College of Education

AddSPED Admissions

Special Education Added Endorsement (AddSPED)

Admissions

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • Possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of a least 3.0
  • Provide a printout of your current Oregon teaching license from the TSPC website
  • Complete all prerequisite course work

Prerequisite Coursework

Prerequisites

Candidates must hold a current teaching license, and an Oregon non-provisional teaching license to be eligible for recommendation for the endorsement.

The program has one required prerequisite course, SPED 418/518 Survey of Exceptional Learners. This course is offered each term on campus at Portland State University and online. Many applicants have taken an equivalent course as part of their previous teacher licensing program. Applicants may request faculty to review an equivalent course as a substitution for the required prerequisite. The course SPED 418/518 or approved substitution must have been taken within the past seven years.

Course Substitutions

Students who have taken prerequisite coursework at an Oregon state college or university for which an equivalent course has been formally evaluated and documented will not be required to submit a formal SPED substitution request. An official SPED substitution form will be necessary for courses taken at private Oregon colleges or universities and out-of-state colleges or universities without prior evaluation and documentation of equivalency. If you want a course you have taken to be reviewed, fill out and submit the Special Education Course Substitution form to the department. You must attach to the form the following documentation:

  • The course syllabus
  • The official course description from the university or college bulletin/catalog
  • A copy of your transcript showing when you took and course and course grade (an unofficial copy is OK)

A faculty committee will review your request and you will receive an email once the review is complete.

Registering for the prerequisite course

It is advisable to begin the prerequisite course as soon as possible. If you plan on taking eight or fewer credits per term at Portland State University, and are not currently a student, you may register as a Non-Degree non-admitted student. A first-time registrant must submit an application to the Office of Admissions and Records so that a registration file can be created. The application is available on-line or at the Office of Admissions and Records in 105 Fariborz Maseeh Hall. There is a one-time $25 fee + $2 for processing the request. Non-degree students are not eligible to receive financial aid. Please allow 48-72 hours for your registration record (student account) to be created. Consult the Schedule of Classes for course offerings and registration information.

Admissions instructions

  1. Check the application deadline for your program.
  2. Make sure you have everything ready from the Application Checklist.
  3. Create an account or sign into the Portland State University Admissions Application system.
  4. Select "Start New Application" and then "Graduate Application." Do not select "Non-degree". You will not be able to upload the necessary documents with the non-degree application, and your application will not be considered.
  5. For the college, select "College of Education"
  6. For the program of study, select "Special Education: Add SPED K-12, MS"

To validate your admission you must take a course during the term in which you have requested to be admitted. Should you not take a course in that term, your application will be cancelled and you will need to reapply to the next cohort.

Questions about the application process?

If you have questions about the application process, contact askcoe@pdx.edu.
Learn about available scholarships and financial aid.

Application checklist

  • Program-specific application
  • Unofficial transcripts are accepted by the College of Education for the program application. You only need to submit transcripts from institutions that you earned a degree from and where any graduate coursework was taken. Additional unofficial transcripts may be sent in if it significantly improves your application GPA. If admitted, you must send in official transcripts from each degree-granting school and any graduate school. More information on submitting official transcripts can be found on the Graduate Admissions page.
    • Acceptable unofficial transcripts are:
      • Web-based transcripts downloaded from an institution: institution and student name must be visible on transcripts
      • Photocopies of official transcripts: these must include the front and back of all pages, including transcript key
    • Previous applicants:
      • If you’ve previously submitted official transcripts to PSU, you are still required to upload unofficial transcripts to complete your application.
  • After you are admitted, you must submit official transcripts to:
    • The Graduate School
      Portland State University
      PO Box 751
      Portland, OR 97207 - 0751
      Electronic official transcripts should be sent to graddocs@pdx.edu

Retention of Student Documents

All application documents submitted to PSU become the property of the University and may not be copied or returned to a student. Transcripts from other institutions cannot be copied. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email askcoe@pdx.edu.

It is a University requirement that students register and pay for at least one credit in the term they are admitted. Failure to do so will result in automatic cancellation of your admission. If you need to change the term for which you intend to begin classes after you have submitted your application, please contact your department at askcoe@pdx.edu to discuss your options.