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Nov 23, 2024
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2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Special Education Major, B.A.
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About the Program
The Special Education Major is a course of study that will prepare candidates to meet the educational needs of children and adolescents with mild to severe disabilities. The curriculum incorporates the current approved statewide standards for teachers in Colorado/Special Education Generalist, the Teacher Quality Standards, and the current Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) International Standards for the Preparation and Certification of Special Education Teachers. In addition to the special education core, all special education majors must complete a General Studies program as well as courses in elementary and secondary education. The program’s clinical foundation provides teacher candidates authentic opportunities to learn and apply best practices in a variety of classrooms for students with disabilities from kindergarten through high school.
Teacher candidates graduate with appropriate preparation for special education generalist licensure K-12.
The Generalist licensure exam must be passed prior to state licensure.
Student Outcomes
The special education curriculum is organized into sequences of course work that provide candidates with guidance in program planning. They are comprised of course clusters that candidates may take in any order; however, it is suggested that students completed all courses in a sequence before moving on to the next sequence when possible. Students are highly encouraged to meet with a faculty advisor to discuss their class schedule.
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General Degree Requirements
To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the four areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.
Program Requirements
- A total of 125 semester hours are required for graduation.
- A grade of “C-” or better is required for each course in this program to count toward the bachelor’s degree. Students should note that programs differ in the minimum grade required.
General Studies Requirements: 33 credits
Students should consult the General Studies Requirements for a list of courses that fulfill the General Studies Requirements for degree completion.
- Written Communication (6 credits)
- Oral Communication (3 credits)
- Quantitative Literacy (3 credits)
- Arts and Humanities (6 credits)
- Historical (3 credits)
- Natural and Physical Sciences (6 credits)
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)
- Global Diversity (0 or 3 credits**)
** Students will fulfill the global diversity requirement by taking an approved course within one of the following categories: arts and humanities; historical; natural and physical sciences; or social and behavioral sciences.
Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Requirement: 0 or 3 credits
- Students should consult the Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Graduation Requirement for a list of courses that fulfill the ESSJ Requirement for degree completion.
- Many programs include courses that meet this requirement. Students should consult with their advisor to determine what program courses may fulfill this requirement.
Special Education Major Content Course Requirements: 15 credits
All special education majors must complete the following Content Course Requirements. These courses prepare candidates to pass the elementary content exam required of all special education candidates prior to recommendation for licensure. Most of these courses will also satisfy the general studies requirements noted in the General Studies section above.
Note: Up to 12 credits from this section may be counted toward the credit total for General Studies.
Special Education Major Core:
The special education curriculum is organized into sequences of course work that provide candidates with guidance in program planning. They are comprised of course clusters that candidates may take in any order; however, it is suggested that students completed all courses in a sequence before moving on to the next sequence when possible. Students are highly encouraged to meet with a faculty advisor to discuss their class schedule.
Sequence I Courses: 18 credits
Sequence II Courses: 16 credits
Sequence III Courses: 17 credits
Sequence IV Course: 14 credits
Sequence V Courses: 12 credits
Senior Experience: 12 credits
Sequence VI Courses (Student Teaching)
Candidates must take 12 credits of student teaching, which may include either 12 credit hours of Special Education student teaching or 6 hours of Special Education and 6 hours of Elementary. Students who simultaneously complete the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Education endorsement will take 6 hours of special education and 6 hours of CLD student teaching. Students must consult with their advisor to identify the appropriate courses.
Summary of Requirements
| General Studies Requirements |
33 credits |
| ESSJ Requirement |
0-3 credits |
| Content Course Requirements |
15 credits |
| Major Course Requirements (Sequence I-V) |
77 credits |
| Senior Experience |
12 credits |
| Total for the Special Education Major, B.A. |
125 credits |
Required courses for the major may also count for General Studies and ESSJ requirements, so the total credits listed may be greater than the number required to complete the degree. Therefore, it is important that you work with your advisor to make sure you are meeting requirements for your degree.
Up to 12 of the 33 General Studies credits in this program may be fulfilled through requirements for the degree.
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