Deaf Education Endorsement
Offered By: Washington State University
The online Deaf Education Endorsement prepares teachers and professionals to provide educational services to children with hearing loss. The endorsement consists of eight required courses plus three credits of practicum and 10 credits of internship and seminar work for a total of 35 credits. Courses are taught by the education department faculty at WSU Vancouver.
The endorsement helps fill a growing need in Washington state and nationally. In the state, for example, there are about 1,200 students with hearing loss, but only 82 trained teachers of children who are deaf and hard of hearing. This is a shortfall of nearly 150 trained teachers, according to the Washington Sensory Disabilities Commission.
Additional benefits of the endorsement include:
• Makes teachers “highly qualified†under the No Child Left Behind Act
• Helps teachers advance in the salary schedule
• Credits can be applied to the requirements for WSU's Master of Education program
The program's flexibility allows students to complete the certificate in as few as 15 months, though most students use about twice that amount of time, taking one or two courses per semester. Courses are offered on a rotating basis in fall, spring, and summer.
