PLEASE NOTE: THE NEXT ADMISSION FOR THE PROGRAM IN EDUCATION OF THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING WILL BE JULY, 2009. THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR A JULY 2009 START DATE WILL BE MONDAY, DECEMBER 1st 2008.

Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Welcome to the Graduate Program in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the University of British Columbia! The Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education offers Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Master of Arts (M.A.) degree programs to prepare professional personnel to work with all ages of deaf and hard of hearing children in various kinds of educational programs and settings. The Department also offers a Ph.D. in Special Education and students may develop a doctoral level program in the area of Deafness if the magistral program outlined in this home page (or equivalent) has been completed.

Programs are designed to meet students' individual needs, and interests and are open to hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing individuals who are eligible for regular education certification.

The Program Schedule: The program is offered through a combination of on-campus summer coursework and part-time, on-line study that allows students to remain in their home communities and maintain work during the school year (although a workload beyond 80% is not recommended). Students will be required to attend on-campus courses during the month of July for two successive summers, while the remaining program specialty courses will be offered in a part-time, online format during the intervening school year. In addition, students must be available for a full-time 13-week practicum during the second Fall term.

Professional Certification: The masters programs (M.Ed. and M.A.) will incorporate general requirements of all Special Education magistral programs and the theory/practice content required in the specialty area. Completion of the first 18 months will meet eligibility requirements for Interim CAEDHH Certification (Canadian Association of Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing). M.Ed. students will be required to complete 9 additional credits beyond coursework in the program for degree completion, while M.A. students are required to complete 9 additional credits plus a thesis.

The Learning Environment: The Graduate Program in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing attracts professionals from all over North America with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The class size is kept small to foster a sense of community. The faculty encourage study of current research, traditional and innovative educational models in oral and signing environments, as well as the examination of controversial issues and diverging points of view. An open enquiry supports a pleasant learning environment. Graduates of this program are employed in varying educational environments in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, India, England, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Korea, and are working in the field all over North America.

Support for Students with Special Needs: The University of British Columbia supports equity of access through provision of oral or sign language interpretation, note taking, portable infra-red amplification, telecaptioning, student tutoring and other services at no cost to students with documented disability.