Master of Arts in Deaf Education
The Clarke – Fontbonne Northeast Collaborative
Specialty Area: Preparing Educators to Serve Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Inclusive Educational Settings
Fontbonne University and Clarke have created a partnership to offer a Master of Arts in Deaf Education. This is a hybrid model which offers coursework through Fontbonne University (using distance technology synchronously) and practicum for graduate students in the Northeast region of the US at four of Clarke’s east coast locations (Boston, New York, Northampton, Philadelphia) or at CREC/Soundbridge in Connecticut and the Bergen County Hearing Impaired Program in New Jersey.
This program is a unique model for preparing a new generation of professionals. It stresses an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating the principles of best practice from deaf education, early childhood education, speech-language pathology and special education. Classes are small and highly interactive. Faculty are nationally recognized, experienced and committed to each graduate student’s success. Many of our faculty currently work with children and families, sharing their expertise through technological advancements, evidence-based practices and innovative techniques.
DEAF EDUCATION GRADUATE-LEVEL
All coursework is presented by instructors through face-to-face instruction or via real time distance technology. The 42-credit-hour curriculum will prepare graduate students to:
- Provide educational services to students who are learning and using listening and spoken language
- Collaborate with professionals in inclusive educational settings
- Monitor and facilitate the use of hearing technology
- Instruct learners with modification and accommodations
- Support learners self advocacy and social emotional development
- In addition to the core curriculum, graduate students will also participate in over 400 hours of field experience in or near the city they reside.
FUNDING
Fontbonne University is applying for a federal grant to support students specializing in Preparing Educators to Serve Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Inclusive Educational Settings. If the grant is awarded, 36 hours of tuition will be funded for eight graduate students.
Apply now! Scholarships may be available for accepted applicants. To learn more about the options below, visit fontbonne.edu/financial-aid.
- TEACH Grants (The TEACH Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching).
- Federal Student Aid
- For individuals with hearing loss: The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing College Scholarship Program
- For links to each of these funding options, visit fontbonne.edu/eidefunding.
Contact Information
For information about Fontbonne University’s graduate program with a specialization in Preparing Educators to Serve Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Inclusive Educational Settings, please contact:
Dan Salvucci, M.E.D., Ed.M., CCC-A
Project Co-Director
Email: dsalvucci@fontbonne.edu
Phone: 314.889.1407
Or
Susan Lenihan, Ph.D., CED
Professor, Director of Deaf Education
Email: slenihan@fontbonne.edu
Phone: 314.889.1461
Testimonials From Current Students
"Right away I felt a sense of belonging and that this program was going to shape me into the professional that I want to be."
"The Clarke-Fontbonne Program provides us with the kinds of hands-on opportunities that other programs don’t offer."
"Working directly with children and families throughout the entire program has given me insight to what life will be like as a deaf educator; and has certainly improved my confidence and ability to jump into the professional world."
"Knowing that in some way you have impacted a child’s growth person, however small, gives me a sense of fulfillment."
"An advantage of the Clarke-Fontbonne Program is having the opportunity to work with experienced faculty from across the country."
"Each and every one of my professors bring totally different experiences and expertise to the table because they all come from different backgrounds such as early interventionists, itinerant teachers, self contained classroom teachers, audiologists etc."
"My mentors were wonderful and welcoming to me; and all of my professors have actually gone through what we are learning about. Some have been teaching for 40 years, and I love learning about their strategies and their own experiences of teaching in the classroom. They teach me that that there will be always something new to learn in this field."
