Online MAT in Elementary Ed.| Special Ed. 45-Hr.| Liberty University

Credit Hours

Online,* 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | February 16, 2026 | March 23, 2026

Grow Your Career and Help Kids with Special Needs Through the MAT in Elementary Education – Special Education 45-Hour

To be a good teacher for elementary students, you need a thorough understanding of child development and age-appropriate teaching methods. But if you also want to help address the challenges children with special needs face in entering the education system, you need advanced training outside of the normal scope of an elementary education degree. Liberty has a program designed specifically for your needs. You can have a rewarding career helping students with special needs at the elementary level with Liberty’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Elementary Education (45 hour) – Special Education General Curriculum program.

Our MAT in Elementary Education – Special Education track can give you flexibility by building in requirements for an additional endorsement and allowing for electives to help fill in missing content competencies.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Elementary Education (45 hour) – Special Education General Curriculum.

Liberty maintains strict compliance with all licensure requirements for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Not a Virginia resident? We want to help find the best program for you! To view educational requirements and whether a specific program aligns with the licensure requirements for your state, please review our licensure/certification requirements webpage.

*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.

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No Standardized Testing for Admission
Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Why Choose Liberty’s 45-Hour MAT in Elementary Education – Special Education Program?

The MAT in Elementary Education’s 45-credit-hour option can provide you with the content competencies you’ll need to become a teacher. These core competencies include history, lab sciences, social science, arts, and English. You will also meet requirements for the Special Education General Curriculum Add-On Endorsement, providing advanced training and career flexibility.

At Liberty University, we don’t just train educators — we train educators who want to make a positive impact on the next generation. The well-being of your students and their families matters, so you can learn to evaluate education theory from a biblical worldview.

Empowering teachers to succeed is essential. So at Liberty, you can earn your MAT degree for less, at only $430 per credit hour. With our online format, this special rate makes the MAT one of our most flexible and affordable master’s programs. By integrating special education skills with Christian ethics, you’ll explore how to confidently address the educational, emotional, and spiritual needs of your students.

Liberty University’s School of Education meets rigorous national standards for educator preparation set by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). With excellent and affordable online education, Liberty’s online MAT in Elementary Education will help you meet licensure requirements and prepare you for success in your teaching career.

What Will You Study in Our MAT in Elementary Education – Special Education 45-Hour Program?

The MAT in Elementary Education provides an in-depth foundation of teaching practice and learning theory that can help you succeed in the classroom. You will study essential topics such as educational behavior and development, theories and methodologies of education, current trends in the education field, teaching methods, and classroom management.

Through your special education courses, you can learn how to provide individualized education support and care for students with significant disabilities. You can learn to create lesson plans and provide intellectual stimulation for students with special needs while encouraging growth. You will also learn how to make decisions about student progress, instruction, program, placement, and transitional services.

As an online MAT student, you will complete a semester of student teaching at the end of the program. By working hands-on in the classroom under an experienced, licensed elementary school teacher, you will not only be meeting licensure requirements, but you will also be developing your own unique teaching style.

Here are some of the specific subjects you will study throughout your program:

Current trends in the education field
Educational behavior and development
Methods of teaching and classroom management
Theories and methodologies of education

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

This program falls under the School of Education.
View the Graduate Education Course Guides (login required).
This program requires a background check.
Students will complete a semester of student teaching.
This program will help you achieve your initial teaching licensure.
Review state-specific state requirements.
Additional program details are available in the Online Graduate Advising Guide.

Degree Completion Plan

State Licensure Requirements

Individual state licensure requirements may vary and are subject to change without notice. View your state’s requirements here: licensure/certification requirements.

Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

Graduate Education Full Time	$430/Credit
Graduate Education Part Time	$645/Credit
Military Graduate	$290/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

All Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial Aid Forms & Eligibility

Scholarship Opportunities

Admission Information for Our Graduate MAT Online Degree

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.5 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

Please note: Guidelines are subject to change in federal or state regulations for the licensure of school personnel.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Unofficial College Transcript Policy

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
Cumulative GPA
A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Submit your application online or over the phone.

Start Online Application

Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

Tuition discounts – $290 per credit hour for graduate courses
Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder*
8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

View Military Benefits

Frequently Asked Questions

What guidelines was this program designed around?

Liberty University’s School of Education meets rigorous national standards for educator preparation set by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Our special education program is also designed to meet the following rigorous standards to ensure you are best equipped for the classroom:

Council of Exceptional Children (CEC)
Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching
Virginia Department of Education for Special Education General Curriculum (K-6)

These additional standards can help you stand out as an expert in special education teaching, and the cutting-edge skills you learn can help you prepare to meet the challenges of the field. With in-class experience in your area, you can have the hands-on training and critical teaching knowledge you’ll need to be successful in your future classroom.

Does this program have any special financial benefits?

While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have lowered tuition for our Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Education programs. At $430 per credit hour for full-time students (at least 9 hours per semester), Liberty University’s MAT online is available at one of the lowest tuition rates for this degree in the country.

Additionally, pursuing our online Master of Arts in Teaching licensure track may make you eligible for the Federal TEACH Grant.

Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

What specific professional credentials is this designed to lead to?

What are the benefits of pursuing a program like this online?

Are you ready to change your future?

Apply Now

App Fee Waived This Week*

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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MAT in Elementary Ed. – Special Ed. 45-Hr. Go Beyond The Traditional Classroom

Grow Your Career and Help Kids with Special Needs Through the MAT in Elementary Education – Special Education 45-Hour

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s 45-Hour MAT in Elementary Education – Special Education Program?

What Will You Study in Our MAT in Elementary Education – Special Education 45-Hour Program?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

State Licensure Requirements

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for Our Graduate MAT Online Degree

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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Military

Frequently Asked Questions

What guidelines was this program designed around?

Does this program have any special financial benefits?

What specific professional credentials is this designed to lead to?

What are the benefits of pursuing a program like this online?

Are you ready to change your future?

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