Special Education (PK-12) Certificate | Online
The PK-12 Special Education Certificate program is designed for those who already hold a PA teaching certificate and want to become eligible to apply for the PA Special Education PK-12 certificate.
Why a Certificate in Special Education?
Maximize your capacity to work with students with special needs and significantly impact their lives through this biblical online program. Enhance your career options with your special education certificate. Designed for individuals holding a valid teaching license or certificate, this program can be a stand-alone or part of the M.S. in Special Education degree.
Upon completion of this program, a student is eligible for PA Special Education PK-12 certificate if the individual also passes the PA Special Education PK-12 Certificate Test and holds or intends to hold US citizenship. The student is also eligible to apply to ACSI for a special education certificate if additional ACSI requirements are met.
Special Education (PK-12) Certificate from Cairn
Biblical Integration
Cairn University is committed to the centrality of Christ and the Word of God and is reflected in the curriculum and instruction. At Cairn, faith and truth do matter. We teach our students accordingly, challenge you to think deeply on these things, and strive to make you ready to serve Christ in the church, society, and the world as biblically minded men and women who not only give assent to truth but think and live in light of it.
Experienced Faculty
All courses are designed and taught by Cairn professors, who bring their scholarly expertise and ministry experience to bear. Students don’t just have professors, they have mentors who invest in them throughout the program and often remain connected long after graduation.
Career Preparation
Grounded in best practices and current research, this online program provides you with opportunities to apply concepts and coursework in the field while you study. Furthermore, the program addresses mild to severe disabilities and includes two Applied Behavior Analysis courses.
Flexibility
Complete coursework from anywhere through our asynchronous course design, reinforced by substantive faculty engagement and weekly course requirements.
Hands-On Education
Cairn University students earn more than a professional credential – you develop a solid foundation for all of life and learning. Wherever you go after you graduate from Cairn, you go prepared and ready to make a difference in your workplace, your community, your church, and around the world. And our competitive tuition rates and financial aid packages help to keep your education costs reasonable. Educators working in Christian schools also receive a 20% tuition discount.
more Details
Get an inside look at our Special Education Certificate Program
There are over 70 unique programs at Cairn to choose from! Not sure if this is the best program for you? Here are some more details to help you decide.
Required Credits: 34
Curriculum Highlights:
- SPE 762 Develop/Diag Reading Intervent
- SPE 763 Teach Child Higher Incidence
- SPE 764 Teach Child Lower Incidence
- SPE 787 Stud Teach Initial Certificat
- Principal
- Guidance counselor
- School psychologist
- Reading specialist
Cairn Online has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which regionally oversees postsecondary online education.
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An Affordable Education
While the cost of a Cairn University education is competitive with similar institutions, we realize you may need financial assistance to take this journey. You are not alone. 97% of our full-time undergraduate students receive some form of financial assistance.
Meet Our Faculty
Barbara Cooper
Chair, Special Education; Assistant Professor, School of Education
Barbara Cooper teaches classes in Special Education. She began her teaching career as a missionary, training people from around the globe. From there she taught in public and private school settings teaching in elementary levels and special education. She also has been an adjunct professor at Biblical Theological Seminary for seven years, teaching international students English and American culture. She is married to Derek, and they have three children.
Juliana Duprey
Faculty, School of Education
Mrs. Duprey taught in Autism Support for 7 years in the School District of Philadelphia and also has experience with ESL tutoring and working with children in early childhood programs. At Cairn she teaches education courses such as Foundations of Special Education and Diagnosis and Evaluation of Exceptional Learners. She has been married to her husband, Marques, for seven years, and they have two boys. She grew up in Philadelphia but now lives in the Abington area where she and her family are excited to be part of a church plant in Brewerytown.
What Our Students Have To Say
David Falcon
Being involved with the Special Education program has provided me the opportunity to form many meaningful and impactful relationships with peers and mentor teachers who have opened their classrooms to me. There couldn't be enough said about Professor Cooper, who always made herself available for guidance, mentorship, and prayer. Special Education is always viewed through a biblical lens, which allows everyone to be viewed as God's unique and perfectly designed creation.
Cairn Online Frequently Asked Questions
The tuition for post-secondary education has become expensive in general. However, Cairn Online programs rank amongst the most affordable online bachelor’s and master’s programs. While the tuition costs vary by program level, the rate is typically $425 per credit or 12K per year for A.A. and B.S. programs and $300-$725 per credit for graduate programs.
The current tuition rates are available from this page. Scholarships and financial aid are also available.
Currently there are over 6 million online learners in the United States, and those numbers are growing every day. Online degrees that have regional accreditation are held to the same standards as traditional universities, ensuring that students earn a valuable degree that will prepare them with the skills and credentials for their career. Do research to find an online degree that is accredited and reputable, such as those offered at Cairn University.
Cairn Online courses based on Cairn’s 100+ years tradition of excellence in biblical education. Our on faculty has carefully designed them taking into consideration what works best for the online learner. The modular design and asynchronous delivery enable you to complete your studies while you pursue your career, ministry and spend time with your family.
Courses typically contain seven units and are delivered in 7-week terms*. Each unit contains 5-7 modular activities. Each learning activity includes instructional videos accompanied by reflections, quizzes, discussion forums and other assessments. Courses also utilize adaptive learning technologies such as Cerego for long-term retention of concepts and VoiceThread for enhanced collaboration.
The asynchronous delivery provides flexibility around your daily busy schedule. In most courses, interactive activities are typically due by Wednesday while the rest of the unit’s work is due by Sunday night. The MBA, M.A. in Music and Criminal Justice programs use the 7RD2 process and require the completion of certain activities daily to optimize learning.
Our own Cairn faculty intentionally participate in the course throughout the week to provide you with an incarnational experience.
*Few capstone courses are intentionally offered in 14 weeks to optimize student learning.
A.A. programs usually take 2 years and B.S. and B.A. programs typically take 3-4 years to complete.
Graduate programs vary in length by program. As an example, Cairn’s traditional MBA typically takes 20 months to complete but then there is also the accelerated One-Year MBA that you can complete in 12 months.
If you are looking to complete your program sooner, you can consider taking more 7-week courses at a time.
All courses are developed by one or more course developers and taught by our own faculty. The instructors are also intentionally involved in the course throughout the week by providing direction in the course activities, participating in the forum discussions, grading the student work and providing substantive feedback. Most courses also offer optional office hours weekly via Zoom or similar video conferencing tools.
Our instructional design team works very closely with the course developers and carefully plans the courses to balance the technology requirements. Most courses use the eLearning platform for hosting the course materials, Panopto for video capture and storage, VoiceThread for enhanced discussion forums, and Cerego for adaptive learning. Zoom is used at times for virtual office hours. These sessions are optional.
Except for the Hebrew and Greek language courses for the B.S. in Biblical Studies program, typically there are no required meeting times for the completing the course activities.
The course transfer depends on where you are transferring from, and what program you are transferring to. If you are coming to Cairn Online from another institution, it is very likely you will have some credits that will transfer. Because there are so many options, we encourage you to talk to an enrollment counselor. If you are transferring out, Cairn is a regionally accredited school and some credits should transfer with relative ease. Each college sets their own transfer criteria, so be sure to check their policies for specifics.
Cairn Online offers a variety of options for prior learning and experience. You can receive up to 6 credits for prior learning for graduate programs. At the discretion of the program advisor, three to six credits for prior learning (CPL) can be awarded for students with extensive background in areas addressed by specific courses. Additionally, advance standing may be granted for Bible or theology credits earned at an accredited Bible college, Christian liberal arts college or university, or seminary. Credits will be granted on a course by course basis.
Cairn is approved to offer financial aid because of its regional accreditation. There are many options available and typically students qualify for at least one type of federal aid. Many students receive scholarships and grants that make earning their degree even more affordable. Cairn offers a variety of scholarships and discounts in addition to options for loans and grants. Please refer to this page for details.
The requirements depend on the program you are considering. Please refer to this page for details.
