Disability Studies, CAS

Contact

Alan Foley, Program Coordinator, 350 Huntington Hall, 315-443, 3343 afoley@syr.edu or disabilitystudies@syr.edu

In addition to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, Cultural Foundations of Education offers a graduate Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Disability Studies. Disability Studies applies social, cultural, historical, and philosophical perspectives to disability in society. Building on the proud tradition of Syracuse University’s School of Education in this important area, the program is designed to assist students in understanding disability and to prepare them to work to decrease barriers to full participation of all people in their community and society. This program stands at the forefront of change, exploring and facilitating new ways of thinking about and accommodating people with disabilities.

Certificate Requirements

The Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) program is a 15 credit hour graduate degree in Disability Studies and related areas. The CAS program is ideally suited for students who want to demonstrate that they can teach, conduct research, or work in the area of disability studies as well as other fields (e.g., special education, rehabilitation counseling, the social sciences).

You do not need to be enrolled in a graduate degree program at SU to enroll in the CAS in Disability Studies. The CAS is designed to provide career enhancement opportunities to non-degree program students.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

Each student admitted into the CAS program in Disability Studies will develop a written program of study, in consultation with an academic advisor in the department of Cultural Foundations of Education. The program of study must be completed within 5 semesters, or 6 semesters under exceptional circumstances. All credits for the CAS must be earned at Syracuse University.

The program of study must include:

Twelve credit hours in disability-related courses.
Three additional credit hours in disability related courses or other courses or experiences (e.g., internship or independent study) that provide skills and knowledge that can be applied to the study of disability, as approved by the student’s advisor.
A written or oral examination.

The purpose of the CAS is not to provide you with professional certification. Other programs at Syracuse offer professional certification in disability-related fields. The purpose of this program is to give you the intellectual and methodological tools to enable you to play a leadership role in disability research, policy, and practice at a broad range of public and private organizations.

Cultural Foundations of Education also collaborates with the College of Law in a joint degree program focusing on disabilities studies. Students obtain the J.D. and M.S. degrees, with the C.A.S. in disabilities studies, in three years instead of the four otherwise necessary to obtain both degrees.