Special Education B.A. – Liberal Arts Emphasis
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Contact: David Stewart, Administrative Assistant III
Location: McKee 29
Telephone: 970.351.1667
Fax: 970.351.1061
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/sped
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
Assigned advisor is available through the Ursa login; ursa.unco.edu; under Student tab Academic Profile channel and is term specific. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Core (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The curriculum consists of recommended Liberal Arts core requirements, courses in professional teacher preparation, courses in special education theory, practice, and pedagogy and courses in Liberal Arts Core content to ensure teachers have the breadth of knowledge needed to be a special education teacher. Strong emphasis is placed on literacy and mathematics in both Liberal Arts Core requirements and content area coursework. Students are required to take technology courses; and the use of technology is incorporated into the special education coursework. The program is organized around nine themes including individual differences (disabilities, culture, and language), interpersonal/collaborative skills, direct instruction, legal responsibilities/processes, organizational/systemic process behavioral management knowledge and access of resources, inquiry skills, and implementation of special educator roles. Topics emphasized within these themes include typical developmental learning, general assessment concepts, foundational characteristics of disabilities, service delivery models, and technology.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
Degree Requirements
1. Required Specified LAC — 18-19 credits
LAC area 2 — Mathematics
| MATH 181 | Fundamentals of Mathematics I: Number and Operations | 3 |
| MATH 182 | Fundamental Mathematics II: Algebra, Probability and Data Analysis | 3 |
LAC area 4 — History
Choose one of the following courses:
| HIST 100 | Survey of American History from Its Beginnings to 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 101 | Survey of American History from 1877 to the Present | 3 |
LAC area 5 — Social and Behavioral Sciences
Choose one 3-credit course with one of the following prefixes (see list of courses in Area 5):
ECON (Economics) [5a]
GEOG (Geography) [5b]
PSCI (Political Science) [5a]
LAC area 5.c. — Human Behavior and Social Systems
| PSY 230 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
LAC area 6 — Physical and Life Sciences
Choose one of the following courses:
| BIO 265 | Life Science Concepts | 3 |
| ESCI 265 | Earth Science Concepts for Elementary Teachers | 3 |
| SCI 265 | Physical Science Concepts | 4 |
Remaining LAC — 21-22 credits
See “Liberal Arts Core”.
2. Required Major — 62-65 credits
Take all of the following courses:
| EDFE 110 | Application for Initial Admission to PTEP | 0 |
| EDSE 201 | Culture of Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 203 | The Individualized Education Program and the Collaborative Process | 3 |
| EDSE 320 | Assessment in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 321 | Advanced Assessment in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 322 | K-12 Methods in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 325 | Behavioral Dimensions of Students with Exceptionalities I | 3 |
| EDSE 326 | Behavioral Dimensions of Students with Exceptionalities II | 3 |
| EDSE 327 | Methods for Teaching Mathematics: Students with Special Needs | 3 |
| EDSE 328 | Field Experience in Special Education: Elementary | 3 |
| EDSE 329 | Field Experience in Special Education: Secondary | 3 |
| EDSE 442 | Language and Literacy for Students with Severe Delays | 3 |
| EDSE 443 | Support Systems in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 460 | Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| ASLS 266 | Normal Speech and Language Development | 3 |
| ASLS 365 | Language Disorders in Children | 3 |
| EDRD 410 | Achieving Effective Instruction in Developmental Reading | 3 |
| EDRD 411 | Elementary Reading Diagnosis and Individualization | 3 |
| MATH 283 | Fundamental Mathematics III: Geometry and Measurement | 3 |
Choose one of the following courses:
Foreign Language
Choose one of the following courses:
| ASL 101 | American Sign Language I | 3 |
| | Any Foreign Language Course | 3-5 |
Choose one of the following courses:
| EED 341 | Methods for Teaching Composition in Secondary Schools | 3 |
| EED 342 | Methods and Materials for Teaching Language and Composition in the Elementary School | 3 |
3. University-Wide Credits — 15-18 Credits
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree that will typically be 15-18 credits.