Special education BS and ECSE licensure
Earn your degree and teaching license in four years
This program prepares you for an initial teaching license in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE). Establish the skills necessary to support the development of young children, birth through age six, with a wide range of delays/disabilities (motor delays, speech or language impairments, autism spectrum disorders, emotional or behavioral disorders, low birth weight, chromosomal abnormalities, etc.). Graduate with the confidence to carry out all duties of a licensed ECSE teacher including, but not limited to:
- Conducting comprehensive evaluations and determining eligibility for specialized services
- Developing individualized educational programs
- Building strong, trusting relationships with primary caregivers (every child’s first teacher);
- Embedding research-based interventions across home, school, and community settings; and
- Facilitating successful transitions to kindergarten
What to expect
The field of ECSE needs you! After graduating and obtaining your ECSE license, you’ll have no trouble landing a rewarding career that fully aligns with your interests and skills. Most of our graduates go onto:
- Conduct home visits as an early interventionist and coach caregivers to facilitate their child’s development across daily routines
- Teach in a self-contained special education preschool classroom with children ages 3-6 with delays/disabilities
- Co-teach with a general education preschool teacher in an early childhood classroom serving children with and without delays/disabilities
- Work as an itinerant (“traveling”) teacher who supports young children with delays/disabilities across various community-based programs
- Work on an evaluation team that focuses primarily on screening and evaluating infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children to determine eligibility for special education
View a sample plan of classes or a complete list of program requirements.
Gain experience working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with delays/disabilities in a variety of settings through required field experiences each semester.
Tuition
Visit the College of Education and Human Development's Tuition and Financial Aid page for information on tuition.
Financial aid
TEACH Grants
TEACH Grants are part of a federal program to provide financial support to students who will teach in a high need area at a low-income school for at least four years. Application information is available from Onestop on their grants and waivers page.
Scholarships
Special education scholarships, fellowships, and awards
Incoming first-year students who are interested in special education are automatically considered for the Campbell Scholarship for Education. Visit the Office of Admissions scholarships page for more information on this and additional CEHD scholarships available to incoming first-year students.
Learn more about teaching scholarships available to undergraduates in the College of Education and Human Development.
Faculty
Charissa O'Neill
Field placement coordinator
Contact
Laura Paczkowski
Academic advisor