The video features multiple speakers—parents of children with special needs, program staff, and a current online student—who discuss UNC Charlotte’s Cato College special education graduate offerings. A parent shares her child’s dyslexia diagnosis and the need for services beyond typical public‑school provisions, highlighting why parents of special‑needs children are ideal candidates. Faculty and staff note the program’s top‑100 ranking in U.S. News & World Report and emphasize the supportive, gifted faculty. The academic pathway is explained: a 21‑credit graduate certificate provides initial special‑education licensure for those with unrelated undergraduate degrees, followed by a 14‑credit master’s that grants an advanced teaching license and a master’s degree. The online format is praised for allowing a full‑time working mother to juggle coursework with family activities while still feeling connected to the university community.
Chapters
Hannah was identified with dyslexia. My 2 boys have articulation issues, so they were getting speech services. Public education is set up to provide services for children kind of like in the box, but not all those kids fit in the box. You have those outliers.
Parents of children with special needs are ideal candidates for our program.
U.S. News and World Report for graduate schools ranked us in the top 100. We're producing good teachers. Our faculty and staff are supporting those candidates that are coming into our programs. It was just good to see that recognition.
Our program is a graduate certificate, and it also offers initial licensure in special education. So people who come to us who have undergraduate degrees in something else can get their initial licensure by coming to our graduate certificate program.
So once they finish that 21 credit hours, they are ready and prepared to start the first year However, we feel like there are more knowledge and skills that they can learn. They continue into our 14-credit-hour master's program, and then by the end of that program, they are eligible for obtaining their advanced teaching license in special education, and they also have their master's degree.
The Cato College is a very special place, and we have gifted and devoted faculty.
I love the online program. It's been absolutely fabulous. I am able to continue working full-time. I'm able to continue being a mom to my 3 kids. There's many times that I'm at a swim meet or I'm at a baseball field with my laptop just working on the paper that might be due or sitting there doing my readings that might be due for class. But I'm able to juggle that in between my kids' activities. My experience at UNC Charlotte has been feeling connected to the program and to the school. I was really worried doing an online program that I wouldn't feel an actual connection with the school itself, and I do have that connection. I feel like I'm part of UNC Charlotte, although I'm 4 hours away on a computer.
