Online Master of Arts in Gifted Education
Truman’s M.A. in Gifted Education equips working educators to identify giftedness more accurately, support students’ social and emotional needs, and build programming that actually fits your school’s reality.
Built for working teachers, this program is 100% online, asynchronous, and designed to translate directly into your classroom and district work. This program helps you respond with the right tools—so students are challenged appropriately, supported emotionally, and served equitably.
By the end of the program, you’ll be prepared to:
- Identify giftedness using better screening/recognition practices (including students who are often missed)
- Support twice-exceptional learners and students with uneven profiles
- Build instruction that provides depth, complexity, and meaningful challenge
- Strengthen social-emotional supports for gifted learners
- Help your school/district improve programming, services, and consistency
- Communicate clearly with families, teachers, and administrators to move plans forward
100% Asynchronous Online
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?
- Practical for real schools: Built around what educators face now—limited resources, mixed classrooms, and uneven identification.
- Directly usable learning: Projects and assignments can connect to your classroom, building, or district needs.
- Flexible by design: 100% online and asynchronous so you can keep teaching while you earn your degree.
- Faculty + practitioner perspective: Learn from people who understand both research and the day-to-day reality of schools.
Career Paths
- Gifted education specialist/coordinator (role varies by district)
- Teacher leader for advanced learning and differentiation
- Curriculum/program support for advanced learners
- District-level support for identification practices and service models
- Strong preparation for educators who want to become the “go-to” person for gifted programming and student needs
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
| FALL | SPRING | SUMMER | |
| YEAR 1 | First Block: ED 550G - Intro to Gifted Second Block: ED 604G - Professional Learning | First Block: ED 626G - Creativity Second Block: ED 652G- Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted | First Five-Week Session: ED 605G - Psychology of Exceptional Children ED 653G - Programming and Administration Second Five-Week Session: ED 650G - Identification of Gifted |
| YEAR 2 | First Block or Full Semester: ED 651G - Curriculum | Full Semester: ED 633G - Research ED 619G - Internship/Practicum Graduate in May |
One Class at a Time
| FALL | SPRING | SUMMER | |
| YEAR 1 | First Block: ED 550G - Intro to Gifted Second Block: ED 604G - Professional Learning | Full Semester: ED 652G - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted | First Five-Week Session: ED 653G - Programming and Administration |
| YEAR 2 | First Block or Full Semester: ED 651G - Curriculum | Full Semester: ED 626G - Creativity | First Five-Week Session: ED 605G - Psychology of Exceptional Children Second Five-Week Session: ED 650G - Identification of Gifted |
| YEAR 3 | Full Semester: ED 633G - Research | Full Semester: ED 619G - Internship/Practicum Graduate in May |
Accelerated Plan
| FALL | SPRING | SUMMER | |
| YEAR 1 | First Block: ED 550G - Intro to Gifted Second Block: ED 652G - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted | First Five-Week Session: ED 626G - Creativity ED 653G - Programming and Administration Second Five-Week Session: ED 650G - Identification of Gifted ED 605G - Psychology of Exceptional Children |
|
| YEAR 2 | First Block: ED 651G - Curriculum Second Block: ED 604G - Professional Learning | Full Semester: ED 619G - Internship/Practicum ED 633G - Research Graduate in May |
One Class at a Time
| FALL | SPRING | SUMMER | |
| YEAR 1 | First Block: ED 550G - Intro to Gifted Second Block: ED 652G - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted | First Five-Week Session: ED 626G - Creativity Second Five-Week Session: ED 653G - Programming and Administration |
|
| YEAR 2 | First Block: ED 651G - Curriculum Second Block: ED 604G - Professional Learning | Full Semester: ED 633G - Research | First Five-Week Session: ED 605G - Psychology of Exceptional Children Second Five-Week Session: ED 650G - Identification of Gifted |
| YEAR 3 | Full Semester: ED 619G - Internship/Practicum Graduate in December |
Accelerated Plan
| FALL | SPRING | SUMMER | |
| YEAR 1 | First Five-Week Session: ED 550G - Intro to Gifted ED 652G - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted Second Five-Week Session: ED 650G - Identification of Gifted ED 653G - Programming and Administration of Gifted |
||
| YEAR 2 | First Block: ED 651G - Curriculum Second Block: ED 604G - Professional Learning | Full Semester: ED 619G - Gifted Internship ED 633G - Research | |
| YEAR 3 | Graduate in December | First Five-Week Session: ED 626G - Creativity ED 605G - Psychology of Exceptional Children |
|
One Class at a Time
| FALL | SPRING | SUMMER | |
| YEAR 1 | First Five-Week Session: ED 550G - Intro to Gifted Second Five-Week Session: ED 653G - Programming and Administration of Gifted |
||
| YEAR 2 | First Block: ED 651G - Curriculum Second Block: ED 604G - Professional Learning | First Block: ED 626G: Creativity Second Block: ED 652G - Meeting the Affective Needs of Gifted | First Five-Week Session: ED 605G - Psychology of Exceptional Children Second Five-Week Session: ED650G - Identification of Gifted |
| YEAR 3 | Full Semester: ED 633G - Research | Full Semester: ED 619G - Gifted Internship Graduate in May |
Meet the Faculty
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.
Admission
Summer 2026 START:
Applications Preferred by May 23
Fall 2026 START:
Applications Preferred by August 15
Spring 2027 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
Estimated Costs
*Total estimated tuition based on 2026-27 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.
Schedule a Virtual Visit
Virtual Visit
Get an inside look at the online learning environment, meet your professors, and get all your questions answered during a virtual visit