Southern Oregon University offers three Special Education Programs.
The Dual Endorsement Program is for candidates who already hold a teaching license. Completion of the Dual Endorsement program allows candidates to add the Special Education endorsement to an existing teaching license. The program is completed by passing a prescribed set of classes that may be taken during the school year and Summer Session. The Dual Program requires the candidate to complete 36 credits of coursework and related field experience.
The Dual+Master’s Program offers the added endorsement, plus a master’s degree in education. The program comprises 55 credits of coursework and related field experience. Students may complete the Dual and Dual+Master’s programs in one- or two-year programs of study while working within the public school system. All courses are offered during late afternoon and early evening; several courses are offered via distance learning.
The Stand-Alone Program (70 credits) allows candidates to become licensed to teach students with exceptionalities at either the elementary or secondary level. When they successfully complete the program, students earn a master’s degree in education and a recommendation to TSPC for an initial Oregon teaching license with a Special Education endorsement. The Stand-Alone Program is a full-time program, beginning and ending with Summer Session.
Beginning with the first Summer Session, candidates progress through fall, winter, and spring terms and complete their coursework at the end of the second Summer Session. Students seeking admission to Special Education programs must have at least a 3.0 GPA and pass a basic skills test (e.g. CBEST or PPST). They must also have taken a Foundations of Special Education course and have documented experience working with children, preferably children with exceptionalities. In addition, applicants for either of the Dual programs must hold, or be eligible for, an Oregon teaching license. Candidates for all programs must complete an anti-discrimination workshop and pass the Praxis Specialty Tests in Special Education. In addition, Dual and Dual+Masters program candidates must complete at least one work sample, while Stand-Alone candidates must complete two work samples in accordance with Teacher Standards and Practices Commission requirements. Finally, all candidates construct a professional portfolio of artifacts that demonstrate proficiency in the TSPC-identified proficiencies and authorizations.
