Colleges with Special Education Majors
Having access to quality education and inspiring educators is a crucial building block for a successful and happy life. People who are good at teaching and making connections with their students inspire them to value education in itself. They encourage children to identify the academic areas in which they excel and to work on improving those in which they struggle.
Teachers of students with special needs have an especially challenging set of responsibilities. Special education teachers work closely with a typically smaller group of students. They modify their practices to accommodate the various requirements of children who have physical and learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, social challenges, and a variety of other conditions.
The development and provision of educational opportunities for students with varying levels of ability is the primary focus of the special education major. Students who choose to major in this field will learn how to assist students with special needs in developing into the best and most powerful versions of themselves.
What is a Special Education degree?
Earning a bachelor’s degree in special education will prepare you for a career in which you will work in a classroom setting, typically instructing students with special needs and developing educational plans for them.
As a result of this, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in special education will equip you with skills in the areas of lesson planning, behavior management, and the writing of documents such as IEPs (individualized educational plans).
You will also attend classes that will instruct you on how to put Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) into action and how to collaborate with various other stakeholders, such as parents, principals, and other educators.
It takes about four years to earn a degree in special education on average, but you might be able to finish your classes in less time if you work at a faster pace than the average student does.
Training in the tools and technologies necessary to become a teacher of special education as well as training in assistive technology for students with physical disabilities will be provided to you during this time.
It is highly likely that you will be required to finish a student teaching program as well as pass a background check before you are allowed to graduate and enter the workforce.
Overview of the Special Education Major
Although the requirements for colleges with special education majors can vary from school to school, it is safe to say that students who choose this concentration will be exposed to the following core ideas:
- Mild, Moderate, and Severe Disabilities
- Assistive Technology
- Behavior Management
- Human Learning and Development
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
Students who do well in school care deeply about educational equity and are eager to lend a helping hand to their peers who struggle in this area. They should be patient and attentive because it is possible that they will eventually be working directly with students who have special needs.
Teachers need to be flexible in order to meet the requirements of their students with special needs, who all learn in their own unique ways and at their own individual rates. Because you will be the adult around these children, it will be your responsibility to maintain your composure and be kind to them even when they are upset.
Those who are successful in the field of education are adaptable, and they have a high threshold for both stress and unexpected events. They are flexible and willing to deal with chaos as well as copious amounts of paperwork.
Students who major in special education have a great deal of job security because their skills are in such high demand. Many of the nation’s most prestigious educational institutions, such as the University of Wisconsin–Madison, boast employment rates of close to one hundred percent for recent graduates. In addition, the typical salary of a teacher in general education is significantly lower than the salary of a teacher in special education.
What are the career options for special education majors?
Even though teaching is a common career choice for students from colleges with special education majors, it is by no means the only option. A significant number of graduates go on to work in the fields of interpreting, translation, and even special education teaching.
If you have an interest in directing or advocating for causes, here are the career options for special education majors that might be ideal for you:
- Nonprofit Director
- Program Director
- Board of Education Chairman
- Mental Health Facility Worker
- Speech Pathologist
- Lobbyist
Do not worry too much if you are aware that you have an interest in special education but are unsure of the particulars of what it is that you would like to do in this field. To our good fortune, special education is a relatively broad field, and the time spent in college is an excellent opportunity to figure out your capabilities, interests, and top priorities.
What to search for in colleges with special education majors?
When you search for the right school for you, it is important that you take note of the following considerations so that you can choose the best among the colleges with special education majors.
Opportunities for experience
Being successful at your job is an entirely different challenge than being successful in a classroom setting. Even though having access to quality educational resources will prove to be an invaluable asset, you should still look into opportunities in the real world to supplement the knowledge you’ve gained in the classroom.
Investigate the internship programs and opportunities offered by the schools that you are considering attending. Field experience is typically required of applicants to special education degree programs.
Professors with years of experience
You will, of course, require professors who are able to communicate knowledge that goes beyond the theoretical level. Investigate your potential future mentors’ educational histories to determine whether or not they have experience in the fields of study that most pique your interest.
This will be of particular benefit to you if it is likely that you will be instructed by these actual tenured professionals, as opposed to TAs, and if the class sizes are small enough that it is likely that closer relationships between professors and students will be possible.
You can learn some useful information from seasoned professionals if you enroll in the appropriate classes and probe them with the appropriate queries.
Inclusivity
Students with special needs have always come from a wide variety of walks of life, and the field of education is constantly evolving to accommodate their diverse experiences. Is this also happening at your university?
Be sure that attaining cultural and linguistic fluency is either a primary focus of your undergraduate education or at the very least one of its components. This is of the utmost significance if you are considering working for a nonprofit organization or providing assistance to underprivileged communities.
What are the colleges with special education majors?
Here’s the list of the colleges with special education majors that you can choose from.
- Merrimack College
- Fitchburg State University
- Seton Hall University
- Northern Arizona University | NAU
- University of North Carolina at Wilmington | UNC Wilmington
- Georgia Southern University
- Flagler College
- Youngstown State University
- Clemson University
- University of Connecticut | UConn
- Presbyterian College
- Arizona State University | ASU
- Florida State University | FSU
- Tennessee Technological University | Tennessee Tech
- Texas A&M University–Commerce
- University of Dayton
- University of Hartford
- University of Kentucky
- College of Charleston
- Coastal Carolina University | Coastal
- University of Memphis
- Pennsylvania State University | PSU
- Indiana University Bloomington | Indiana
- University of Evansville
- Campbell University
- Indiana State University | ISU
- University of Hawaii at Manoa | UH Manoa
- Brigham Young University | BYU
- Northern Illinois University | NIU
- Ashland University
- Grand Canyon University | GCU
- Robert Morris University | RMU (Pennsylvania)
- Cazenovia College
- National Louis University | NLU
- Georgia College | GCSU
- Marietta College
- Loyola University Chicago
- Ohio University
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- Union University
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania | IUP
- St. John’s University
- Brooklyn College
- Manhattan College
- Fordham University
- The State University of New York at Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo
- Dordt College
- Augusta University
- University of Georgia
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte | UNC Charlotte
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV
- University of Mississippi | Ole Miss
- Mississippi State University | MSU
- Baruch College | CUNY Baruch
- Benedictine University
- Elmhurst College
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale | SIU
- Lesley University
- Boston University | BU
- Curry College
- Grand Valley State University | GVSU
- Lipscomb University
- Middle Tennessee State University | MTSU
- Fisk University
- Vanderbilt University
- Trevecca Nazarene University
- Otterbein University
- Ohio State University | OSU
- Capital University
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Minnesota
- St. Joseph’s University | SJU
- Cedar Crest College
- West Chester University | WCUPA
- The College of New Jersey | TCNJ
- University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin
- University of the Cumberlands
- Augustana University
- Jackson State University | JSU
- Tougaloo College
- University of Southern Mississippi | Southern Miss
- St. John Fisher College
- New Mexico State University | NMSU
- Goshen College
- University of Missouri | Mizzou
- Bloomsburg University | BloomU
- Biola University
- Florida Atlantic University | FAU
- University of Arizona
- Xavier University
- University of Cincinnati
- Miami University
- St. Edward’s University
- Central Washington University | CWU
- Whitworth University
- Eastern Washington University | EWU
- Gonzaga University
- University of New Mexico | UNM
- Spalding University
- Bellarmine University
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock | UA Little Rock
- University of Arkansas
- Utah State University
- Liberty University
- East Tennessee State University | ETSU
- Bowling Green State University | BGSU
- University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | UWM
- Westfield State University
- Towson University
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore | UMES
- University of Oklahoma
- University of Nebraska Omaha | UNO
- Providence College
- Rhode Island College | RIC
- Western Washington University | WWU
- Saint Martin’s University | St. Martin’s
- University of Florida
- High Point University
- Bennett College
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro | UNC Greensboro
- Elon University
- University of Akron
- Kent State University
- Utica College
- Wayne State University | WSU
- DePaul University
- Roosevelt University
- Illinois State University | ISU
- Florida International University | FIU
- West Virginia University | WVU
- University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland
- Carthage College
- Alabama A&M | AAMU
- Baylor University
- East Carolina University | ECU
- University of South Alabama | South
- Valdosta State University | VSU
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | UIUC
- Cleveland State University | CSU
- University of Texas at El Paso | UTEP
- University of Tennessee
- University of South Carolina Upstate | USC Upstate
- University of West Florida | UWF
- University of South Carolina Aiken | USC Aiken
- University of Utah
- University of Toledo
- University of West Georgia | UWG
- University of South Dakota | USD
- Westminster College (Utah)
- Widener University
- University of Northern Colorado | UNC
- University of South Florida | USF
- City College of New York | CCNY
- Pace University
- University of Texas at San Antonio | UTSA
- Boise State University | BSU
- University of Maine at Farmington | UMF
- Seattle Pacific University | SPU
- University of Alabama
What are your chances of getting accepted into one of the colleges with special education majors?
To be a competitive college applicant, you must have academic credentials that are on par with those of admitted students from previous years, regardless of the field of study you intend to pursue. The Academic Index is a complex tool that is based on your grades, test scores, and class rankings. It is used by the majority of selective schools to assess students’ academic aptitude and eliminate applicants who do not meet their requirements.
The qualitative aspects of your application, such as your essays and extracurricular activities, are the place for you to show who you are and demonstrate how well you fit with the schools and majors that you are interested in attending.
When you are a senior in high school, you should think about doing volunteer work at summer camps and centers for special education. Volunteering for a program run by either the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts, as well as working as a babysitter, are both great ways to gain valuable experience.
Becoming a tutor for students at your school is a great way to test the waters of the teaching profession. Whether or not the students you teach have special needs, you will still need key skills in teaching as well as communication in order to be successful in your career.
If you want to get an even more in-depth look into what your future career may be, you should consider reaching out to people who are already working in the education field and asking if you can spend a few days shadowing them.
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