M.A. in Early Intervention Studies
The M.A. in Early Intervention Studies provides professionals from a wide range of disciplines with current evidence-based knowledge and skills for working with families and their very young children from birth to 3 years old who are deaf or hard of hearing. This interdisciplinary program provides preparation in professional and ethical practices, communication and language(s), families, and developmental assessment and programming. Candidates will acquire leadership, advocacy, and collaboration skills that promote age and developmentally appropriate outcomes for infants and toddlers. All coursework and field experiences reflect principles of diversity and social justice including understanding and appreciation of language diversity (ASL and English, as well as other home languages).
Admission Requirements
- B.A. or B.S. degree with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA
- Evidence of ONE or more of the following:
- a professional discipline degree in one of the following areas or related areas: Counseling, Education, Social Work, Speech and Spoken Language, Audiology, American Sign Language, Public Health, Deaf Studies, Interpreting, or Psychology;
- Evidence of admission to a program that results in one of the above-mentioned academic areas;
- Evidence of current employment related to providing services to birth-to-three-year olds and their families (e.g., ASL Teachers, Deaf Mentors, Paraprofessionals).
- Completed application form requesting admission to the MA program
- ASLPI 2 (Conditional acceptance for students with 1+ must receive a minimum score of 2 to receive the master’s degree)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Essay (in written English or ASL) describing candidate’s professional goals and rationale for applying to the ITF master’s degree program.
Note: Students who completed the professional studies ITF certificate by 2023 and within five years prior to admission are also admitted to the M.A. program with advanced standing. Additionally, ITF 700, 701, 702, 703, 704 are not required if completed with grades of B or above within five years prior to admission into the program.
Graduation Requirements
- Successfully completed the program with 3.0 or above
- Successfully completed field experience and internships; passed disposition assessment, and field experience evaluations
- Successfully completed an independent research project
Plan of Study
Program Equipment
Because the M.A. in Early Intervention Studies is a low residency program with online components, students must have high-speed internet and equipment that allows them to participate fully in the program.
Summer I (Hybrid then Online) (6 Credits)
| EIS 700 | Socio-Cltrl & Political Ctxts for DHH Infants, Toddlers and their Families | 3 |
| EIS 701 | Com, Language & Cognitive Dev: DHH Infants and Toddlers | 3 |
Fall I (Online) (9 Credits)
*1 3-credit research course must be taken in Fall I, students are recommended to take EDU 720 or another similar research course as approved by the Program Director.
| EDU 720 | Introduction to Research | 3 |
| HSL 507 | Audiology and Communication Access for Service Providers and Professionals | 3 |
| EIS 702 | Ldrsp Persp on Families with DHH Infants and Toddlers: Their Cultures and Comm | 3 |
Spring I (Online) (9 Credits)
1 3-credit elective will be taken in Spring I (an example is DST 712). The elective should be decided on by both the student and Program Director. The elective should align with any requirements by the state in which the student aims to become an Early Intervention provider. The elective may be waived based on applicable previous academic experience.
| EIS 703 | Strategies for Developing Com, Lang & Cogn for DHH Infants and Toddlers | 3 |
| EIS 708 | EIS Practicum & Seminar | 3 |
| | Elective | 1-3 |
Summer II (Hybrid) (6 Credits)
| EIS 704 | A Developmental Approach to Programming for Infants/Toddlers and their Families | 3 |
| EIS 709 | Young Deaf Infants & Toddlers with Disabilities | 3 |
Fall II (Online) (9 Credits)
(ITF 712 is a 6 credit course)
| EIS 707 | Social Justice & Equity Topics for Early Intervention Providers | 3 |
| EIS 712 | Internship & Seminar | 6 |