Learn the skills you need to better identify gifted characteristics in students, develop effective curricula, and provide support throughout the learning process. You’re in control with completely online study options. Earn a Master’s degree or complete certification requirements with the selection of individual courses.

100% Asynchronous Online

Student

Learn While You Work

Online coursework means you learn on your own schedule and at your own pace. Chart an accelerated course of study to complete your Master’s or take a single class and implement new skills and information into your classroom as you go.

Why Truman?

  • An emphasis on current challenges and opportunities unique to gifted education
  • A combination of Truman Education faculty and active expert practitioners
  • Fully online coursework combined with practical field experience
  • A program designed for the working professional
  • Affordable tuition and a top-notch program

 

Curriculum

Browse the entire Gifted Education curriculum below, then chart your customized study path. If you choose to complete the full Master’s program, you’ll take all of the core coursework, plus electives and an internship.


Explore the nature and needs of gifted learners as you investigate concepts of intelligence and giftedness, methods used to identify gifted learners, and issues related to special populations of gifted learners. You’ll link the philosophy of gifted education, learner characteristics, understandings about intelligence, identification procedures, and curriculum into coherent and defensible services for gifted learners.

Examine your rights and responsibilities in educating students with gifted and handicapped conditions; current philosophy and terminology in gifted and special education programs; and the programming implications of students from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Examine research methodologies, designs, collecting and analyzing data, and writing and presenting findings through completion of an action research project in gifted education.

Learn about the processes and recommendations for identifying gifted students and study how culture, economics, and family roles impact identification. You’ll also become familiar with different identification tools and apply their knowledge of gifted learners to create an identification process for a school.

Learn how to develop, implement, and evaluate effective curriculum, instruction, and assessment to improve learning for gifted students through discussion of gifted education theory, curriculum development theory, systems thinking, higher order thinking, questioning skills, creative thinking, technology use, differentiation, and assessment. Additionally, you’ll examine how curriculum design for gifted students can impact curriculum for all students.

Focus on the affective needs of gifted students by exploring research and material relevant to the social and emotional components of giftedness. You’ll examine the role(s) of the educator, motivational issues, relationships, perfectionism, common areas of psychological response, gifted children and youth with special needs, underachievement, and promising practices and interventions for meeting the affective needs of gifted children.

Learn to identify programming options for gifted learners including acceleration, enrichment, internships, mentoring, distance learning, etc. to enhance students’ learning while meeting their intellectual and affective needs. You’ll collaborate with others to create opportunities for diverse learners, as well as examine your school’s current system for gifted programming to create recommendations for improvement.



Study topics that cover national, state and local policies and procedures; advocacy vs. activism; current trends in gifted education; research; and professional development and communication.

Examine the theoretical aspects of creativity – what is creativity, and how do we develop it in ourselves and in our students? You’ll learn the major definitions, theories, and research related to the study of creativity and the creative individual, techniques for stimulating creative thinking, and creative problem-solving strategies to utilize with students.



We work with your schedule to arrange an internship that meets your needs and state certification requirements. Under the guidance of mentor teachers, administrators, and University representatives, your internship provides extensive experience in all facets of your role as a teacher to gifted students.

Sample Plans of Study

Accelerated Plan

FALLSPRINGSUMMER
YEAR 1First Block:
ED 550 - Intro to Gifted

Second Block:
ED 604 - Professional Learning
Full Semester:
ED 605 - Psychology of Exceptional Children
ED 633 - Research
First Five-Week Session:
ED 626 - Creativity
ED 652 - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 650 - Identification of Gifted
ED 653 - Programming and Administration
YEAR 2First Block:
ED 651 - Curriculum

Full Semester:
ED 619 - Internship/Practicum

One Class at a Time

FALLSPRINGSUMMER
YEAR 1First Block:
ED 550 - Intro to Gifted
Full Semester:
ED 605 - Psychology of Exceptional Children
First Five-Week Session:
ED 652 - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 650 - Identification of Gifted
YEAR 2First Block:
ED 651 - Curriculum

Second Block:
ED 604 - Professional Learning
Full Semester:
ED 633 - Research
First Five-Week Session:
ED 626 - Creativity

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 653 - Programming and Administration
YEAR 3Full Semester:
ED 619 - Internship/Practicum

Accelerated Plan

FALLSPRINGSUMMER
YEAR 1First Block:
ED 550 - Intro to Gifted

Full Semester:
ED 605 - Psychology of Exceptional Children
First Five-Week Session:
ED 626 - Creativity
ED 652 - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 650 - Identification of Gifted
ED 653 - Programming and Administration
YEAR 2First Block:
ED 651 - Curriculum

Second Block:
ED 604 - Professional Learning
Full Semester:
ED 619 - Internship/Practicum
ED 633 - Research

One Class at a Time

FALLSPRINGSUMMER
YEAR 1First Block:
ED 550 - Intro to Gifted
First Five-Week Session:
ED 652 - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 650 - Identification of Gifted
YEAR 2First Block:
ED 651 - Curriculum

Second Block:
ED 604 - Professional Learning
Full Semester:
ED 605 - Psychology of Exceptional Children
First Five-Week Session:
ED 626 - Creativity

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 653 - Programming and Administration
YEAR 3Full Semester:
ED 633 - Research
Full Semester:
ED 619 - Internship/Practicum

Accelerated Plan

SUMMERFALLSPRING
YEAR 1First Five-Week Session:
ED 550 - Intro to Gifted
ED 652 - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 650 - Identification of Gifted
ED 653 - Programming and Administration of Gifted
First Block:
ED 651 - Curriculum

Second Block:
ED 604 - Professional Learning
Full Semester:
ED 619 - Gifted Internship
ED 633 - Research
YEAR 2First Five-Week Session:
ED 626 - Creativity
ED 605 - Psychology of Exceptional Children

Graduate in December

One Class at a Time

SUMMERFALLSPRING
YEAR 1First Five-Week Session:
ED 550 - Intro to Gifted

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 650 - Identification of Gifted
First Block:
ED 651 - Curriculum
Full Semester:
ED 633 - Research
YEAR 2First Five-Week Session:
ED 652 - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 653 - Programming and Administration of Gifted
Second Block:
ED 604 - Professional Learning
Full Semester:
ED 619 - Gifted Internship
YEAR 3First Five-Week Session:
ED 626 - Creativity

Second Five-Week Session:
ED 605 - Psychology of Exceptional Children

Graduate in August

Meet the Faculty

Beth Knoot

Beth Knoot
 
A graduate of Truman’s M.A.E. program, Beth Knoot has an M.A.E. in Elementary Education and a B.S. in Psychology from Truman State University. She also has an M.A. in Gifted Education, a Graduate Certificate in Global Awareness and Civic Literacy Education, and a Graduate Certificate in STEM Education from Maryville University in St. Louis. Beth is a National Board Certified Teacher and a National Geographic Certified Teacher and has an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Education from Washington University in St. Louis as well. She is currently a gifted education teacher at Reed Elementary in the Ladue School District in the St. Louis area where she leads FIRST LEGO League and other STEM projects and teaches kids about cool things such as the rainforest and archaeology.

Beth
Robin Lady Crosby

Dr. Robin Lady Crosby
 
Dr. Robin Lady Crosby, NBCT, is a 26+ year educator. She developed and taught two rural K-12 gifted programs in southeast Missouri where she grew up. In 2007, she moved to St. Louis, earned a doctorate at SLU, became a National Board Certified Teacher and Mentor, and started teaching in the Rockwood School District’s Gifted Program, where she has taught middle and high school. She served on the Board of Directors for the Gifted Association of Missouri from 2002-2019, including President and Legislative/Public Issues. From 2011-2018, she served on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Advisory Council for Gifted and Talented, which advises on policy and reports to the State Board of Education. She has taught graduate classes, authored curriculum, white papers, legislation, advocacy platforms and agendas. She has led events at NAGC’s National Affiliates Conference in Washington, D.C., and serves as a speaker and consultant. In 2022, she returned to her home area in southeast Missouri and is now an administrator in the Sikeston School District. Dr. Crosby teaches ED604G Professional Learning and ED550G Intro to Gifted for Truman's Master of Arts in Gifted Education program.

Robin Lady Crosby
Christi Sanderson

Dr. Christi Sanderson
 
Dr. Christi Sanderson, EdD, NBCT, serves as the Director of mySci Partnership and Operations at Washington University's Institute for School Partnership. She brings extensive experience as a classroom teacher, district administrator and leader in differentiated learning, gifted education and curriculum development. Christi has been an assistant principal at the Rockwood School District’s Center for Creative Learning, a gifted educator for over 15 years for both the Rockwood School District and School District of University City, and a 6th grade teacher for five years in the Northwest School District. Christi holds an M.A. in Educational Administration and Doctorate of Education in Teacher Leadership from Maryville University, an M.A. in Gifted Education from Drury University, an M.A. in Teaching from Webster University and B.A. in Science Education from SEMO. She has taught adjunct courses in assessment, gifted education, and curriculum for over five years. Christi has also written and published over fifty curriculum resources for Teacher Created Materials, Shell Publishing, and Pieces of Learning.

Christi Sanderson
Sarah Young

Sarah Young
 
Sarah Young earned her B.A. in elementary education and M.A. in gifted education from Lindenwood University. She earned her Ed. S. in educational leadership with an emphasis in gifted education from Arkansas State University. She worked for nine years in public school as a gifted educator before starting her own business as a gifted education consultant. She is the creator of The Gifted Guide website, and she now helps schools across the U.S. to implement and improve their gifted programming through professional development, curriculum writing, and working virtually with educators and students.

Sarah Young
Holly Kincaid

Dr. Holly Kincaid
 
Dr. Holly Kincaid, Ed.D, is an Assistant Professor of Education at Truman State University. She holds an M.A. in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut with concentrations in Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development. Holly earned her doctorate in Cognitive Diversity in Education from Bridges Graduate School in Studio City, California, specializing in neurodiversity, leadership, and twice-exceptionalities. Prior to earning her doctoral degree, Holly worked as an elementary principal in Montana. She has been active in education for over two decades. Her experience includes roles as a gifted teacher, gifted program coordinator, and high school AP Calculus and English teacher in Montana and Alaska. Creating equitable programming for all gifted and twice-exceptional learners is a strong focus in her work. She is committed to advancing the fields of gifted education and neurodiversity through research and knowledge sharing both at national and international conferences. Her publications have been featured in the 2e News, Parenting for High Potential, and Teaching for High Potential.

Kimberley Chandler
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Admission

Summer 2025 START:

Applications Preferred by May 23

Fall 2025 START:

Applications Preferred by August 15

Spring 2026 START:

Applications Preferred by December 1

Rolling Admission

Admission is made on a rolling basis and treated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Application Requirements

Transcripts
Personal Statement

Estimated Costs

30
credit hours
$322
per credit hour
$9,660
total estimated tuition*

*Total estimated tuition based on 2024-25 academic year. Tuition subject to change.

Financial Aid

Degree-seeking students enrolled in at least six credit hours per semester are eligible for federal financial aid programs. For more information, see Financial Aid Resources for Graduate Studies or contact the Financial Aid Office at (660) 785-4130 or finaid@truman.edu.

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Student

Virtual Visit

Get an inside look at the online learning environment, meet your professors, and get all your questions answered during a virtual visit