Program Overview
Our program trains individuals to become teachers of students with visual impairments/teachers of the visually impaired, spanning from preK through 12th grade education. Learn how to collect data, do thorough assessments, and make informed recommendations to the educational team and family on how to support a child's equity within the school.
Program graduates hold a range of positions, including preschool teachers, itinerant TVIs, resource room teachers, teachers in schools for the blind, special education teachers, school administrators, and jobs focused on transition or working with adults with visual impairments.
Program Facts
Program Coordinator: Rachel Schles
Admissions Coordinator: Kelly Limina
Admission Term: Summer
Enrollment: Full-time (on-campus program only, initial license or endorsement/add-on) and Working-Professionals (part-time, both on-campus and hybrid option; hybrid option limited to currently working teachers in Tennessee)
Credit Hours: 30 credit hours (+12 credits if seeking initial licensure)
Format: Option to select between a traditional on-campus program or a hybrid/low-residential program
Licensure Tracks: Initial Licensure option for applicants without a teaching licensure and Endorsement/Add-on options for applicants with any type of current teacher license
Online Information Sessions
Interested in becoming a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI)? Join us to learn about the Visual Disabilities MEd program. Hear student perspectives, understand admissions requirements, funding options, and get your questions answered! We will discuss options in both our full-time graduate student and working-professional tracks, along with both initial licensure or getting an add-on endorsement.
October 15, 2024, 4:00–5:00 pm (CDT)
November 12, 2024, 4:00–5:00 pm (CDT)
December 9, 2024, 4:00–5:00 pm (CDT)
Application Dates
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Application Deadline 1
Jan 3, 2025
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Application Deadline 2
Feb 3, 2025
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Rolling Admissions
After Feb 3, 2025*
*Applications after January 3 will be accepted on a rolling basis through April 1, with no applications accepted after April 1.
US Office of Special Education Program Training Grant
Funding opportunities are available through the U.S. Department of Education-funded personnel preparation training grant, Redefining Intersectional Special Education to Prepare Culturally Competent and Conscientious Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (Project RISE-TVIs). Robust scholarship and financial supports for both full time and part-time/working professional scholars, seeking either initial licensure or an add-on endorsement in Visual Disabilities. Applications accepted to start every summer for all on-campus tracks.
Tennessee Department of Education Preparation Grant
Funding opportunity through the TN Department of Education-funded personal preparation training grant, Endorsements in Vision Across Tennessee (Project EVA). Currently working, licensed teachers in Tennessee are encouraged to apply for our hybrid/low-residential program. Program coursework is 75% online, with 25% (~1 Saturday/month) of classes held on-campus in Nashville. Cohorts begin in even-numbered summers; applications for our next cohort will open Fall 2025.