Education Specialist/Masters in Special Education - Online Program

• Review Information Before Applying: Attend a  Credential Information Session if possible. Admission to the program is a two-step process: Department Application and review process and University Application and review process.
• Apply to the Program with the Department Application: Review Credential Application Requirements, instructions, and deadlines. Start the Department Application early, save progress, upload documents, and submit by the deadline. There is a nonrefundable $25.00 fee for this application. If you are applying for Summer entry, this Department Application cannot be submitted until after February 1 when you apply to the University. The University Application confirmation page is part of the Department Application requirement.
• Apply to the University through Cal State Apply. There is a $70.00 non-refundable application fee. Please review the application to make sure you are applying to the correct term, campus, and program.
• Order official transcripts from all schools attended to be sent electronically to Cal State East Bay Admissions or electronictranscripts@csueastbay.edu if an email address is requested.
• Both Graduate Admissions and the Credentials Office will have access to your electronic transcripts, so no duplicates are needed. Please do not send identical, duplicate electronic and paper transcripts.

Click on the following link for a Cal State Apply Demo for Summer 2023-similar for Summer 2025

Cal State Apply Summer 2023 Demo

You need to apply and be admitted to BOTH the Department and to the University to be admitted to the program.

Important: Email is our primary form of communication to keep in contact with you throughout the application and admission process. Please add credentials@csueastbay.edu and admissions@csueastbay.edu to your contacts and check for CSU East Bay correspondence sent to your personal email and horizon email. Check and clear your spam folder if needed.

APPLY EARLY- Your submitted Department Application with the required documents for your Department Application file will be processed and reviewed.

Your Department Application status will be noted regarding any missing requirements-including but not limited to if you have met Subject Matter Competency (SMC).

Please send updated documents for your submitted Department Application to csscdocuments@csueastbay.edu with your full name, program name, and application term in the subject line. 

It is your responsibility to submit the required documents by the deadlines. 

University Application status and requirements will be listed on your To-Do List on your MyCSUEB. Activate your netid.

Complete the online Department Application with uploaded required documents and the $25 non-refundable application fee receipt. Please be sure to check the Save my progress and resume later box at the top of the application, in order to update your application before it is submitted. Please use the same email to save and submit your Department Application. 

Once you start the Department Application and save your progress, your application will be in our system for review. Please name and upload all documents and screenshots as saved PDFs. If you are applying for Summer entry, this Department Application cannot be submitted until after February 1 when you apply to the University. The University Application confirmation page is part of the Department Application requirement.

You are applying to an Education Specialist credential program with an MS Degree in Special Education. Please complete the form at the following link which documents your understanding that your status, if accepted to the program, would begin as a credential student and then include a master’s status- effective the first spring term of your training. The change to a master's degree would not impact your enrollment in the credential program.

Please type in and save the form (do not print it out to sign) to upload to your Department Application: Special Education Program Form. 

Once you submit your Department Application with the required documents your Department file will be processed and reviewed.

Department Application status will be noted regarding any missing requirements-including but not limited to if you have met and Subject Matter Competency (SMC).

Please see additional detailed information about Subject Matter Competency (SMC) below.

Please send updated documents for your submitted Department Application to csscdocuments@csueastbay.edu with your full name, program name, and application term in the subject line. 

It is your responsibility to submit the required documents by the deadlines. 

The Statement of Purpose should respond to the following questions on the form at the link below to be submitted electronically with the Department application:

• Describe your professional goals and experiences.
• Describe your philosophy regarding teaching diverse students and their learning potential and issues of equity in education including students with and without disabilities.
• Describe your personal attributes that illustrate your potential for success in the program and in the field of special education.
• What can you share about how you will manage a full-time program with work, school, and personal demands?
• Statement of Purpose

Submit three (3) letters of recommendation forms that demonstrate suitable dispositions for teaching in public schools.  Academic or Professional letters of recommendation are acceptable if you were not able to complete Early Field Experience. Recommendation forms can be completed by someone who has observed your teaching or working with groups of children in the age group you are pursuing your teaching credential. These observations must have been done within the last 5 years.

Send the fillable forms to recommenders and have them send (email) back to you to be submitted electronically with your Department Application.

• Submit three signed and dated letters of recommendation forms. 
• The letters should come from the individuals that have observed your early field experience, if possible, and be related to your experience working with groups of children related to the credential sought.
• The individual completing the letter of recommendation form should be the teacher of record, not a student-teacher.
• Academic or Professional letters of recommendation are acceptable for Summer and Fall 2022 entry.
• Have the Recommender send/email signed form to you to be electronically submitted for your Department application.

*45 hours of Early Field Experience: Documented field experience of at least 45 hours in a K-12 classroom or a documented field experience from the past five years. Pre-professional experience must be in a classroom or classroom-like setting with groups of children/adults ages five (5) to twenty-two (22) for the education specialist program.

• At least 15 hours must be in special service delivery. An acceptable special service delivery experience includes work as a teacher's aide or instructional support, behavior support clinician, or classroom volunteer in a special day class. 
• The remaining 30 of the 45 hours minimum may be completed in public or private school settings as a substitute teacher, para-educator, or classroom volunteer, or in community-based venues such as the YMCA, park recreation center, or a structured summer camp, after-school, or another formally organized program. 
• Submit Early Field Experience Verification Form. Use as many forms as needed to verify the total hours. The forms should be merged as one document to upload to the application.
• *If you have taken TED 301 at CSUEB, this course will cover 15 hours of the public school experience. 

Must have a Bachelor's Degree conferred before the program begins. 

Applicants with international transcripts with a foreign degree must provide an official evaluation of that coursework by a CTC-approved agency of US Bachelor Degree equivalency, for a list of approved agencies visit  FOREIGN TRANSCRIPT

The requirement for the program is an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or a 2.75 GPA in the last 60 semester or 90-quarter units attempted.

If your GPA is below the minimum required: You may be required to complete a "Petition to Waive GPA Requirement" form after your file has been reviewed and we have determined your GPA is below the minimum. The form will be emailed to you if it is required to evaluate program and University eligibility.

Please see the University Graduate Requirements.

Complete the online application at Cal State Apply: $70 non-refundable application fee. For the optimum experience, we recommend using the most current version of Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. The application is not compatible with Internet Explorer.

How to Apply  Save the confirmation page from Cal State Apply University application to be uploaded electronically to your Department Application.

Summer Term 2025 University Application OPEN February 1, 2025-April 1, 2025: Cal State Apply 

In Extended Profile: Set Degree Goal to Second Bachelor's Degree and Beyond (e.g. Teaching Credential) and Teaching Credential and Service Credential Only (e.g. Single or Multiple Subject, Special Education). Add Program: Education Specialist - Mild to Moderate Support Needs or Education Specialist - Extensive Support Needs

Click on the following link for a Cal State Apply Demo for Summer 2023

Cal State Apply Summer 2023 Demo

Fall Term 2025 University Application OPEN October 1, 2024-June 1, 2025: Fall Cal State Apply

Application Transcript Requirement

*Official transcripts are required directly from ALL colleges/universities attended. The Office of Admissions does not accept composite transcripts. Courses that appear on one transcript but taken at another institution will need to have transcripts sent from that original institution.  

Do not submit transcripts until you have submitted your University Application. HOW TO SUBMIT DOCUMENTS 

Summer-transcripts due April 15; Fall-transcripts due June 15

Order official transcripts from all schools attended to be sent electronically to Cal State East Bay Admissions or electronictranscripts@csueastbay.edu if an email address is requested.

If currently a Cal State East Bay student or a Cal State East Bay graduate, transcripts may not need to be submitted unless you have completed post-baccalaureate coursework at another institution.

Please note: If you are in the process of completing a Bachelor’s degree at a school other than Cal State East Bay you must submit an official transcript showing coursework in progress for Spring, and you are required to provide a certificate of completion from your university’s registrar and one additional official transcript after your degree has been awarded. 

Your Bachelor's degree must have been awarded by a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

Foreign transcripts (if applicable) -

For your University Application: Contact the International Office of Admissions iao@csueastbay.edu.

WES Evaluation is required for International transcripts.

For your Department Application: Applicants with international transcripts with a foreign degree must provide an official evaluation of that coursework by a CTC approved agency, for a list of approved agencies visit  FOREIGN TRANSCRIPT EVALUATION

WES Evaluation is accepted by the University and the CTC.

Once you start your Department Application: Have official evaluation electronically sent from agency to csscdocuments@csueastbay.edu 

Submit a legible copy of a negative Tuberculosis (TB) test performed by a healthcare provider that includes the date taken and the date read with your full name on it from within the past two years.

• You must maintain current negative TB test results throughout your entire program. If your results expire during the program, you will need to retake the test. TB skin and blood tests are valid for 3 years and chest x-rays are valid for 5 years.
• You may be required to have more recent results for the fieldwork site.

A TB Risk Assessment (TBRA) is not acceptable and does not meet the requirement. It needs to be an actual negative TB test indicating the date performed and the date read.

The Certificate of Clearance serves as evidence of having undergone the fingerprint, character, and identification process required by the CTC. You must obtain a Certificate of Clearance or hold a valid CTC issued document in order to be accepted to a credential program.

The Certificate of Clearance is a two-part process.

1. Print the Live Scan form and take to a location offering Live Scan services to have your fingerprints rolled or scanned.
2. Go to www.ctc.ca.gov and apply for the Certificate of Clearance. For more details, visit Certificate of Clearance process.

Submit the Certificate of Clearance document from the CTC website that displays the document name, issuance date, and expiration date. Document must remain valid while in the program. 

Do NOT submit the LiveScan form. You must submit a Certificate of Clearance or a valid CTC-issued document in order to be accepted to the credential program.

Please see the following link for more details Certificate of Clearance Application instructions.

BASIC SKILLS REQUIREMENT (BSR)

A Bachelor's Degree or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution meets the Basic Skills Requirement.

For more information, visit  CTC Basic Skills Requirement.

California Education Code requires that all candidates for a teaching credential demonstrate they are proficient in the subject matter area of their intended credential (meet the SMC requirement) to be intern-eligible and/or be given daily whole-class instructional responsibilities in a TK-12 school.

See the following link from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) website for options to meet  Subject Matter Competency (SMC).  SMC Chart of options from CTC

You will be notified with a Department Reminder email from credentials@csueastbay.edu with your Subject Matter Competency (SMC) status if you are considered for admission.

Options for meeting the Subject Matter Competency (SMC) requirement:

• California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET):  passing any CSET in the content areas used for a Multiple or Single Single Subject credential
   For more information regarding CSET, visit CL-674 .
• Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) approved Subject Matter Program: A Subject Matter Preparation Program is an organized course of undergraduate study that meets the Commission on Teacher Credentialing standards for subject matter preparation. Subject Matter Waiver Letter from a Subject Matter Preparation Program signed by an authorized person in the education department of a California college or university with an approved program.  
• Meeting Subject Matter Competency (SMC) requirement by Degree Major: The degree major listed on your transcript must be aligned with one of the acceptable majors for the Multiple Subject or Single Subject Credential. The current statutory language does not provide flexibility with closely related subjects. Please see Acceptable Majors for Single Subject (SS) and Multiple Subject (MS) Credentials and PSA 23-04
• SMC full Coursework evaluation or Combination of coursework and Exams: You can request a transcript course evaluation to meet SMC only after you have paid the $25 Department Application fee. Reviews will begin after December 1, 2024 until March 1, 2025. Follow the instructions listed at the link SUBJECT MATTER COMPETENCY INFORMATION
• SMC Coursework evaluation- An Interdisciplinary Major that includes all of the subject areas identified in Education Code §44282(b): language studies, literature, mathematics, science, social studies, history, arts, physical education, and human development. You will need to submit a request for course evaluation for Multiple Subjects.

Subject Matter Competency Coursework Evaluation Request Information

To request an SMC evaluation of coursework you need to submit completed forms and transcripts (including foreign transcript evaluation if applicable) to demonstrate that you completed undergraduate or graduate coursework that fulfills the Domains of the Subject Matter Requirements set by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). 

Follow the instructions listed at the link SUBJECT MATTER COMPETENCY INFORMATION

Prospective Students who have a Department Application in progress/submitted may submit a Subject Matter Competency Coursework Evaluation Request after December 1, 2024.

• SMC Evaluations will start in late January and typically take 6-8 weeks to complete. 
• The deadline to submit the Subject Matter Competency (SMC) Coursework Evaluation Request is March 1, 2025.
• Evaluation Requests submitted after March 1, 2025, may not be reviewed.

Subject Matter Competency (SMC) Requirement is required for an Intern. SMC is required for a preliminary credential to be recommended and should be met by the end of the first year of the program, if not before. 

• Bachelor’s degree earned from a California State University (CSU) in any major
• One authorized college-level course (two-semester units or three-quarter units) in the provisions and principles of the U.S. Constitution. The course should include content such as the Bill of Rights, federalism, the separation of powers, and checks and balances. Include the course name, course description, and where taken, and upload the unofficial transcript showing the course listed. Please note the course grade(s) must be a “C” or better; please see link of U.S. Constitution-list of some approved courses 
• Passage of U.S. Constitution examinations verified by a regionally accredited college or university will be acceptable for certification purposes. Upload the official score report showing the passage of the U.S. Constitution exam. 

After a review of the Department and University applications, program applicants may be invited for a group interview with the Education Specialist faculty.

After the interview, the program faculty may conduct a reference check or request additional information.

Priority admission may be offered to applicants who have met all requirements including Subject Matter Competency.