Special Education (B.S.Ed.)
Administered by Exceptionality Programs
Effective Fall 2009
General Education Requirements - The University requires a minimum of 50 hours of general education requirements, some of which are specifically required for this major. Core courses designated by the department as applicable to the general education requirements may be elected in partial fulfillment of that requirement. The following general education courses are required for completion of the program:
BIOLOGY.100 Cells, Genes, Molecules
COMMSTUD.103 Public Speaking or COMMSTUD.104 Interpersonal Communication
ENGLISH.101 Foundations of College Writing and ENGLISH.201 Composition II (or any of the writing intensive literature courses)
EXERSCI.321 First Aid and Safety
MATH.141 Introduction to Statistics or PSYCH.160 Basic Statistics
PSYCH.101 General Psychology
PSYCH.210 Life-Span Psychology
SPECED.101 Introduction to Individuals with Exceptionalities
To meet state certification requirements, special education majors must have six credits of mathematics, composition and an American, English or European literature course.
Requirements for the Major - A total of 70 semester hours is required for a major in special education including professional education courses, those required for special education and electives. Fall semester incoming freshmen are required to enroll in the Department of Exceptionality Programs’ University Seminar course (1 cr.).
Professional Education courses include:
Choose one of the following three courses:
PSYCH.251 Psychological Foundations in Education
EDFOUND.251 Psychological Foundations in Education
EDFOUND.393 Social Foundations of Education
EDFOUND.406 Multicultural Education
ELEMED.302 Teaching of Science in the Elementary School or ELEMED.390 Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary School
ELEMED.371 Teaching Reading in the Elementary School
ELEMED.398 Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School
Choose one of the following four courses:
EDFOUND.497 Teaching Literacy and Literature in Diverse Classrooms
ELEMED.373 Diagnostic and Inclusive Practices
SECED.374 Teaching Reading in Academic Subjects
DEAFHH.305 Introduction to Instructional Methods for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (reserved for Deaf/Hard of Hearing area of concentration only).
Special Education Courses include:
SPECED.202 Technology for Exceptionalities
SPECED.206 Introduction to Early Intervention
SPECED.240 Foundations in Special Education
SPECED.340 Educating Individuals with Moderate/Severe Disabilities
SPECED.357 Vocational Programming
SPECED.401 Student Teaching With Exceptional Individuals
SPECED.417 Behavior Intervention and Support
SPECED.433 Language Arts for Students with Special Needs
SPECED.449 Assessment and Planning
SPECED.450 Elementary Methods for Individuals with Mild Disabilities
SPECED.451 Secondary Methods for Individuals with Mild Disabilities
SPECED.461 Problems in Special Education
Elective Courses - A total of five semester hours may be taken as electives for this major.
Area of Concentration in Education of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Special education students may choose to take an area of concentration in education of the deaf/hard of hearing. The undergraduate curriculum in education of the deaf/hard of hearing lays the foundation for the training and education needed to prepare classroom teachers and itinerant hearing therapists to work in educational settings with deaf/hard of hearing children and adults. Students supplement the curriculum for their majors with an area of concentration in education of the deaf/hard of hearing that requires a minimum of 24 semester hours.
Certification to teach deaf/hard of hearing students in school programs is granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education upon completion of a related graduate program.
All applicants to the graduate program in Education of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing must have completed the courses listed below. Students without an education background will need to take five education courses agreed upon by the curriculum coordinator in education of the deaf/hard of hearing.
Required Courses
The following is a suggested time sequence for courses required in the area of concentration of the deaf/hard of hearing.
Freshman Year
DEAFHH.153 Introduction to Sign Language
DEAFHH.201 History, Education and Guidance of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing
SPECED.101 Introduction to Individuals with Exceptionalities
Sophomore Year
ASLTERP.155 American Sign Language I
ASLTERP.226 American Sign Language II
AUDSLP.200 Introduction to Audiology
Junior/Senior Years
DEAFHH.305 Introduction to Instructional Methods for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing
DEAFHH.461 Deaf/Hard of Hearing Based Observation