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DEPARTMENT OF
SPECIAL EDUCATION Chair: Terry G. Cronis The Department of Special Education prepares teachers who will work with exceptional infants, toddlers, children and youth. Persons who have a strong desire to aid the personal and educational development of students with special learning needs and capacities would find the area of Special Education gratifying and fulfilling. Assisting students who have the greatest educational needs can provide much personal and professional award. As a result of many recently passed laws, standards, and educational policies, there has developed a tremendous increase in the demand for teachers trained to work with students with the mental retardation, emotional and behavior disorders, learning disabilities, vision or hearing impairments, communication disorders, physical disabilities, or those who are gifted. The special education teacher training programs at the University of South Alabama are responding to the acute needs for well-trained teachers that school systems and agencies are currently experiencing. UNDERGRADUATE The programs in Special Education are designed to prepare teachers to function in a variety of settings with birth-through-high-school-level students. Students must obtain a minimum grade of "C" in all professional (block) courses in the are of Special Education (i.e., 300-level or above courses which carry the SPE prefix and are restricted to candidacy). Non-majors seeking enrollment in courses should obtain permission from department chair in Special Education. Successful completion of the program and eligibility for the Bachelor of Science degree and/or teaching certificate necessitates that requirements of the Department of Special Education, the College of Education, the University of South Alabama, the Alabama State Department of Education, and NCATE be met. The Department of Special Education places particular emphasis upon the student-advisor relationship. Each advisor has detailed information to aid the student’s progress and to ensure that the many and various requirements are met. Enrollments are limited in some courses. Students should consult with their advisors about the effect this may have on their planned course of study. THE
BACHELOR’S DEGREE PROGRAM ADMISSION
TO CANDIDACY Minimum General Studies (64
hours) Professional Studies (30 hours minimum) Areas of Specialization (34 hours) Areas of Specialization (34 hours) GRADUATE Post-master’s or Sixth-Year Graduate Programs which lead to AA (State of Alabama) Professional Certification and an Educational Specialist. Degree are available for qualified individuals. On occasion, limited resources may dictate that an online version of the course will be the only offering in a given academic year. ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY Students should be aware that the Department requires that certain courses be taken in sequence. Advisors should be consulted to obtain information about sequencing and prerequisite course work. A committee consisting of graduate faculty members within the Department will be selected by program advisors to assist in planning students’ courses of study. Such planned programs should be effected before the completion of nine semester hours of work. Planned programs will also indicate prerequisite courses. Failure to follow the advised planned program of study could result in the student being blocked from registration. The Special Education Department requires that students who receive a grade of “C” in their major area (i.e., Early Childhood SPE, Collaborative Teaching or Gifted) must repeat that course and attain a grade of “B” or better. Satisfactory performance in all course work (an average of “B” or better) is required of all graduate Special Education majors; in the event of unsatisfactory performance in a course not in their major area, a students’ Graduate Program Committee selects the option of repeating the course and demonstrating satisfactory performance or demonstrating satisfactory performance in an approved alternate course. Students may be permitted to do their internship during one of their two final semesters in residence. This is a joint decision between student and advisor. Students are assigned to advisors in their respective program areas. No faculty member other than the assigned advisor may advise Special Education students. The student has the sole responsibility for initiating applications and meeting test and other deadline requirements. WRITTEN COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION Satisfactory performance on a written comprehensive examination is required of all graduate students prior to the completion of their program. MASTER OF EDUCATION DEGREE PROGRAM IN SPECIAL EDUCATION The requirements for the Master of Education include IDE 510, Educational Research and Evaluation and a minimum of 33 semester hours in the program specialization, as determined by the student’s graduate faculty committee. Students already certified in the same field of special education as their graduate major (e.g., Collaborative Teaching) may qualify for a 36 semester hour minimum program. Students changing fields of study within special education qualify for a 39 semester hour minimum program. Students with no prior special education certification qualify for a 45 semester hour minimum program. Those students seeking teacher certification must complete one of the program areas detailed as follows: PROGRAM FOR COLLABORATIVE TEACHING The 36 semester hour minimum program for the M.Ed. in the area of Collaborative Teaching includes: Curriculum and Teaching (six
semester hours) Educational Foundations
(six-nine* semester hours) Select One: Select One: Research and Evaluation (three
semester hours) Teaching Field (21 semester
hours) Electives (0-nine semester
hours) *SPE 500 is taken only if the student has not had a recent undergraduate equivalent. It becomes an additional part of the program. PROGRAM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION The 36 semester hour minimum program for the M.Ed. in the area of Early Childhood SPE: Curriculum and Teaching (six
semester hours) Educational Foundations *SPE 500 Select One: Select One: Research and Evaluation (three
semester hours) Teaching Field (12 semester
hours) Electives (0-nine semester
hours) *SPE 500 is taken only if the student has not had a recent undergraduate equivalent. PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS OF THE GIFTED AND TALENTED The 36 semester hour minimum program for the M.Ed. in the teaching of the gifted and talented includes: Curriculum and Teaching (six
semester hours) Educational Foundations
(six-nine semester hrs) Select One: Select One: Research and Evaluation (three
semester hours) Teaching Field (9 semester
hours) Electives (12 semester hours) *SPE 500 is taken only if the student has not had a recent undergraduate equivalent. The course then becomes an added course to the program. ALTERNATIVE M.Ed. IN COLLABORATIVE TEACHING This is a special alternative program for individuals with a baccalaureate degree in non-teacher education fields. For specific admission requirements see College of Education general section of the Bulletin. In general the program requires a minimum of 45 graduate hours. Prerequisites Curriculum and Teaching (6
hours) Behavioral Studies/Foundations
(6 hours) Research and Evaluation (3
hours) Teaching Field (21 hours) Technology (3 hours) Internship (6 hours) ***EPY 455, SPE 443 and SPE 489 are restricted to graduate students who have been fully admitted to the Alternative Master’s Program or undergraduate students who have met College of Education teacher education candidacy requirements. NOTE: We require all graduate students in Special Education (who are not already certified in their field of study) to observe a classroom or setting which is a model of good teaching practice in their proposed field of certification. Students are to observe one full day twice each semester until they are admitted to candidacy or to make four observations, whichever is greater. PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY See the College of Allied Health section of this Bulletin for program information. ADVANCED GRADUATE STUDY: SIXTH-YEAR (POST-MASTER’S) PROGRAMS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION Post-Master’s or Sixth-Year Graduate Programs which lead to AA (State of Alabama) Professional Certification and to an Instructional Specialist (Ed.S.) Degree is available for qualified individuals. In addition to college requirements previously stated, students seeking certification will have a graduate program committee plan a program based upon the student’s training, experience and needs. AA CERTIFICATE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION In addition to the Core Courses required for the Instructional Specialist program, the following courses are required for the AA Certificate. COLLABORATIVE TEACHING Teaching Field (18 semester
hours) SPE 500 is taken only if the student has not had a recent equivalent. The course then becomes an added course to the program. GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION Teaching Field (18 semester
hours) Balance of course work to be approved by student’s graduate program committee. SPE 500 is taken only if the student has not had a recent equivalent. The course then becomes an added course to the program. Descriptions of all Special Education (SPE) courses
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