If you’re interested in obtaining a Massachusetts special education teaching license for older students with moderate disabilities, BU Wheelock’s graduate certificate in Teaching Students with Moderate Disabilities (5–12) will set you on the path to success. In this program, you’ll learn how to tailor instruction to students and provide positive behavior supports.
Students in the graduate certificate get a thorough grounding in typical child development and learning, characteristics of common disabilities, and the tenets of special education policy and practice. Your coursework will include classes on reading development, mathematical reasoning, methods in special education, and a thorough background in moderate disabilities. At the end of the program, you’ll be eligible to seek licensure in Massachusetts as a teacher of students with moderate disabilities in grades 5–12.
Dates & Deadlines
Spring & Fall 2025
Aug 15, 2024
Application Opens
Spring 2025 Semester
Dec 15, 2024
Application Deadline
Fall 2025 Semester
Jan 15, 2025
Deadline to Receive Priority Scholarship Consideration
Fall 2025 Semester
Aug 1, 2025
Application Closes
Featured Faculty
Faculty in the Special Education program are guided in their research, policy, and practice by a shared commitment to ensuring educational equity and opportunity for all students with disabilities and their families. The faculty includes expert practitioners, researchers, and policy-focused advocates who bring a wealth of information, skills, and expertise to the university classroom and the PreK–12 community.
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Linda Banks-Santilli
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Clinical Associate Professor -
Elizabeth Bettini
Associate Professor
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Lindsey Chapman
Program Director, Special Education
Senior Lecturer -
David J. Chard
Professor
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Felicity Crawford
Program Director, Education for Equity & Social Justice
Clinical Associate Professor -
Hank Fien
Director, Wheelock Institute for the Science of Education
Director, National Center on Improving Literacy
Nancy H. Roberts Professor of Educational Innovation -
Jennifer Greif Green
Professor
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Nancy Harayama
Program Director, Undergraduate Program
Senior Lecturer, Special Education -
Nathan Jones
Associate Professor
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Nancy J. Nelson
Assistant Professor
Deputy Director, National Center on Improving Literacy and Lead for Literacy Center -
Zachary Rossetti
Associate Professor
Career Outcomes
Boston University’s graduate certificate in Teaching Students with Moderate Disabilities (5–12) will equip you to plan, implement, and evaluate individualized and data-based instruction for students with disabilities. Graduates are successful in a variety of professional roles.
- Licensed teacher of students with moderate disabilities
- Teacher leader
- Curriculum developer
- Special education advocate
More Information about the Teaching Students with Moderate Disabilities (5–12) Graduate Certificate
Field-Based Experiences
The Teaching Students with Moderate Disabilities Certificate (5–12) includes a student teaching practicum, where you’ll gain direct experience teaching students with moderate disabilities before working in your own classroom.
Licensure
Students who complete the graduate certificate program can receive endorsement for licensure to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office of Educator Licensure.
Graduate Admissions
Connect with BU Wheelock to learn more about the graduate certificate in Teaching Students with Moderate Disabilities (5–12). Get information about admissions deadlines, requirements, and financial assistance. Sign up for one of our upcoming information sessions.