The Special Education program is the academic home to many students who enjoy working with children and youth, especially children and youth with disabilities. Special Education graduates enter a high-need field with an almost 100% job placement rate after graduation. Employment opportunities are available all across the country.

The Special Education teacher certification program prepares educators to serve as resources and advocates for persons with disabilities and their families. This includes being a leader, collaborating with others, and working creatively within and outside schools to create inclusive educational experiences to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families.

The Special Education program prepares students to work effectively across disability categories including intellectual and developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and emotional/behavioral disorders. The program emphasizes coursework and experiences in elementary, middle, and high schools with students who have a wide range of abilities, including students with severe disabilities. 

The Early Childhood & Childhood Education program is a four-year Bachelor of Science program that prepares students for careers as teachers of children from birth through grade six. Graduates of the program are qualified to receive dual certification, i.e., teaching certification in both Early Childhood Education (birth through grade two) and Childhood Education (grades one through six). To obtain these certifications, students must complete the program, including all New York State-mandated training workshops, and pass ALL required New York State Teacher Certification Examinations.

The 4-Year Plan is a model for completing your degree in a timely manner. Your individual 4-Year plan may change based on a number of variables including transfer courses and the semester/year you start your major. Carefully work with your academic advisors to devise your own unique plan.
* Please meet with your advisor on appropriate course selection to meet your educational and degree goals.

Students who choose this program generally want to work with children from birth through age eight, either as a teacher or in a similar capacity. You’ll take courses that focus on educational equity, cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in preparation for work with the youngest of students. Learn about language and motor development before moving to a potential career in a preschool, Head Start or other non-licensure setting.

• This prepares students to become high school chemistry teachers who will prepare and inspire future chemists.

The Physical Education Teaching program’s major focus is to prepare teacher candidates to design, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate learning experiences in a variety of physical education settings for K-12 learners. Students are required to meet the prescribed scores on the Minnesota Teaching Licensure Examination (MTLE), which include: basic skills, content, and pedagogy. Upon completion of the Physical Education Teaching program, students will have developed the skills necessary to obtain Minnesota teaching licensure.

The University offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in French teacher education and Spanish teacher education. The majors in French or Spanish teacher education include coursework in language, literature and culture, as well as professional education courses and student teaching. Students with prior study of a language or who are heritage speakers should complete a placement exam and are eligible for advanced placement credit after successfully completing one to two courses in the department. Minors are also available in French and Spanish. The department is committed to promoting foreign languages both as a means of communication and as the prerequisite to cultural understanding. Classes with the prefix of FR and SPAN are taught in the target language and promote students? active use of the language in a culturally and communicatively meaningful context. Classes with the prefix FL are taught in English and allow students the opportunity to reflect critically on cultural practices and products of non-English speaking countries and people prior to obtaining advanced proficiency in the target language.
 

Early childhood educators play an important role in our society—they are instrumental in the development of the next generation of scholars.

As an Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Intervention Specialist, you'll prepare to work with children pre-kindergarten up to third grade. The program combines curriculum content and professional education courses in order to balance the instruction you'll receive from your professors and the practical experience you'll gain from student teaching in an actual classroom.

You'll also complete a preclinical experience before student teaching. This involves working in a local school with a university faculty observing your teaching. It's a major component of your curriculum because education is more of a hands-on discipline; the real learning happens when you're in the field.

Early and primary teacher education is a major in which University students learn to teach young students at the preschool level through fourth grade. In addition to the basics of teaching reading, math, science and social studies, students learn about family and community relations, educational psychology and teaching methodology. Students are prepared for state licensure exams, which they must pass to earn teaching positions.   

USM English graduates have moved on to fulfilling careers as print journalists, copywriters, photographers, television producers, public relations coordinators, writers, and teachers. USM graduates have also successfully gone on to graduate and law school.

The average salary for many of these professions is dependent upon your geographic region. On average, English majors can earn approximately $30,000 to $70,000 per year, with experience.

Did you know: Famous English majors include former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, actor Reese Witherspoon, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Undergraduate students enrolled in the fall of their junior year apply for Early Entry to a Master's program with Arcadia University’s School of Education. Upon acceptance to the graduate program, students can begin taking graduate courses as early as the spring of their junior year. Students may select to apply to one of the following M.Ed. programs:

M.Ed. with a concentration in Literacy Studies: TESOL  and Reading (with certification paths for ESL and Reading Specialist K-12)

M.Ed. with a concentration in Secondary Education (with certification paths in  (Biology, Chemistry, English, General Science, Mathematics and Social Studies)

M.Ed. with a concentration in Special Education 

M.Ed. with a concentration in Integrative STEM Education

M.Ed. with an individualized concentration consisting of multiple certificates (Autism, Applied Behavior Analysis, Infant-Toddler Mental Health, ESL, STEM)

The mission of the Department of Education is to develop competent, caring, and qualified teachers by ensuring that our students acquire the necessary professional knowledge in content and teaching. In pursuit of that goal, the department provides engaging and rigorous classes in the essential areas of teaching, extensive practicum/field experiences in a variety of settings, advisement/mentoring/supervision from experienced, knowledgeable, and caring professors, all within the context of a student-centered learning environment.

The mission of the professional education unit is to prepare candidates who attain educational achievement through collaboration and reflection. To that end the professional education unit (including content departments), collaborates with K-12 schools, Educational Service Cooperatives, Educational Renewal Zones and other local, state, and national organizations to inculcate high standards of educational achievement for all students. The Unit engages pre-service and in-service teachers, administrators, counselors and other educators to excel in teaching, leadership, scholarship and service

The History program is committed to preparing undergraduate students to understand their historical and cultural heritage. It supports the University’s mission by emphasizing excellence in teaching with courses grounded in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Its curriculum is designed to foster knowledge of human cultures and instill intellectual and practical skills involving inquiry and analysis, critical thinking, written and oral communication, teamwork, and problem solving. The history discipline supports the General Education program at the University. In cooperation with the College of Education and Human Development, the department prepares students for teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools, and it works to qualify majors for graduate study and advanced administrative specialization. In keeping with the University’s mission, the program emphasizes personal and social responsibility by requiring students to complete projects involving civic engagement, experiential learning, and service learning that elevate students’ civic knowledge, intercultural competence, and ethical reasoning, experiences that together provide foundations for engaged citizens and lifelong learning.

The program has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Upon graduation, you will have completed all the requirements necessary to receive an initial license in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and you will be eligible to pursue licensure in many other states. Students receive free preparation for the required Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) as part of the program.

Immersion in the field is a hallmark of our program. You won’t spend just one semester student teaching – you’ll spend countless hours working with youngsters in a variety of settings. In fact, during your first year on campus, we’ll place you in local classrooms to work with students.

Here, you’ll quickly feel like part of a family. From the time you arrive on campus until you graduate, you’ll be guided by a faculty mentor. You’ll enjoy small class sizes and amazing friendships with your fellow education majors. Our dedicated professors will get to know you. They will support you in your coursework, field experiences and career preparations. They will become personally invested in your success as a future teacher. 

As an education student, you can choose to major in either early childhood (age 3-grade 3) or middle childhood (grades 4-9). With additional coursework, middle childhood majors can add grades 4-6 non-concentration areas to their Ohio teaching license. With both majors, you’ll take liberal arts courses in English, mathematics, history, art, music and science, as well as courses in child development, exceptional learners, technology, curriculum, classroom strategies, methods of teaching and more.

The Early Childhood Education program is designed to prepare prospective teachers of children in grades PreK-5. The program of study supports a foundation in child development, family and community, relationships, curriculum development, and assessment. In addition, teacher candidates receive content preparation in mathematics, reading and language arts, science and social studies.  Through a field-based approach, which provides a broad range of field placements throughout the two-year program, candidates are supported in making connections between theories and practice.

The University of Mount Union’s Bachelor of Arts degree in intervention specialist prepares students to become patient and caring teachers for all students, especially those with special needs. Intervention specialists have the option to pursue a license in either early childhood (Pre-K – Grade 3) or mild/moderate (ages 5-21) intervention. 

Intervention specialist majors develop an understanding of effective strategies, legal issues and literacy through coursework, as well as hands-on training and experiences. 

Students pursuing teacher licensure programs in the College of Education (COE) must meet requirements in a series of sequential gateways. Included in the gateway requirements are successful completion of specified coursework, achievement of appropriate grade point averages, requirements for clinical experiences, and appropriate tests for the licensure area. Meeting all Gateway requirements leads to degree and licensure completion.