Program Overview

Special Education, B.A.

College of Education

Get ready for a career that allows you to improve the quality of life for students with various disabilities. This degree will prepare you to teach across the pre-K through 12th grade, up to 21 years old.

Gain the knowledge and skills you’ll need to become a special education teacher for all grade levels. Positively impact the lives of students with diverse needs from mild intellectual disabilities to emotional behavior disorders. Our program leads to the S.C. multi-categorical special education certification.

Program Highlights

• Real Experiences: Complete field experiences throughout the program in a variety of classroom settings.
• Certification-Ready: Curriculum meets Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation standards and South Carolina teacher requirements.
• Prepared to Work: Students will be prepared to work as a special education teacher in grades Pre-K through 12.
• Expert Faculty: Our outstanding faculty is well-versed in teaching methods for students with various support needs.

What You’ll Study

Learn proven teaching methods from award-winning special education professors who will guide you through classroom experiences. Understand how to select, adapt and use instructional strategies to promote positive learning and to modify learning environments that meet individual needs.

Building Skills

Gain the professional and personal intelligence it takes to have a successful career.

• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others, and demonstrating compassion and support
• Teaching: Foster learning by conveying knowledge, skills and concepts to students
• Multicultural Awareness: Understanding cultural variation and adapting behaviors and communication styles accordingly
• Handling Conflict: Resolving disagreements or disputes between individuals or groups in a fair and constructive manner
• Leadership: Inspiring and guiding others to achieve common goals and reach their full potential
• Advocacy: Promoting or defending a cause or issue often using awareness, education and policy change

Using your degree

Make your college experience the foundation for a successful future.

• Potential Careers: Special Education Teacher
• Workplace Settings: Education

Advanced Degrees

Advance your career or options with post-graduate education.

• Master's: Applied Behavior Analysis, M.Ed. (College of Education)
• Master's: Special Education, M.Ed. (College of Education)
• Doctorate: Special Education, Ph.D. (College of Education)

Related Degrees

• Middle Level Education, B.A. / B.S. (College of Education)
• Psychology, B.A. / B.S. (McCausland College of Arts and Sciences)
• Economics, B.A. / B.S. (McCausland College of Arts and Sciences)
• German: Languages, Literatures and Cultures, B.A. (McCausland College of Arts and Sciences)
• Applied Sport Psychology and Counseling, B.S. (College of Education)
• Linguistics: Languages, Literatures and Cultures, B.A. (McCausland College of Arts and Sciences)
• Women's and Gender Studies, B.A. (McCausland College of Arts and Sciences)
• History, B.A. (McCausland College of Arts and Sciences)
• 3D/SCULPTURE: STUDIO ART, B.F.A. (McCausland College of Arts and Sciences)