University of Southern Maine

The Special Education Program, gifted and talented concentration is now accepting admission applications on a rolling basis with priority deadlines of September 1, October 15, February 1, March 15, and May 1. For more information on the admission process, review the admission information page through the Office of Graduate Studies.

The Special Education Program, gifted and talented concentration, requires 39 credit hours of coursework. Besides fulfilling course requirements, students must complete a professional portfolio to graduate. The purpose of the portfolio is to provide an opportunity for students to reflect upon the knowledge and skills they have acquired in the Special Education Program.

Core (12 Credits)

EDU 600 Research Methods and Techniques
SED 653 Assessment in Special Education
SED 601 Introduction Student Programming and Master’s Goal Setting (1 credit)
SED 698 Capstone Seminar and Portfolio – last course (2 credits)
SED 699 Directed Study

Specialization (12 Credits)

SED 659 Education of the Gifted/Talented
SED 660 Curriculum and Methods for Teaching the Gifted OR
SED 618 Programming for Learners with Special Needs
SED 662 Productive thinking and the Gifted Learner
SED 666 Models in Education of the Gifted

Electives (15 Credits)

SED 550 Teaching Gifted Students in the Regular Classroom
SED 663 Management in Education of the Gifted
SED 664 Gifted Students in Special Populations
SED 665 Institute for the Program Planners in Education of the Gifted/Talented
SED 667 Social/Emotional Needs of the Gifted
SED 670 Secondary Programs in the Gifted and Talented
Other courses may be taken from approved courses offered within the CEHD.

Portfolio Requirements

Students in this program will create, in SED 601, the goals and objectives they plan to accomplish through their plan of study. The plan of study and the goals and objectives can be an expansion of the admissions essay they use for matriculation into the program.

The students will complete their portfolios during SED 698, the semester after all their other courses are completed. The portfolio will demonstrate how they have meet the goals and objectives they planned at the beginning of their program, and the new and unexpected knowledge that they gained while in their program. Students will then present live, or via video, their portfolios to the advisors of the program.

Prospective students, please contact:
Office of Graduate Admissions
(207) 780-4386
(800) 800-4USM
TTY: (207) 780-5646