Special Education MA plus Credential

Application Requirements

Requirements for ALL applicants:

• Unoffiical transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
• Obtained Bachelor’s Degree or higher prior to program attendance
• Minimum GPA 3.0 overall in baccalaureate coursework
• Personal Statement
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Letters of Recommendation (Will be requested in online application)
• Fingerprint Clearance w/ California CTC and Certificate of Clearance (COC)

Master’s Specific Requirements:

• Pre-Writing Admissions Assessment (Met through Personal Statement)

Teaching Credential Specific Requirements:

• Basic Skills Requirement (Met through Bachelor’s degree or higher from regionally accredited University)

Admission Procedures

The complete admission process requires approximately 1-3 months from the application deadline and includes the following steps:

• File review by Credential Program Faculty to select candidates for interview
• Interviews are conducted and recommednations for admission are forwarded to the Division of Graduate Studies
• Candidates receive admissions decision letter from SF State Graduate Admissions; and if admitted, Candidates respond with Intent to Enroll by deadline stated in letter

CSU Graduate Application Requirements for Admission

1. Application: Apply on Cal State Apply’s Online Graduate/Post-Baccalaurate application.

In your extended profile, please make sure you have the following marked for the “Degree Goal” section:

This will allow you to see all available programs offered by our Department.

• For Master’s Only, you will be seeing our application under “San Francisco Graduate” and it will be titled “Special Education – MA Only”.
• For Credential’s Only, you will be seeing our application under “San Francisco Credential”. And will have five (5) of the options below:
  • Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential (CRS) in Orientation & Mobility
    (O&M)
  • Preliminary Education Specialist Instruction Credentials
    • Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
    • Extensive Support Needs (ESN)
    • Mild to Moderate Support Needs (MMSN)
    • Visual Impairments (TVI)
• For Master’s plus Credential, you will be seeing our application under “San Francisco Graduate” and it will be titled “Special Education – Master’s & Credential”.
• For Graduate Certificate only applicants, you will find our applications in “San Francisco
  Extension”.

2. Fee: There is a $70.00 fee for this application that is paid for at the end of your application. Once you have completed all required fields and uploaded all required documents, you are able to pay this fee.

3. Transcripts: Upload one (1) unofficial set of transcripts from every college or university attended to your application. There will be a fields titled “unofficial transcripts” where you can upload them.

4. English Test Requirement (Internationally Educated Applicants Only): All applicants for post-baccalaureate and graduate study, regardless of citizenship, whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. To demonstrate your
English language ability, you should submit an accepted and official English score assessment report to the Division of Graduate Studies. If you earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a country whose native language is English, the English language
testing requirement will be waived. You may use the following:

• TOEFL iBT: minimum 550 PBT paper-based test OR minimum 80 on iBT internet-based test
• IELTS: Overall band score of 6.5
• PTE Academic: Academic overall score of 59
• DUOLINGO: Graduate Minimum 120

Special Education Program Requirements

The following requirements are for ALL Special Education applicants:

1. Cal State Apply Application: Complete all sections below and submit your application.

2. Degree: Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, except in secondary education (i.e., secondary education), from a regionally accredited college or university. The degree must be awarded prior to enrolling in the credential program. If the degree is not awarded at the time of the application deadline, applicants must provide transcripts at the time of application and submit updated transcripts once the degree has been awarded.

3. GPA: The minimum GPA accepted for ALL Special Education applicants is a 3.0. This is assessed either through your overall GPA or the last 60 semester units/90 quarter units of your baccalaureate coursework.

4. Personal Statement: Submit a 500 – 750 word essay, addressing the prompt below:
Upload an essay 500-750 words in length. Please respond to these these four questions when formulating your essay:

• Why do you want to enter the graduate special education program at SF State?
• What personal attributes do you possess and/or identities do you hold that will contribute to your success in a graduate special education program?
• What experiences have you had that have prepared you to work in a collaborative environment that seeks to advance equity and inclusion for individuals with disabilities, both in general and specific to the program you are interested in joining?
• What are your goals after you complete the graduate special education program?

The personal statement is used to determine if the individual’s experiences and professional goals are aligned with the program. Further, the writing is assessed as a means to meet the required Pre-Writing Assessment (PWA) Level 1 Graduate Studies requirement at SF State.

5. Letters of Recommendation: Submit at least two letters of recommendation. It is preferred that letters come from individuals who have observed and collaborated with you in a professional or educational setting. Additionally, it is recommended that the letters be written by people who can comment on your experiences with people with disabilities and/or in an educational setting. It is also appropriate to have recommendations from those who can speak to your academic ability and potential for success in a graduate-level program. Additional letters beyond the required two will also be accepted to augment the application. Please be advised letter writers to upload scanned, signed letters on letterhead to the Cal State Apply platform. After inputting their information on your application, they will be sent an automated email with instructions on how to upload it. Letters from relatives and letters more than five years old will not be accepted.

6. Resume or Curriculum Vitae: You may include information about your academic, employment, and volunteer experiences that are pertinent to your application and program objective.

7. Pre-Writing Admissions Assessment: Each graduate student must demonstrate the ability to write English correctly and effectively. To assure that each graduate student has the required proficiency in Written English, two distinct assessments are made by the major departments: Level One and Level Two. The Level One requirement must be met prior to admission. Level One is met through review of your written personal statement.

8. Fingerprint Clearance with California CTC: In accordance with California state law and Education code, all teaching credential applicants must go through a background check. All applicants must apply for a Certificate of Clearance with the Commission on Teaching Credentialing (CTC) and submit their document number in their application. Alternatively, you may submit the following documentation in lieu of the Certificate of Clearance. Valid credential or permits issued by the CTC, including:

• Subsitute Permits
• Pre-intern Permits
• Short-term staff Permits
• Clear Credential
• Preliminary Credential
• Or Child Development Permit

9. Interview: Following initial screening and review of applicant files, program faculty will select candidates to interview, based on the strengths of the application. Interviews will be conducted by faculty selection committee to assess the applicant’s communication skills and behaviors required to meet professional standards.

Special Education Credential Applicant Requirements

10. Processing Fee: There is a $25.00 non-refundable fee for this application. Please pay this fee online via Cashnet. CashNet charges a 2.75% nonrefundable fee for all debit/credit card transactions. Upload proof of payment on Cal State Apply.

11. Basic Skills Requirement: The Basic Skills Requirement can now be met through a bacherlor’s degree or higher that has been awarded to you by a regionally accredited university. You will be showing proof of your academic degree through your transcripts. International students are required to have a Foreign Transcript Evaluation to show that their degree earned is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree or higher in the United States.