BSEd in Special Education with Emphasis in Cross Categorical Special Education
Degree Program Description
The Bachelor of Science in Education in Special Education prepares students to work with children from kindergarten through twelfth grade in public, private, and alternative school systems. Students should consider a degree in special education if they enjoy working with children and/or adolescents who are struggling or who have special needs, want to help these students develop into strong citizens, and are excellent collaborators. MU Students work closely with mentors, practicing teachers, administrators, and university faculty to develop the knowledge and skills to enhance learning outcomes for children and youth with and at risk for disabilities. The coursework through the College of Education & Human Development focuses on teachers’ roles in facilitating learning at all levels of development and considers the influences of cultural, political, historical, and economic factors on students, teachers, and schools. Upon successfully completing the initial teacher certification process, the state grants certification in Special Education: Mild-Moderate Cross Categorical. Practical and rewarding clinical training in schools begins sophomore year and continues each semester culminating in a full year senior-level teaching internship, enhancing teaching skills and confidence. Students focus on understanding and teaching students with a range of mild and moderate disabilities. Courses within special education address foundational principles of how to teach students with special needs, including methods in mathematics and literacy, behavior management, language, and introduction and methods in cross categorical instruction, among others.
Major Program Requirements
Students must complete all university, general education, and content requirements, in addition to degree requirements. Please meet with an Academic Advisor to discuss degree requirements and to create a semester plan.
Teacher Education programs in the College of Education & Human Development are accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Curriculum changes mandated to earn teacher certification may become effective at any point during your academic program. Therefore, it is extremely important that you DO NOT SELF ADVISE.
| Early Experiences | ||
| SPC_ED 1100 | Orientation: Special Education (Recommended) | 1 |
| or LTC 1100 | Orientation | |
| LTC 2200 | School Health and Student Wellbeing | 3 |
| ESC_PS 2010 | Inquiry Into Learning I | 3 |
| ESC_PS 2014 | Inquiry into Learning I - Field Experience | 1 |
| LTC 2040 | Inquiring into Schools, Community and Society I | 3 |
| or LTC 2040H | Inquiring into Schools, Community and Society I - Honors | |
| LTC 2044 | Inquiry into Schools, Community and Society: Field | 1 |
| IS_LT 2467 | Inquiry into Empowering Learners with Technology | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4300 | Introduction to Special Education | 3 |
| Mid-Level Experiences | ||
| SPC_ED 4325 | Language Development of Exceptional Students | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4375 | Cross Categorical Special Education | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4940 | Cross-Categorical Special Education: Practicum I | 2 |
| LTC 4211 | Literacy Assessment and Development | 3 |
| or LTC 4560 | Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | |
| LTC 4300 | Learning and Teaching Elementary Grades Mathematics I | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4311 | Classroom and Behavior Management in Special Education | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4370 | Literacy in Special Education | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4380 | Methods in Cross-Categorical Special Education | 3-4 |
| SPC_ED 4941 | Practicum in Cross-Categorical II | 2 |
| SPC_ED 4600 | Diagnosis and Remediation of Learning Problems in Math - Middle | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4500 | Science and Social Studies for Struggling Learners | 3 |
| Advanced-Level Experiences | ||
| SPC_ED 4320 | Assessment and Evaluation in Special Education | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4330 | Collaboration and Consultation in Special Education | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4371 | Literacy in Special Education II | 3 |
| ED_LPA 4060 | Inquiring into Schools, Community and Society II | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4981 | Internship in Special Education | 4 |
| SPC_ED 4972 | Capstone Seminar and Portfolio in Special Education | 1 |
| SPC_ED 4981 | Internship in Special Education | 10 |
| LTC 4460 | Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 3 |
| or LTC 4460H | Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - Honors | |
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student’s actual plan may vary based on course choices and where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SPC_ED 1100 | 1 | SPC_ED 4300 | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | LTC 2200 | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | General Education Math Requirement | 3 |
| Biological, Physical, Mathematical Science | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | American History or Government | 3 |
| 13 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ESC_PS 2010 or LTC 2040 (Social Science) | 3 | ESC_PS 2010 or LTC 2040 (Social Science) | 3 |
| ESC_PS 2014 or LTC 2044 | 1 | ESC_PS 2014 or LTC 2044 | 1 |
| IS_LT 2467 | 3 | Lab Science | 3 |
| Biological, Physical, Mathematical Science | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Writing Intensive | 3 | Social or Behavioral Science | 3 |
| Elective | 2 | Elective | 2 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SPC_ED 4325 | 3 | SPC_ED 4370 | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4375 | 3 | SPC_ED 4941 | 2 |
| SPC_ED 4940 | 2 | SPC_ED 4380 | 4 |
| LTC 4211 or 4560 | 3 | SPC_ED 4600 | 3 |
| LTC 4300 | 3 | SPC_ED 4500 | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4310 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SPC_ED 4320 | 3 | SPC_ED 4972 | 1 |
| SPC_ED 4330 | 3 | SPC_ED 4981 | 10 |
| SPC_ED 4371 | 3 | LTC 4460 | 3 |
| ED_LPA 4060 | 3 | ||
| SPC_ED 4981 | 4 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.