Master of Education [M.Ed] [Special Education - Visual Impairment] From University of South Carolina - Upstate

The School of Education at USC Upstate is proud to offer the only Master of Education in Visual Impairment Program in South Carolina. This program is designed for teachers who are already certified. With 50 percent of current teachers of students with visual impairment expected to retire within the next three to five years, it is a perfect time to consider becoming a teacher of students with visual impairments.

The Master of Education in Visual Impairment Program is shaped and aligned with the School of Education's core values and disposition and the standards set by the Council for Exceptional Children. The SC Department of Education requirements for endorsement in visual impairment have also been embedded into the program. Candidates in the program are typically full-time teachers from across the state. Thus, the two-year program offers live classes at the South Carolina School for the?Deaf and the Blind?in the summer and distance learning classes in the fall and spring.

Reasons for Earning a Master of Education in Special Education Vision Impairment

• Of the approximately 1280 children and youth from birth to age 21 with VI, only 680 are served by appropriately certified teachers.
• Of the 85 teachers currently certified in visual impairment, 48% plan to retire in the next seven years.
• Thirty-three of the school districts that enroll students with blindness or visual impairment employ no VI teachers.
• The need for highly qualified teachers for this special population is already critical.
• You can make a difference.