Master's in Special Education Online: Licensure, Practicum, Pay

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Reviewed for accuracy against the sources listed below.

An online master's in special education serves two very different people: the career changer who needs a first teaching license, and the licensed teacher who wants to add special education to what they can already do. The coursework for both can be online. The classroom hours cannot, and the licensure outcome differs sharply by track. This guide explains the tracks, the disability and endorsement areas, what the practicum involves, what the degree costs and what the Bureau of Labor Statistics says about pay.

Who this degree is for

Program pages sort applicants into four groups, and the group you belong to decides which programs are even eligible.

• No teaching license yet. You need an initial-licensure program with student teaching. WGU's M.A. Teaching, Special Education (K-12) and Liberty's M.A.T. with special education specializations fit here, and the University of North Dakota describes its M.Ed. in Special Education as the option for those seeking an initial teaching license.
• Licensed in general education. You want to add special education. The University of Kansas's M.S.E. in High-Incidence Disabilities teacher track meets Kansas's educational requirements for an added endorsement if you already hold an initial or professional teaching license. UND's M.S. is described for current certified teachers.
• Already a licensed special educator. You want an advanced license or deeper specialization. East Carolina University's M.A.Ed. in Special Education is an advanced licensure program leading to a North Carolina M-level license.
• Not a teacher and not planning to be. Kansas offers a non-teacher track that leads to no licensure or endorsement and replaces the practica with electives. These tracks suit related-services staff, advocates and administrators.

Endorsement areas and disability categories

States license special educators either by a broad band, such as K-12 mild to moderate disabilities, or by category. Program pages mirror this.

"High-incidence" and "mild to moderate" generally describe the same population: students with learning disabilities, emotional or behavioral disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities and similar needs who spend much of the day in general education settings. "Low-incidence" and "adapted curriculum" point toward students with more significant disabilities. If you know the population you want to teach, match the concentration to it, then confirm your state issues an endorsement under that name.

Initial, advanced or non-licensure

Two cautions from the program pages themselves. Kansas states that none of its special education online programs lead to initial licensure. East Carolina admits applicants without a valid North Carolina initial A-level license in one of its four areas, but they must sign a waiver and will not receive the recommendation for the advanced license until they meet the initial-license requirements, which may include additional tests and coursework.

Practicum and student teaching

This is the part that stays in person, and the shape differs by track.

Initial licensure. WGU's M.A. Teaching, Special Education requires at least 75 hours of in-classroom observation followed by Student Teaching I and II, a full-time, supervised placement of a minimum of 12 to 20 weeks. Liberty's M.A.T. requires practicums that typically total at least 90 hours and a full-time, full-semester student teaching placement. Both are completed in schools near where you live, under a mentor teacher and a university supervisor.

Added endorsement. Kansas's teacher track requires two supervised practica, SPED 775 and SPED 875. Because candidates are already teaching, these are typically arranged around existing employment.

Employment-based options. UND's Resident Teachers program combines online coursework with on-the-job experience in a school district or special education unit, and the university lists on-the-job fieldwork as an option. For candidates on the M.S. route who want to pursue BCBA eligibility, UND does not require university-supported fieldwork but strongly encourages it.

Note: Student teaching is a full-time daytime commitment. WGU requires a passed state-specific basic skills test and a criminal background check before you enter the classroom. Ask the placement office how far you may have to travel and whether a paraprofessional job can count toward any requirement.

Credits, time and admissions

Online special education master's programs run about 30 to 36 credits, and the pages give completion data rather than promises.

• WGU: 30 courses; 64% of graduates finish within 22 months; students who already know material can move faster.
• Kansas: 11 courses, 33 credit hours, 8-week courses; complete in just over two years.
• East Carolina: minimum 30 semester hours; the part-time program generally takes two years, with a full-time option.
• UND: 30 or more credits; 1.5 or more years.
• Liberty: 36, 42, 45 or 48 credits depending on the special education option; 8-week courses.
• WGU's bachelor's alternative, the Special Education (Mild to Moderate) B.A., is 38 courses, and 61% of students finish within 34 months.

Admissions are GPA- and experience-based rather than test-based. Kansas states no GRE is required. UND lists no entry exams. Liberty lists no standardized testing for admission. WGU requires a bachelor's degree from an institutionally accredited university with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5, or 2.0 to 2.49 with passing scores on a basic skills test such as Praxis Core, plus being 18 or older and clearing a background check. Kansas's teacher track additionally requires a current teaching license.

State licensure tests are separate. The Praxis series includes Special Education: Foundational Knowledge ($130) among its subject assessments, and ETS notes that each state has its own requirements.

Accreditation and why it matters

Look for institutional accreditation first, then accreditation of the educator preparation provider, then state approval. The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation is recognized by CHEA. The Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation, founded in 2017 and also CHEA-recognized, has more than 200 member providers in 34 states and territories.

Among the programs here: WGU's Teachers College reports CAEP advanced-level accreditation and full AAQEP accreditation alongside institutional accreditation from NWCCU. Kansas's programs are accredited under CAEP standards from fall 2021 to fall 2028 and by the Kansas State Department of Education, and the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. UND states its teacher education programs are accredited by CAEP and approved by North Dakota's Educational Standards and Practices Board, with all online programs accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Liberty's School of Education is CAEP-accredited and the university by SACSCOC. East Carolina is accredited by SACSCOC, with reaffirmation dated January 2024, and its College of Education publishes CAEP annual reporting measures following a 2022 CAEP site visit.

State approval matters most for licensure. UND describes its program as an approved teacher certification program for North Dakota that is transferable to most states, which is a reminder that transfer is common but not guaranteed.

What it costs (approximate ranges)

The NCES Digest of Education Statistics reports average graduate tuition and required fees of $20,513 in 2021-22, with public institutions at $12,596 and private nonprofits at $29,931. Those averages cover all fields.

Published rates for the programs on this page, which change annually:

• WGU M.A. Teaching, Special Education: $4,125 per six-month term plus a $200 e-books and resources fee.
• WGU B.A. Special Education: $3,825 per six-month term.
• Liberty M.A.T.: $450 per credit for full-time graduate students in 2026-27, $515 part time.
• UND: tuition figures are on a separate cost page, but the program states that online students pay the same rate regardless of legal residency.

Kansas and East Carolina direct applicants to separate tuition pages, so we do not list figures for them. Budget separately for licensure tests, background checks and fingerprinting.

Career outlook and pay

The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a median annual wage of $67,170 for special education teachers in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $49,230 and the highest 10% more than $105,020. By level, medians were $64,830 for preschool, $65,120 for kindergarten and elementary, $66,810 for middle school and $74,260 for secondary school special education teachers. Teachers in local public elementary and secondary schools earned a median of $69,470; those in private schools earned $61,290.

Employment stood at 584,100 in 2025 and is projected to show little or no change through 2035, yet the BLS still expects about 37,100 openings a year on average, most of them to replace teachers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. The handbook also notes that all states require at least a bachelor's degree for public school special education teachers, that some states require a master's degree in special education after hiring to become fully certified, and that all states offer alternative certification paths for bachelor's holders, some of which award a master's degree on completion. For the alternative routes, see our guide to alternative teacher certification.

The state reciprocity caveat

Special education licenses and endorsements are state-issued. A Kansas added endorsement, a North Carolina M-level license or a Virginia initial license each has to be reviewed by any other state you move to. The Texas Education Agency, for example, runs a credentials review for out-of-state certified educators that takes about six to eight weeks and issues a letter listing any next steps. WGU directs applicants to an enrollment counselor to confirm licensure eligibility in their state. Choose a program approved where you intend to teach, or confirm that state's rules for out-of-state preparation before you enroll.

How to choose

1. Identify your track: initial licensure, added endorsement, advanced licensure or non-licensure.
2. Match the concentration to the student population you want to serve and to an endorsement your state actually issues.
3. Check institutional accreditation, then CAEP or AAQEP, then state approval.
4. Ask how practica or student teaching will be placed and whether your current job can host them.
5. Compare total cost, including fees and tests, and check completion data.

Our guide to how to become a teacher covers the licensing sequence step by step.

How we verified this guide

Every figure above was checked on the page cited on November 7, 2026. Pay and employment data come from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (May 2025 wages, 2025-35 projections). Program credits, policies and costs come from each university's own pages, and nonprofit status from the institution's site or its IRS filings as indexed by ProPublica. Where a page did not state a figure, we left it out.