College of Education > Academics > Counseling & Special Education > Undergraduate > Special Education (BS) > Major Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

Introductory Courses: 22 quarter hours with a grade of C or better required:

Course Title Quarter Hours
SER 300INTRO TO SPECIAL EDUCATION I: EXCEPTIONALITY & LEARNING4
SER 301INTRO TO SPECIAL EDUCATION II - FOUNDATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS4
SER 302INSTRUCTION AND DIFFERENTIATION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION4
SER 310TEACHING MATHEMATICS TO EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS4
SER 311TEACHING MATHEMATICS FIELD EXPERIENCE LAB2
SCU 207SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION4

Advanced Courses: 46 quarter hours required (excluding courses counted as Introductory Courses) with a grade of C or better.

Course Title Quarter Hours
BBE 311FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER EDUCATION4
SCU 336ADOLESCENT AND ADULT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT4
or SCU 337 HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
or TCH 303 CONCEPTIONS OF HEALTHY ADOLESCENCE
SER 303CLASSROOM AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT4
SER 314TEACHING LITERACY TO EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS4
SER 315TEACHING LITERACY FIELD EXPERIENCE LAB2
SER 320COLLABORATION IN SCHOOLS4
SER 321FORMAL ASSESSMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION4
SER 322TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES I: ACADEMICS, LIFE SKILLS, & TRANSITION4
SER 323TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES II: COMMUNICATION & SOCIAL SKILLS4
SER 324PRACTICUM: INCLUSION SETTING2
SER 325TOPICS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION2
SER 327PRACTICUM: SELF-CONTAINED SETTING2
SER 328CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION2
SER 329TEACHING LITERACY IN THE CONTENT AREAS4

Student Teaching: 24 quarter hours required, grade of B- or better required

Registration in student teaching requires completion of all requirements and procedures indicated in the college core section. EDU 95 indicates to the Illinois State Board of Education that all field experience hours are complete. 

Course Title Quarter Hours
SER 383STUDENT TEACHING SEMINAR4
SER 385STUDENT TEACHING IN SPECIAL EDUCATION: ELEMENTARY8
SER 386STUDENT TEACHING IN SPECIAL EDUCATION: SECONDARY12

Open Electives: 20 quarter hours, grade of C or better required.

Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours. The following cannot be used to fulfill an open elective:

Course Title Quarter Hours
WRD 98PREPARATION FOR COLLEGE READING4
MAT 94BASIC ALGEBRA4
MAT 95INTRODUCTORY ALGEBRA4

Licensure Tests

All individuals licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are required to complete licensure tests specific to their teaching license. Special Education majors must complete the following tests:

  • Learning Behavior Specialist I (test #290) – assesses knowledge of the following areas: understanding students with disabilities, assessing students and developing individualized programs, supporting development and learning, working in a collaborative learning community, and foundations and professional practice.
  • EdTPA - assessment conducted during the student teaching experience including video clips of instruction, lesson plans, student work samples, analysis of student learning and reflective commentaries. Students will submit an electronic portfolio to an outside agency for independent evaluation and a fee will be imposed by that agency as part of the assessment.

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