Teachers of the deaf are in high demand and historically one hundred percent of MSMU/JTC graduates receive job offers prior to graduation or soon afterwards.

The emphasis of the Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles/JTC Graduate Program is on listening spoken language. Course work and practicum experiences provide a variety of experiences supported by research that support the graduate students' foundational skills in Listening and Spoken Language for children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

The course work must be taken as a whole, however, past coursework will be reviewed upon request.

The program offers 2 options of study:

  1. Full time
  2. Part-time

The Program is a collaboration between Mount Saint Mary's University, and the John Tracy Center. Coursework leads to a Preliminary Specialist Credential, deaf and hard of hearing and, with additional classes the university confers a Master of Science in Education.

No. The certification process for a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist: Auditory-Verbal Therapist® or Auditory-Verbal Educator® requires education and experience more extensive than a year or two of coursework can provide. However, since auditory-verbal principles and practices are integrated into many courses in the Program, coursework and hours of practicum may be used to satisfy some of the requirements of the certification process involved in becoming an Auditory-Verbal Therapist® or Auditory-Verbal Educator®. Please see www.agbell.org for more information.

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing has established internships to deal with the severe teacher shortage for children with hearing loss. The Program has designed ways to work within the framework of California internships. Qualified graduate students will be allowed to accept internships as full-time DHH teachers at Centers of Excellence that utilize components of the AG Bell Association's "Components of a Quality Auditory-Oral Program".

U.S. citizens may receive substantial scholarship support, which may cover the full cost of tuition. Available federal grant monies vary from year to year, so scholarship support varies from year to year.

Student loans may also provide additional monies for the candidate, up to $20,500 a year for graduate students through FAFSA. The "Financial Aid Year" for FAFSA consists of three terms: Fall/Spring/Summer. If you are accepted into the program and plan to apply for financial assistance, you will need to file a FAFSA

The candidate may obtain a student loan, and if employed in an eligible California school for the required number of years, the APLE program will forgive a significant part of the loan. Women candidates are also eligible for PEO loans of up to $12,000 at 3% interest.

The Program also helps each Onsite candidate apply for the Emblem Club Scholarships, which may provide between $3,000 and $12,000 over the year-long program. This is a grant, not a loan, and does not require repayment.

For tuition information, please visit https://www.msmu.edu/graduate-programs/academics/financial-aid/

Bachelor's or Master's degree from accredited college/university

  • Grade Point Average of at least 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) in all work

Prerequisites Courses

  • Two ASL courses from an accredited college or university

Tests

  • CBEST California Basic Educational Skills Test (passing score)
  • CSET California Subject Exam for Teachers: Multiple Subjects I, II, III (passing score on at least one)