Online graduate autism certificate
Convenient & efficient
Finish in less than one year without interrupting your work and life.
Learn from the best
Industry-leading faculty with extensive clinical and practical experience.
A top-ranked school
Ranked the No. 2 Best Online Master's in Special Education Program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.1
—Dr. Stephen Shore2
Lead with confidence and compassion.
Children with autism aren’t defined by their diagnosis; in fact, many are empowered by it. As the number of students diagnosed with autism continues to grow, teachers, families and support personnel must be ready and able to meet their various needs and create inclusive, supportive environments for them to thrive.
The online graduate autism certificate at the University of Kansas is a focused and direct counterpart to our online master’s in autism. The distilled coursework, tactical lesson plans, and shorter program length will give you a solid foundation of knowledge to use with children in your everyday life and work. With detailed, persona-based case studies from the prestigious KU School of Education and Human Sciences, you’ll be able to dig deeper into the nuances of autism and humanize the learning experience from beginning to end.
Today's lesson is tomorrow's breakthrough.
Autism can be complex, and there isn’t a “right” way to approach it. Guided by our expert faculty with deep experience in the space, we tailored the content for the online autism graduate certificate so that you can immediately implement your coursework into productive and meaningful interactions as you see fit.
The autism certificate is designed to help you:
- Assess and support autistic children and youth
- Implement and evaluate evidence-based interventions and support strategies, enabling them to work more effectively with autistic children and youth Connect assessment results to instruction
- Report assessment results in a way that is both technically accurate and transparent to laypeople and other school-based professionals
Earn your autism spectrum disorder certificate online in as few as eight months.
The graduate certificate is a less intensive complement to the online master’s degree in autism. Aside from requiring less time and money, a graduate certificate also focuses more on execution and tactical solutions versus big picture learnings.
This program can benefit:
- School administrators
- General and special educators
- Individuals with a personal connection to autism
- Interventionists
- Behavior analysts
- Psychologists
- Family members affected by autism
- Physical and occupational therapists
The online student experience
Students enrolled in the graduate autism certificate program, Meagan David and Lindsey Stewart, met during their first term at the School of Education and Human Sciences. Together, they shared the connections, collaboration, and life-enriching friendships that grew from their online experience at KU.
Important dates
Online autism graduate certificate
Program details
- 5 courses, 8 weeks per course, 15 credit hours
- As few as 8 to 10 months to completion
- Complete your coursework anytime, anywhere through our innovative online format
- Apply with no GRE requirement for admission
- An observational field experience is required
What you'll learn
All autism certificate online students will complete core coursework that gives them a full understanding of autism as well as methods to work with and teach students with autism.
This program also includes a field experience course, designed to provide an opportunity to observe services provided to various autistic children and youth.
For more detailed information on the topics covered in this program, view the course listings.
Career outcomes
Graduates of the autism graduate certificate online program can apply their knowledge in a number of different roles. Many of our students are special education teachers, or autism or behavior specialists at the local or state level. Outside of education, students may utilize this knowledge working for applied behavior analysis clinics, or in occupational therapy, speech pathology, or music/art therapy.
*This online graduate certificate does not lead to initial nor advanced licensure in special education.
Note: In order to enroll in this program, a bachelor's degree is required.
Flexible pathways for your future
Your educational journey can evolve, and that's why earning the autism certificate allows you to study the same core curriculum as KU’s autism master’s program. Seamlessly transition to the master’s program if you decide to deepen your expertise after completing your certificate.
Online graduate autism certificate: Course descriptions
The online autism certificate teaches learning professionals how to effectively work with students across the spectrum. Read this page to learn more about the topics and courses available to those getting their autism graduate certificate at KU. Unless otherwise noted, all courses listed are worth 3 credits.
Please note: Course list and sequence are subject to change.
SPED 760 - INTRODUCTION TO AUTISM
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SPED 785 - APPLICATION OF ASSESSMENT INFORMATION FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN & YOUTH: AUTISM
SPED 790 - METHODS FOR LEARNERS WITH HIGHER-FUNCTIONING AUTISM
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SPED 860 - EDUCATION OF CHILDREN & YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES: AUTISM
SPED 772 - OBSERVATION AND PARTICIPATION WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH AUTISM
Content & resources
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Tuition information
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- Retrieved on March 17, 2025, from usnews.com/education/online-education/university-of-kansas-155317/rankings
- Retrieved on April 29, 2022, from autismspeaks.org/blog/autism-one-word-attempting-describe-millions-different-stories