Outreach Program (NJTOP®). For more information about NJTOP, click here.

This program requires the completion of 15 graduate semester hours or 5 courses. The Special Education COGS is designed with coursework and field experiences to foster an understanding of students with special needs and provide the pedagogical skills to accommodate them. Classes are accelerated and offered in an online format in order to provide the fastest and most convenient route to your certificate completion. Courses completed as part of this program can be used to satisfy the Content Area requirement of the Master of Education in Teacher Leadership (M.Ed.) program. The Special Education COGS does not lead to endorsement. Teachers who successfully complete the COGS coursework can opt to continue pursuit of the endorsement by either one of the following:

• If they want to submit themselves to the state for the endorsement, they would speak with their Academic Advisor to obtain an Override Form in order to be registered for the following two additional courses/5 credits (SPED 08520 & SELN 10592).
• If they want to have Rowan submit them to the state for the endorsement (which is recommended), they would submit to Rowan Global the Concurrent Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Application Form in order to be considered for official admission and matriculation into the Teacher of Students with Disabilities Graduate Endorsement program. If approved, the student would then be manually registered for the two additional courses mentioned above.

The following courses make up the Special Education Certificate of Graduate Study program. Each course is scheduled in 8 week modules with each week of work starting every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. and ending every Monday at midnight (Eastern Standard Time).

• 5 Courses / 15 Semester Hours
• Foundation Courses: No
• Graduation / Exit / Thesis Requirements: No

Note: The courses listed above are not official and are subject to change. For an official list of available courses please visit the Rowan Global section tally.

The following is a list of items required to begin the application process for the program. There may be additional action or materials required for admission to the program. Upon receipt of the materials below, a representative from the Rowan Global Admissions Processing Office will contact you with confirmation or will indicate any missing items.

• Completed Application Form
• Completed COE TOSD Field Experience Placement Form
• $65 (U.S.) non-refundable application fee
• Bachelor's degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited institution of higher learning
• Official transcripts from all colleges attended (regardless of number of credits earned)
• Current professional resume
• Two letters of recommendation
• Recommended minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
• Interview (Applicants will be contacted directly by the Faculty Admissions Committee to schedule the interview. The interview may be in person or via telephone.)
• On-site writing sample (conducted during Interview)
• Copy of NJ Teacher Certification (only CEAS or Standard are acceptable). If your certificate was issued prior to 1994, you must also submit official scores from the Praxis II content specialization test.
• The applicant must provide proof of appropriate certification as well as a letter of employment confirming the specific dates (not just years) during which the applicant has taught or served the educational community under the appropriate certificate.