Masters of Arts Educational Therapy
100% Online Degree Program – Scholarships and Flexible Financing Available
Do you want to help students discover a love of learning? Are you an educator or someone looking for a career change who seeks to better serve struggling students? NDNU is proud to be one of only three schools in the U.S. to offer a Master of Arts in Educational Therapy degree. This important area of in-depth study will give you a foundation. If you already have the skills, we can further develop your skills in assessment and intervention techniques to help children and adults who have various types of learning challenges.
Distinctions of the MA Educational Therapy Program
- Built for working professionals, the program has a flexible format and schedule. Students may also gain clinical practice experience at local schools and clinics.
- We also offer an Accelerated MA Educational Therapy program for teachers who have a SPED credential and have been working in the classroom/schools setting for 3 years.
Polly Mayer M.Ed.ET/P
Program Director, MA Education Therapy
CONGRATULATIONS TO AET HONOREE FOR 2023 – Marion Marshall, MS, BCET, FAET – The Nan Freund Distinguished Service Award
This program requires 33 Units to complete. Sample Courses:
- Neuropsychological Principles in Education
- Explore the integration of neuropsychological and educational frameworks to enhance understanding of learning disabilities and remediation. We focus on key neuropsychological concepts that provide insight into the nature of learning and learning difficulties.Students also gain a basis to think broadly and carefully about the educational needs of individual students.
- Instructional Strategies for Students with Reading Difficulties
- Learn about the theories, issues, strategies, and materials related to assessment and instruction of students with reading difficulties, including spelling and written language. Specific methods of instruction and the selection and development of materials that match the assessed needs of the individual are emphasized.
- The Roles of Educational Therapists
- This course emphasizes: historical and current perspectives on educational therapy; developing and managing a professional practice; assessment and instruction; and effective communication strategies within school, family, and service communities.
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learn how to help young and adult students with:
- Dyslexia and other difficulties in reading
- ADHD and other attention issues
- Dyscalculia or difficulties in mathematics
- Difficulties in written language and spelling
- Challenges in study and organizational skills, including time management and executive function disorders
Streamlined Admissions. See how simple it is to get started.
Fully admitted students will need to meet the following requirements:
- A four- year bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
- A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better
- Two academic and/or professional recommendations
- A personal interview with the Program Director.
- International students refer to admission requirements in the current catalog.
When you are ready to take that next step in advancing your career, contact us to learn how we can be the catalyst to make it happen sooner. Accepting applications year-round.
Frequently Asked Questions
An Educational Therapist (ET) offers children and adults with learning disabilities a wide range of intensive, individualized interventions designed to remediate learning issues.
The focus of the work in educational therapy is on the specific academic needs of the individual client teaching strategies to promote learning and remediation.
- Dyslexia and other difficulties in reading
- ADHD and other attention issues
- Dyscalculia or difficulties in mathematics
- Difficulties in written language and spelling
- Challenges in study and organizational skills, including time management and executive function disorders
No. An Educational Therapist does not need a teaching credential to practice or to work in independent (non-public) schools, in learning clinics, or private practice.
While a tutor generally focuses on teaching specific subject matter, an educational therapist’s focus is broader. Educational therapists work as a team with parents, teachers, and other professionals to set goals and develop an intervention plan that addresses not only academic difficulties, but also psycho-educational and socio-emotional aspects of life-long learning through an eclectic combination of individualized intervention strategies.
Educational Therapy offers children and adults with learning disabilities and other learning differences a wide range of intensive, individualized interventions designed to remediate learning challenges and build resilience.
Educational therapy demystifies learning differences and stimulates clients’ awareness of their strengths so they can use those strengths to their best advantage to overcome or compensate for areas of weakness.
Educational therapists create and implement a treatment plan that utilizes information from a variety of sources including the client’s social, emotional, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological profiles.
State Authorization for Online Programs
The Department of Education requires that institutions offering online or distance learning programs outside of their home states must seek authorization to operate from regulatory bodies in those states. Each state has a different set of requirements when it comes to allowing out-of-state colleges and universities to offer online degree programs to its residents.
About Polly Mayer M.Ed.ET/P
Polly Mayer was born in Chicago and spent her K-2 years in a public school in Paris. She is deeply committed to anti-racist, abolitionist teaching, and considers education one of the most important social justice issues of our time. Polly moved to San Francisco and taught 1st grade as an assistant teacher at the San Francisco Day School. While attending Mills College, she worked as a student teacher in Oakland and Vallejo.
Polly received her MA Educational Therapy degree from Holy Names University (HNU) and worked there as a learning specialist and educational therapist for ten years, eventually becoming the Clinic Director at Raskob Learning Institute and Day School on the Holly Names University campus. Since 2019, she has served as an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Educational Therapy program in the School of Education at HNU and joined NDNU as the Program Director for Education Therapy in May 2023.
Polly is a member of several professional organizations, which include: Learning & the Brain, International Dyslexia Association, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Educational Therapists (AET), where she chairs the Professional Affairs Committee, and also is a member of AET’s Social Justice Committee.
MA Educational Therapy Program Advisory Committee
Nancy Cushen White, Ed.D.
Bethany Johnson-Kerner, MD PhD
The Notre Dame de Namur University’s MA Educational Therapy Program is approved by the Association of Educational Therapists. It is designed to meet the academic requirements for Associate ET membership, as well as to provide advanced training for practicing educational therapists. The courses have been developed with the approval of AET and are offered for individuals who have an advanced degree and/or credential in education, special education, learning disabilities, speech/language, psychology, or related fields. Admission to the training program is based upon one’s background in education or learning disabilities. For those without a special education background, the certificate courses must be combined with specific electives to fulfill the academic requirements for Associate-level membership in AET.
Congratulations to our AET honoree for 2023
The Nan Freund Distinguished Service Award Marion Marshall, MS, BCET, FAET
Congratulations to Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) faculty member, Marion Marshall, for winning The Nan Freund Distinguished Service Award. This award is given to a member who demonstrates qualities of compassion and service to AET and the profession of educational therapy, supports or mentors, colleagues and students of educational therapy, demonstrates qualities of leadership by having held a position as an Elected Officer or Elected Director of AET, and offers endless time and talent in support of AET. This individual’s life and contributions to AET must inspire others to promote the profession of educational therapy.
Marion Marshall, MS, BCET, FAET, has been a member of AET since 1996 and throughout her membership has generously given her time and talents to the Association and the profession. As a Director, she chaired the Professional Affairs Committee of the Board and has participated on numerous AET committees including Higher Education, Ethics, and Membership. Moreover, she has contributed significant work to the Educational Therapy Institute (ETI) including providing invaluable information for policies and contracts.
Marion is a gifted teacher, currently a MA Educational Therapy faculty member at NDNU. She has shared her extensive knowledge and expertise with AET members, the allied professional community, and the public through presentations at AET conferences and webinars, articles in the Educational Therapist Journal, and two books on educational therapy. Thanks to her tireless efforts developing a top-notch training program at Holy Names University and her teaching there, a cadre of well-trained educational therapists has been developed.
Marion’s first book, Assessment in Educational Therapy, is a definitive work elaborating what to look for when assessing, how to interpret results, and how to communicate findings to clients and their parents. Marion excels at figuring out complex challenges and developing solutions. Her recent book, Virtual Educational Therapy: A Case Study of Clinical Supports and Advocacy, offers a model of practicing that we can all aspire to.
Although her cape may not be visible, Marion is a true Superwoman! On only a few hours’ notice, she bravely stepped in and provided an amazing three-hour keynote presentation at the 2022 AET Annual Conference when the featured speaker was ill and then carried on in the afternoon with her previously planned three-hour presentation! In addition to all her accomplishments and contributions, Marion is a skillful interviewer and careful listener in complicated situations and a careful, collaborative writing partner for projects and issues of all kinds who is ready to do research whether it’s for a book, a committee issue, a research article, or a complicated client.