Master in Special Education (class 2006/2010)

The Master’s degree programme in Special Education amounts to 120 credits. It is based on courses. The programme has a progression where the courses is based on each other and usually must be taken as scheduled in the study plan.

The programme starts up as a part-time programme in the autumn of 2006. Each course lasts one semester. Students will be admitted each autumn semester subject to enough applicants. The programme may then also be offered full-time from the autumn of 2007. In the future there will be developed and offered more optional courses within special education, which can replace some of the existing courses in the programme.

Programme model

(C): Compulsory courses

(I): Examination taken in other programmes in education and special education may be included upon application (cf. item 4).

* Common for the Master in general education. In supervision/seminars, problem issues in the course will be related to special education.

** Ca. 50 % of the teaching will be common with the Master in general education.

First academic year

The fist year consists of 2 courses. The first course, Philosophy of science and method (15 credits), is common with general education and other Master’s degree programmes at Lillehammer University College, except some of the seminars. The students complete the course by writing an essay.

Then the second course, Educational and special-educational theory and basis problems (15 credits) follows. During the work in this course, the students can start preparing the problem issue and project description for their Master's thesis. The students complete the course by writing an essay.

Second academic year

Through the courses Participation and marginalisation III and IV, the students get basic and special-educational specialisation. In the last course, the students will write a report from a field study (work placement period) with external supervision. The students complete the course by writing an essay, in which the report from the field study is included.

Third and fourth academic year

This starts with a further specialisation in special education in the course Counselling and change work, 15 credits. The students complete the course by writing an essay, in which the report from the field study is included. Then the work on the Master’s thesis (45 credits) begins. The students will get internal supervision during the work on the Master’s thesis.

The programme includes five compulsory courses. The students in general education and special education must start with course 1, Educational theory - Educational and special-educational basis problems (15 credits). The first part of the teaching is common. The teaching in the course Philosophy of science and method (15 credits) is also common. The courses Participation and marginalisation (15 credits) and Counselling and change work (15 credits) represent a course-specific specialisation together with the Master's thesis (45 credits).

In the start of the programme, the students will prepare an individual study plan. This forms the basis for a contract between the student and the university college. It should show the student’s total, academic progression and examinations in the whole programme.

The Master's thesis

The Master’s thesis (course 6) is an important part of the programme and provides the biggest opportunity for individual specialisation. The students prepare for this specialisation during the whole programme. This may be done by directing the written work in part examinations towards the Master’s thesis. Individual work with supervision will be the dominating work method. There will be arranged assignment seminars for groups of students, in which the focus will be on both methodical and theoretic issues. Some of this work will be related to the course Philosophy of science and method, and moreover we will try to contribute to specialisation in areas which are relevant for the students. In the theory part, there will be emphasis on discussing different relevant theory contributions in the problem issues which the students work on.

Arrangements for flexible learning

In order to offer this programme, the students must have access to and be able to use a computer and the Internet. The university college will arrange an introductory course if necessary.

The programme is aimed at students who have completed a Bachelor’s education such as teacher or pre-school education or corresponding, plus teachers having taken practical-pedagogical education (PPU). It is also aimed at child welfare officers, social educators and social workers with the necessary supplementary education. The previous education must include educational/special-educational courses of at least 80 credits or an educational unit of at least 180 credits within educational/special-educational and teaching-theoretic courses. Applicants with other education which may be approved in the same way as the above-mentioned alternatives may apply for admission to the programme. Such applications will be considered individually.

The programme offer is subject to enough applicants and funds from Prosjekt Innlandsuniversitetet (PiU).

The students must document their qualifications through discussions, texts and other material produced for this purpose. The examination should to the highest degree possible evaluate those of the candidate’s qualifications which will be used in the educational activities which people with Master degrees enter into: reports, consultations, presentation, supervision, planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching, theoretic analysis and empirical data collection. The students must try to build up their own documentation in a way that such qualifications are gradually acquired during the programme. The students’ work will be evaluated continuously in the programme by the teachers and supervisors. It is a prerequisite that they approve the work after each problem area.

Examination
Examinations before the Master’s thesis will be one presented essay in each course which must be approved. The essays may be theoretic discussions or use of theory for analysis of empiricism from the practice field. The problem issue must be approved by the course responsible. Here there will be emphasis on the connection between the problem issue and the students’ specialisation area.

The essays should normally have a volume of 12-15 pages. The essays are evaluated by the teachers and supervisors, and will be graded A-F, where A is the highest grade and F is failed.

The final Master's thesis is evaluated by an external and an internal examiner. The thesis will get a letter grade. The grade might be adjusted after a final oral examination in connection with the Master's thesis and the curriculum.

Based on the grades on the essays and the Master’s thesis, the students will get a total grade when completing the Master's degree programme. The grades on the courses before the Master’s thesis and the adjusted grade on the thesis after the oral examination in the second year count 50 % each in the calculation of the total grade. (In case of adjustment, the grade on the Master’s thesis will decide).

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