Program Overview
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Location: McKee 126, Dean's Office
Telephone: 970-351-2691
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/special-education/
Contact: Center for Urban Education
Location: 1059 Alton Way #758, Denver, CO 80230
Telephone: 303-637-4334
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/urban-education/
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) Credits
*For Educator licensure majors, PTEP coursework counts towards the minimum of nine upper-division UNC credits (300-400).
Program Description:
The curriculum consists of recommended Liberal Arts Curriculum requirements, courses in professional teacher preparation, courses in special education theory, practice, and pedagogy and courses in Liberal Arts Curriculum 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 Curriculum 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 processes, behavioral management, knowledge and access of resources, inquiry skills, and implementation of special educator roles. Topics emphasized within these themes include normal developmental learning, general assessment concepts, foundational characteristics of disabilities, service delivery models, and technology.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
PTEP Program Requirements:
Teacher candidates who complete an approved content degree and the UNC professional teacher education program, as well as pass the appropriate Colorado Department of Education designated PRAXIS exam (if applicable), will be eligible for recommendation from UNC for a Colorado Department of Education teaching license.
If you are seeking licensure in your program area, the following items are required to complete your program.
- Completion of Application for Initial Admission to PTEP – referred to as Checkpoint #1 (Enrollment in this checkpoint will result in a one-time program fee, assessed to student accounts to pay for assessment software. This checkpoint will also require an out-of-pocket payment - to the chosen approved vendor - to obtain a fingerprint background check, which is required by the Colorado Department of Education.)
- Completion of Full Admission to PTEP – referred to as Checkpoint #2
- Completion of Application for Student Teaching – referred to as Checkpoint #3
- Completion of content specific PRAXIS test prior to Student Teaching
- Completion of state required Special Education Praxis. See your advisor for specific test information.
- Completion of state required Elementary Math Praxis. See your advisor for specific test information.
- Completion of state required Elementary Social Studies Praxis. See your advisor for specific test information.
- Completion of state required Elementary Science Praxis. See your advisor for specific test information.
- Completion of state required Teaching Reading Praxis. See your advisor for specific test information.
- Candidates may not take extra courses with Student Teaching without prior approval from the Program Coordinator and the STE Director.
- All PTEP Field Experiences and methods courses need to be successfully completed prior to Student Teaching.
- Student Teaching outside the supervision of UNC Faculty may or may not be approved.
- Teacher Candidates will not be placed in a school where they were once students or where they have a close relative attending and/or working.
- Teacher education and educator preparation licensure programs do not accept Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) or field based courses that are more than ten years old. PLEASE NOTE: Teacher Candidates have the right to petition this policy at the discretion of the program coordinator.
Please work with your content advisor to determine when these requirements will be completed throughout your program.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that will also count toward the required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
MATH 181 and MATH 182 are recommended to fulfill the Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
An Art & Humanities course with an IS designation and an Arts & Humanities course with an MS designation are recommended to fulfill the LAC requirement.
One of the following is recommended to fulfill your Social and Behavioral Sciences Course: GEOG 100 or GEOG 110 or PSCI 100 or ECON 203 or ECON 205 and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
HIST 100 or HIST 101 is recommended to fulfill History requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
SCI 265 and SCI 266 are recommended to fulfill the Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 76 credits
| CSD 266 | Normal Speech and Language Development | 3 |
| CSD 365 | Language Disorders in Children | 3 |
| EDEL 360 | Teaching Foundational Reading Skills | 3 |
| 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 411 | Assessments to Support the Struggling Reader | 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 |
| EED 342 | Methods and Materials for Teaching Language and Composition in the Elementary School | 3 |
| | |
| GEOG 100 | World GeographyLAB2LAIS | 3 |
| or | |
| GEOG 110 | Geography of the United States and CanadaLAB2 | 3 |
| or | |
| PSCI 100 | United States National GovernmentLAB1 | 3 |
| or | |
| ECON 203 | Principles of MacroeconomicsLAB1 | 3 |
| or | |
| ECON 205 | Principles of MicroeconomicsLAB1 | 3 |
| | |
| HIST 100 | Survey of American History from Its Beginnings to 1877LAH1 | 3 |
| or | |
| HIST 101 | Survey of American History from 1877 to the PresentLAH1 | 3 |
| | |
| MATH 181 | Fundamentals of Mathematics I: Number and OperationsLAX1 | 3 |
| MATH 182 | Fundamental Mathematics II: Algebra, Probability and Data AnalysisLAX1 | 3 |
| MATH 283 | Fundamental Mathematics III: Geometry and Measurement | 3 |
| SCI 265 | Physical Science ConceptsLAS1LASL | 3 |
| SCI 266 | Earth and Life ScienceLAS1LASL | 4 |
Required PTEP (Main Campus) — 24 credits
In addition to your course work, you will also be responsible for Passing the relevant PRAXIS exams and completing the following applications: Initial PTEP Application, Full Admission to PTEP Application and Student Teaching Application. Students must have a 3.0 prior to student teaching.
| EDSE 270 | Field-Based Experience | 3 |
| | |
| PSY 347 | Educational Psychology for Elementary Teachers | 3 |
| or | |
| PSY 349 | Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers | 3 |
| | |
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| | |
| ET 240 | Integration of Technology into Content and Pedagogy | 3 |
| or | |
| ET 449 | Integrating Technologies into Secondary Education Pedagogy | 3 |
| | |
| EDSE 444 | Student Teaching in Special Education | 1-15 |
| Application for Initial Admission to PTEP | |
| Application for Full Admission to PTEP | |
| Pass PRAXIS Test | |
| Application for Student Teaching | |
In addition, EDSE 444 must be taken for 12 credits.
Required PTEP (Center for Urban Education) — 22 credits
The Center for Urban Education offers the full comprehensive four-year Special Education BA Program.
All other courses listed in the areas of LAC and Major Credits apply to Center for Urban Education students.
| EDSE 170 | Introduction to Field Based Experience | 1-3 |
| EDSE 370 | Advanced Field-Based Experience | 1-3 |
| EDSE 371 | Action Research Project | 1 |
| EDSE 444 | Student Teaching in Special Education | 1-15 |
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| ET 240 | Integration of Technology into Content and Pedagogy | 3 |
| PSY 347 | Educational Psychology for Elementary Teachers | 3 |
| Application for Full Admission to PTEP | |
| Application for Initial Admission to PTEP | |
| Pass PRAXIS Test | |
| Application for Student Teaching | |
EDSE 170: Must be taken for 3 credits: Take for 3 semesters, 1 credit each semester.
EDSE 370: Must be taken for 3 credits: Take for 3 semesters, 1 credit each semester.
EDSE 444: Must be taken for 6 credits.
In addition to your course work, you will also be responsible for Passing the relevant PRAXIS exams and completing the following applications: Initial PTEP Application, Full Admission to PTEP Application and Student Teaching Application. Students must have a 3.0 prior to student teaching.
3. University-Wide Credits — 0 credits*
*Note: Students must apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum requirements and the major requirements to complete this degree program in 120 credit hours. Students may have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree depending on the number of credits applied to both the LAC and the major. See your advisor for details.
Program Notes:
All courses must be successfully completed prior to enrolling in EDSE 444. Prior to Student Teaching, candidates must pass both an Elementary Content and the Special Education Generalist PRAXIS test.
First semester transfer students’ GPA will be reviewed at the end of the first semester on campus. Student must have a 3.0 GPA to enroll in EDSE 444.
Teacher education and educator preparation licensure programs do not accept Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) or field based courses that are more than ten years old. PLEASE NOTE: Teacher Candidates have the right to petition this policy at the discretion of the program coordinator.
Special Education majors do not take ECLD 340, EDSE 433, and EDFE 444; required major courses will meet these requirements (EDSE 201, EDEL 360 and EDSE 444).
This major allows K-12 special education teachers to learn and apply the roles and responsibilities they must perform on a daily basis:
- Assess and identify students with disabilities;
- Plan an Individualized Education program in collaboration with other professionals and parents under the rules and regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Colorado Exceptional Children Education Act;
- Provide direct individualized instruction and interventions in learning and behavior to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities; provide support to students with disabilities in the Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) through consultation and collaboration with Liberal Arts Curriculum teachers; and provide adaptations and support systems in collaboration and consultation with LAC teachers; thereby providing an advantage to the student attaining this degree over those preparing to teach with a Liberal Arts Degree.
Four Year Plan
This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.
Year 1 – 30-32 credits
Fall Semester
| EDSE 201 | Culture of Special Education | 3 |
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1 | 3 |
| MATH 181 | Fundamentals of Mathematics I: Number and OperationsLAX1 | 3 |
| | Main Campus students take the following: | |
| | |
| GEOG 100 | World GeographyLAB2LAIS | 3 |
| or | |
| GEOG 110 | Geography of the United States and CanadaLAB2 | 3 |
| or | |
| PSCI 100 | United States National GovernmentLAB1 | 3 |
| | |
| UNIV 101 | Foundations for Learning and DevelopmentLAB3 | 3 |
| or | |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | |
| Application for Initial Admission to PTEP | |
| | Center for Urban Education students take the following: | |
| EDSE 170 | Introduction to Field Based Experience | 1-3 |
| GEOG 100 | World GeographyLAB2LAIS | 3 |
| HIST 100 | Survey of American History from Its Beginnings to 1877LAH1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15-16 |
LAC Requirement: Choose an International Studies (IS) course.
EDSE 170 (CUE): Take 1 credit
Main Campus: Take 15 credits total
Center for Urban Education: Take 16 credits total
Spring Semester
| ENG 123 | Writing and Research MethodsLAW2 | 3 |
| or | |
| ENG 225 | Research Writing for Contemporary CultureLAW2 | 3 |
| | |
| MATH 182 | Fundamental Mathematics II: Algebra, Probability and Data AnalysisLAX1 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| SCI 265 | Physical Science ConceptsLAS1LASL | 3 |
| | Center for Urban Education students take the following: | |
| EDSE 170 | Introduction to Field Based Experience | 1-3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15-16 |
LAC Requirement: Choose a U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) course.
EDSE 170 (CUE): Take 1 credit
Main Campus: Take 15 credits total
Center for Urban Education: Take 16 credits total
Year 2 – 31-33 credits
Fall Semester
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| CSD 266 | Normal Speech and Language Development | 3 |
| MATH 283 | Fundamental Mathematics III: Geometry and Measurement | 3 |
| SCI 266 | Earth and Life ScienceLAS1LASL | 4 |
| | Main Campus students take the following: | |
| HIST 100 | Survey of American History from Its Beginnings to 1877LAH1 | 3 |
| or | |
| HIST 101 | Survey of American History from 1877 to the PresentLAH1 | 3 |
| Pass PRAXIS Test | |
| | Center for Urban Education students take the following: | |
| EDSE 170 | Introduction to Field Based Experience | 1-3 |
| Application for Initial Admission to PTEP | |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16-17 |
LAC Requirement: Choose a International Studies (IS)
EDSE 170 (CUE): Take 1 credit
Main Campus: Take 16 credits total
Center for Urban Education: Take 17 credits total
Spring Semester
| CSD 365 | Language Disorders in Children | 3 |
| EDSE 320 | Assessment in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 411 | Assessments to Support the Struggling Reader | 3 |
| | Main Campus students take the following: | |
| EDSE 270 | Field-Based Experience | 3 |
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| Application for Full Admission to PTEP | |
| | Center for Urban Education students take the following: | |
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| EDEL 360 | Teaching Foundational Reading Skills | 3 |
| EDSE 370 | Advanced Field-Based Experience | 1-3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15-16 |
EDSE 370 (CUE): Take 1 credit
Main Campus: Take 15 credits total
Center for Urban Education: Take 16 credits total
Year 3 – 31-34 credits
Fall Semester
| EED 342 | Methods and Materials for Teaching Language and Composition in the Elementary School | 3 |
| EDSE 325 | Behavioral Dimensions of Students with Exceptionalities I | 3 |
| | Main Campus students take the following: | |
| EDEL 360 | Teaching Foundational Reading Skills | 3 |
| | |
| ET 240 | Integration of Technology into Content and Pedagogy | 3 |
| or | |
| ET 449 | Integrating Technologies into Secondary Education Pedagogy | 3 |
| | |
| PSY 347 | Educational Psychology for Elementary Teachers | 3 |
| or | |
| PSY 349 | Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers | 3 |
| | |
| | University-Wide Elective | 1-3 |
| | Center for Urban Education students take the following: | |
| EDSE 370 | Advanced Field-Based Experience | 1-3 |
| ET 240 | Integration of Technology into Content and Pedagogy | 3 |
| PSY 347 | Educational Psychology for Elementary Teachers | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 4 |
| Application for Full Admission to PTEP | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16-18 |
EDSE 370 (CUE): Take 1 credit
Main Campus: Take 16-18 credits total
Center for Urban Education: Take 17 credits total
Spring Semester
| EDSE 203 | The Individualized Education Program and the Collaborative Process | 3 |
| EDSE 322 | K-12 Methods in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 327 | Methods for Teaching Mathematics: Students with Special Needs | 3 |
| EDSE 328 | Field Experience in Special Education: Elementary | 3 |
| EDSE 442 | Language and Literacy for Students with Severe Delays | 3 |
| | Main Campus students take the following: | |
| Pass PRAXIS Test | |
| | Center for Urban Education students take the following: | |
| EDSE 370 | Advanced Field-Based Experience | 1-3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15-16 |
Year 4 – 22-27 credits
Fall Semester
| EDSE 321 | Advanced Assessment in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 326 | Behavioral Dimensions of Students with Exceptionalities II | 3 |
| EDSE 329 | Field Experience in Special Education: Secondary | 3 |
| EDSE 443 | Support Systems in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 460 | Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| Application for Student Teaching | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| EDSE 444 | Student Teaching in Special Education | 1-15 |
| | Center for Urban Education students take the following: | |
| EDSE 371 | Action Research Project | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 7-12 |
Main Campus: Take 12 credits of EDSE 444. To enroll in EDSE 444 must have 3.0 GPA and passed all PRAXIS tests.
Center for Urban Education: Take 6 credits of EDSE 444; EDSE 371: Take 1 credit - Take 7 credits total