Special Education

The Department of Special Education offers programs and coursework in virtually every area of special education, including exceptional needs, early childhood special education, mild and intense interventions, and physical disabilities. Graduates note that programs prepare them well for teaching students with disabilities.

The department offers:

programs in deaf and visually impaired (in conjunction with Indiana State University graduate programs), the only graduate programs of their kind in Indiana
graduate concentration in emotional/behavioral disorders
opportunity to complete a residential practicum at the Indiana School for the Deaf
doctoral program in general special education with many options for focused study
distance education courses
Adaptive Technology Lab
Diagnostic Learning Center

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts (M.A.)
Master of Arts in Education (M.A.E.)
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Applied Opportunities

Practica and internships in public schools and agencies
Residential practica in deaf (academic year)and vision (summer)

Application/Admission Requirements

Students must be admitted to both the department and the Graduate School to enroll as a degree student.
Completed Graduate School application.
Must meet the minimum admissions requirements of the Graduate School.
Letters of reference.
Transcripts of all previous graduate and undergraduate course work sent to the Graduate School, Ball State University, Muncie IN 47306.
Doctoral candidates should contact the department for additional requirements.
International students must apply through the Rinker Center for International Programs.

Graduate Assistantships

Approximately ten master's assistantships and two doctoral assistants are available each year.

Contact Information

Dr. John Merbler, Chair
jmerbler@bsu.edu

Dr. John Hill, Graduate Advisor
jhill@bsu.edu

Dr. Michael Harvey, Doctoral Program Director
mwharvey@bsu.edu

Department of Special Education (TC 722)
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306
(765) 285-5700