Special Education for Teachers (LBS1)

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Program Description   

The Special Education degree and Certification is designed to prepare currently certified and experienced teachers to become special educators  It provides candidates with a well-rounded but in-depth understanding of issues and strategies for teaching students with a wide variety of disabilities in an urban environment in both elementary and secondary settings with students ranging in age from five to twenty-one. 

Distinctive DePaul Features

The Special Educaiton Program

  • Emphasizes collaborative relationships with parents, community, and educators
  • Prepares candidates to be leaders as schools address the mandated Response to Intervention (RTI)
  • Offers endorsement, certification, and degree options
  • Offers clinial experiences during the summer

Roles of Special Educators

Special Educators or Learning and Behavior Specialists (LBS1) is the desired credentials if you intend to become a special educator to work with students students who have:

  • Learning Disabilities
  • Social/Emotional Disabilities
  • Mental Retardation
  • Physical Disabilities
  • Autism
  • Traumatic brain injuries

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State Tests

To obtain the Type 10 Certificate from the State of Illinois, students must pass

  • Behavior Specialist 1  (LBS1) test
  • General Curriculum for Special Educators
  • the K-12 version of the APT test. (unless you have fulfilled it already)

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Practicum Experience

There are two separate practicum experiences that provide intensive supervised field work. The first practicum involves students with high-incidence disabilities and the second involves students who have low-incidence disabilities. (These full-time, 6 week practicums are offered during the summer only)

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Degree Requirements

Masters of Education-M.Ed.   requires 11 courses plus two summer field based practicums(52 quarter hours)

Masters of Arts-M.A  requires 12 courses including a masters thesis, plus two summer field based practicums (56 quarter hours)

Prerequisites (additional coursework may be required)

Since special education teachers are expected to teach varied subject matter from grades K-12 and help students meet Illinois learning standards in all subjects, applicants must have a solid foundation in the general education areas of literature, mathematics, sciences and social science. 

College coursework in literature
College coursework in mathematics
College coursework in science
College coursework in social science

 For more detailed degree requirements click here

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Admission Requirements

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