Director of Exceptional Needs Licensure

Educational Leadership

Director of Exceptional Needs Licensure

This 36-credit hour program prepares you for leadership roles in exceptional needs at the school and district levels.

To earn this license, candidates must:

  • Hold a master's degree in special education, communication disorders, or school psychology. A master's degree in educational leadership or other related field will suffice if the undergraduate degree is in special education, communicative disorders, or school psychology.
  • Have at least two years of full-time teaching experience
  • Complete the program course work, including 18 credit hours in educational leadership, three (3) credit hours in program evaluation and assessment, and 8–12 credit hours in special education

Candidates from school psychology and communications disorders majors will require 12 credit hours of special education course work. Special education majors will require eight (8) credit hours of special education course work.

  • Application Deadline
    DomesticInternational
    FallJun 1May 1
    SpringNov 1Oct 1
    SummerApr 1Mar 1
    Fee$60$65
  • Admissions Requirements
    • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
    • Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 out of 4.00
    • Completed online application that includes:
      • Transcripts
      • Personal Statement
      • 2 Letters of Recommendation
      • GRE Scores:
        • Not required for domestic students
        • Not required for international students
      • Resume:
        • Not required for domestic students
        • Required for international students
      • TOEFL score from last two years*

      *International students only

    Learn more about specific admissions requirements

  • Degree Requirements
  • Financial Aid
    • Learn about a variety of fellowships and travel awards that are available to graduate students.
    • Visit Student Central for information about financial assistance.
    • Consult your employer about the availability of tuition reimbursement or tuition assistance programs.
    • Active duty military, veterans, and military families should visit the Center for Veteran and Military Students to take full advantage of available financial assistance and educational benefits.
  • Program of Study

    Full course descriptions are available in the IU Bloomington School of Education Graduate Bulletin.

    • Educational Leadership
      • A500 Introduction to Educational Leadership or A653 Organizational Context of Education
      • A608 Legal Perspectives on Education
      • A635 Public School Budgeting and Accounting or A631 Microeconomic Applications to Education
      • A675 Leadership in Special Education Programs
      • A735 Building Unified Systems Inclusive of Students with Disabilities
      • A695 Practicum in Educational Leadership
    • Special Education
      • Special Education Majors: eight (8) credit hours of course work selected in consultation with your faculty advisor
      • Communications Disorders/School Psychology Majors: 12 credit hours of course work selected in consultation with your faculty advisor, which should include K525 Assessment and Instruction
    • Program Evaluation and Curriculum Assessment
      • J660 Evaluation of School Programs or Y535 Evaluation Models and Techniques

    A675, A695, and A735 are taken as a group. Students typically complete these courses by December of that year. Monthly meetings are part of this program and meet on a weekday from January–May and September-December, typically in the Indianapolis area.

Apply Now

Contact Us

Sandi Cole
Director, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
cmcole@indiana.edu

Resources