Master of Deaf Education and Hearing Science

The Master of Deaf Education and Hearing Science (MDHES) Program, nationally certified by the Council on Education of the Deaf, was created in 2002 in order to provide graduate students in deaf education the opportunity to build the relationships needed to provide quality services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This program is one of only a handful in the country that provides intensive training in how to help deaf or hard of hearing children develop spoken language through the use of residual hearing, high-powered hearing aids and modern surgical procedures such as cochlear implants. The San Antonio-based program holds courses at an approved off campus location, Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children, located at 603 E Hildebrand Ave, San Antonio, Texas 78212. A Houston-based cohort is accepted biannually with synchronous courses held via teleconference at Texas Hearing Institute, located at 3100 Shenandoah St, Houston, Texas 77021.

Certified teachers for children with hearing loss are in high demand. Every year positions across the nation go unfilled because of the lack of qualified professionals. In Texas alone, 20-30 teacher vacancies go unfilled annually. If you have an interest in children, language and communication, and a bachelor’s degree already, the MDEHS could be the next step in your career. There are generous tuition scholarships available.

Admissions Requirements

Application for admission to the Master of Deaf Education and Hearing Science (MDEHS) Program may be completed online at https://www.goapplytexas.org. Admission information can be found on the program's website. 

All required admissions information and documents must be submitted to the department before an applicant is considered for admission. Because applications and documents are reviewed as they are received, applicants are encouraged to apply early in the application period. Classes begin in the summer semester each year.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the MDEHS Program, applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, with an overall grade point average of 3.0. Incoming students must have completed a baccalaureate degree in education or a related field (e.g., communication science disorders). Depending on the applicant’s background, pre-requisite coursework in curriculum and instruction from another college or university may be required. In addition, 50 hours of classroom observation and 25 hours of field experience may be required for non-education majors.  Observation and field experience hours may be waived based upon review of undergraduate transcripts and experience.

Degree Requirements

State Certification

Deaf Education and Hearing Science is a profession requiring certification in teaching children with hearing loss. State of Texas Certification examinations are administered through the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC). All students who enter the program already holding teacher certification must pass the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) Deaf and Hard of Hearing (#181). Students who enter the program as non-teachers must also become certified as teachers in Texas and must pass the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Exam, EC–12 (TExES). The MDEHS Program is nationally accredited through the Council on Education of the Deaf (CED). It is highly recommended that students apply for certification through CED as well.

Co-Requisites

Two sign language classes from an accredited college or university must be completed during coursework.  

Sample Plan of Study

Co/Pre-Requisites

• ASL I
• ASL II

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These are educational psychology courses that will be taken at UTSA.

Objectives/Program Outcomes

The MDEHS Program is based on, and committed to, teaching future teachers of the deaf the listening & spoken language method of intervention/education for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, as stated in the Auditory-Verbal Position Statement published by the Board of Directors of Auditory-Verbal International.

In addition, the program’s philosophy encompasses the following educational assumptions:

• Many profoundly deaf children can obtain an excellent education in an auditory-oral or listening & spoken language environment;
• At some time during the educational years, it is desirable that a child who is deaf or hard of hearing attend school with her/his hearing peers;
• Applicants with a baccalaureate degree in education or related fields can become effective teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing through application of previously gained knowledge and skills plus the acquisition of procedures, techniques, and information unique to the deaf or hard of hearing child. The MDEHS curriculum addresses topics and skills required for Texas teacher certification and national certification.

Each deaf or hard of hearing child is a unique combination of learning styles, degrees of and adjustment to a hearing loss, motivation toward learning, home and community experiences, intellectual abilities, and personal responses to the environment. A dually prepared teacher is in an enviable position of being able to identify these factors and create a learning setting that would permit maximum attainment not only by the child who is deaf or hard of hearing, but also the typically developing children.

Deaf Education Program Grading System

Grades

The standing of students in their work is expressed by the following grades:

A = Excellent

B = Above Average

C = Average

D = Below Average

F = Failure

Grades for courses in which performance is graded an S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory) are not used in computing the grade point average. The symbol I (incomplete) may be recorded for a student who has not completed course assignments at the conclusion of the course.

In some programs, students have the option of seeking exemption from certain courses in the curriculum if they have successfully completed an equivalent course in the curriculum at another college or university or content in an examination. The symbol CR (Credit) is recorded for a course(s) for which the student has been exempted.

Grades in Clinical Rotations, Practicums, and Fieldwork Courses

Clinical rotation, practicums, and fieldwork courses may be graded S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory), or may be assigned a letter grade, depending on the departmental policy.

A grade of S or other designation of an acceptable grade is assigned if the student successfully satisfies the criteria for clinical courses. Failure to successfully satisfy the course criteria may result in an I (Incomplete) or a U (Unsatisfactory) or a letter grade considered unsatisfactory based on departmental policy.

Criteria and time frame for removal of an I or U or other unsatisfactory grade in clinical courses are determined based on clinical documentation and consultation with the clinical supervisor/clinical instructor, not to exceed one full calendar year. An I or U or other unsatisfactory grade may require that the student complete an additional clinical affiliation or other remediation that could extend the professional curriculum beyond the expected graduation date. More than one unsatisfactory grade is not allowed within the total clinical course sequence.