Special Education (Comprehensive), B.S.

Department of Elementary and Special Education
615-898-2321
Tom Black, program coordinator
Tom.Black@mtsu.edu

The major in Special Education requires 120 semester hours including courses which satisfy the General Education requirements. It is designed to prepare teachers in special education and will meet the Tennessee requirements for licensure in Special Education Comprehensive Program, K-12 (for individuals with severe/profound disabilities). A grade of “C” is required.

Academic Map

Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Special Education (Comprehensive), B.S., Academic Map

Degree Requirements

General Education (41 hours)

General Education requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences.

The following General Education courses are required for this major:

ENGL 2020 or ENGL 2030 (Hum/FA)
BIOL 1030/1031 (Nat Sci)
GEOG 2000 (Soc/Beh Sci)

Major Requirements (60 hours)

EESE 1010 - Teachers as Problem Solvers 2 credit hours
EESE 1011 - Creating Differentiated Instruction 2 credit hours
ELED 3150 - Mathematics Methodology 3 credit hours
ELED 3300 - Digital Learning in the Elementary Classroom, K-8 3 credit hours
HLTH 3300 - First Aid and Safety Education 3 credit hours
SPED 3010 - Characteristics and Teaching of Learners with Exceptionalities 3 credit hours
SPED 3440 - Characteristics of Low Incidence Populations (Comprehensive) 3 credit hours
SPED 4000 - Teaching Reading to Diverse Learners 3 credit hours
SPED 4120 - Curriculum, Methods, and Materials for Special Education (Comprehensive) 3 credit hours
SPED 4140 - Techniques and Strategies for Instruction in Special Education (Comprehensive) 3 credit hours
SPED 4220 - Residency I, Special Education - Comprehensive License 5 credit hours
SPED 4240 - Methods and Techniques of Behavior Management 3 credit hours
SPED 4280 - Assistive Technology in Special Education 3 credit hours
SPED 4320 - Residency II, Special Education-Comprehensive License 12 credit hours
SPED 4380 - Co-teaching in Inclusive Classrooms 3 credit hours
SPED 4720 - Promoting Culture and Diversity in Family Professional Partnerships 3 credit hours
SPED 4910 - Developmental Assessment 3 credit hours

Content Area Courses (19 hours)

BIOL 3000 - Life Science for Elementary Teachers 4 credit hours
CDIS 3250 - Speech and Language Development for the Educator 3 credit hours
MATH 1410 - Concepts and Structure of Elementary School Mathematics 3 credit hours
MATH 1420 - Informal Geometry 3 credit hours
READ 4015 - Language and Literacy, K-6 6 credit hours

Total hours in program: 120

Recommended Curriculum: Special Education (Comprehensive)

Curricular listings include General Education requirements in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences categories.

Freshman

BIOL 1030 - Exploring Life 4 credit hours (Nat Sci) AND
BIOL 1031 - Exploring Life Lab 0 credit hours (Nat Sci)
COMM 2200 - Fundamentals of Communication 3 credit hours (Comm)
ENGL 1010 - Expository Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
ENGL 1020 - Research and Argumentative Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
EESE 1010 - Teachers as Problem Solvers 2 credit hours
EESE 1011 - Creating Differentiated Instruction 2 credit hours
MATH 1410 - Concepts and Structure of Elementary School Mathematics 3 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
Natural Science 4 credit hours (choose from ASTR 1030/1031, CHEM 1010/1011, CHEM 1030/1031, CHEM 1110/1111, GEOL 1030/1031, or PSCI 1030/1031)
MATH 1010 - Mathematics for General Studies 3 credit hours (Math) OR (recommended)
MATH 1710 - College Algebra 3 credit hours (Math) (recommended)

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Sophomore

ENGL 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
ENGL 2030 - The Experience of Literature 3 credit hours (Hum/FA)
MATH 1420 - Informal Geometry 3 credit hours
BIOL 3000 - Life Science for Elementary Teachers 4 credit hours
CDIS 3250 - Speech and Language Development for the Educator 3 credit hours
ELED 3300 - Digital Learning in the Elementary Classroom, K-8 3 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences 3 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
SPED 3010 - Characteristics and Teaching of Learners with Exceptionalities 3 credit hours
Choose 6 hours from:
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I 3 credit hours
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II 3 credit hours
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Junior

ELED 3150 - Mathematics Methodology 3 credit hours
GEOG 2000 - Introduction to Regional Geography 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci)
HLTH 3300 - First Aid and Safety Education 3 credit hours
READ 4015 - Language and Literacy, K-6 6 credit hours
SPED 3440 - Characteristics of Low Incidence Populations (Comprehensive) 3 credit hours
SPED 4000 - Teaching Reading to Diverse Learners 3 credit hours
SPED 4120 - Curriculum, Methods, and Materials for Special Education (Comprehensive) 3 credit hours
SPED 4280 - Assistive Technology in Special Education 3 credit hours
SPED 4380 - Co-teaching in Inclusive Classrooms 3 credit hours
SPED 4720 - Promoting Culture and Diversity in Family Professional Partnerships 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 33 Hours

Senior

SPED 4140 - Techniques and Strategies for Instruction in Special Education (Comprehensive) 3 credit hours
SPED 4220 - Residency I, Special Education - Comprehensive License 5 credit hours
SPED 4240 - Methods and Techniques of Behavior Management 3 credit hours
SPED 4320 - Residency II, Special Education-Comprehensive License 12 credit hours
SPED 4910 - Developmental Assessment 3 credit hours