You may begin courses during the fall, spring, or summer semesters. The academic calendar provides the start dates, and many other useful calendar items, for upcoming semesters
including drop deadlines.
When you meet with your advisor, you and your advisor will select classes for the
upcoming semester, and you will be given complete registration instructions. You will
register for classes online through the My Missouri State > Registration Card.
You may find your bill by going to My Missouri State > Search the ‘hamburger’ menu
on the top left for “University Account- Billing." From this page, you will be able
to access your account, make payments, view your account information, account summary,
etc.
We encourage all students to complete a FAFSA. If you have questions about your financial aid package, please schedule an appointment with a Financial Aid counselor. You can review your financial aid offers in your My Missouri State > Financial
Aid and Scholarships card.
The Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) Blind & Low Vision
Grant is available for Missouri residents only. Eligible students will receive more
information during the first month of each semester and are not guaranteed full funding
each semester.
Full-time graduate students carry at least 9 credit hours during a fall or spring
semester or at least 6 credit hours during the summer semester.
Communication will occur through your Missouri State University (Bear Mail) email
address. Your advisor may also text you if something is particularly time sensitive,
although no academic or personal details will ever be included in a text message.
Please check your Missouri State email frequently to ensure you are not missing important
communications.
Students must complete the MOVECHS fingerprinting requirement in their first semester
of the BLV program. MSU cannot use fingerprints and background checks from other institutions.
Results can take 1-2 weeks to return to MSU from the time of fingerprinting and can
be seen in your My Missouri State > My Student Records card > “Test Scores” page.
If you are no longer under the purview of MSU teacher education programs, you will
be removed from the MOVECHS database and will need to fingerprint again upon return.
BLV graduate coursework can be completed virtually. Courses will be either online
(asynchronous) or web conferencing. However, practicums (student teaching) require
in person contact hours in a TVI classroom.
Blind and Low Vision (Birth-12th Grade) certification To seek Initial Professional DESE certification, you will need to:
Graduate from the BLV program and complete all certification course requirements
Pass the Missouri teacher certification exam (Praxis)
Complete all student teaching requirements, including the MEES assessment
The Praxis exam must be attempted the semester before student teaching. It must be passed in order to be certified. Register for the Praxis through the Praxis website. Many testing centers require additional sitting fees, and many assessments are available
online. Previously passed Missouri Content Assessments (MOCA) will be honored for
Missouri teacher certification.
Praxis test “Special Education: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments” (5282),
if taken after July 1, 2024.
Yes. Students must be enrolled in the BLV program and the desired position must be
in an approved classroom setting. Students in the BLV program are eligible for a Provisional
Teaching License upon acceptance in the program. However, we encourage you to wait
to apply until you have been offered a teaching position. More information regarding provisional teacher certification.
A graduate student becomes ineligible to continue in their current graduate program
if more than 9 semester hours of "C+" or lower are earned in graduate courses taken
in the degree program, or if the student does not meet any additional specific degree
retention requirements imposed by an academic unit or program.
No. Near the end of the BLV program, you will take SPE788: Research Seminar in Special
Education, where you will conduct a scholarly literature review in an area related
to teaching the visually impaired. This course will complete the thesis requirement.
Near the end of the program, you will take SPE788: Research Seminar in Special Education,
where you will conduct research on a project in an area related to special education.
This final research project in SPE 788 serves as your comprehensive exam.
Yes, applying for a teacher certification in Missouri is dependent upon passing a
student teaching course and receiving passing scores on the MEES evaluation administered
in this course. You will complete SPE750: Practicum in Blindness and Low Vision at the end of the BLV program. You will need to complete all the course requirements
for SPE750.
You may be able to complete student teaching (SPE750) in your current position.
