Special Education offers undergraduate special education majors on the Bachelor of Science in Education degree, Provisional Elementary or Secondary Certification with Emotional or Cognitive Impairment Endorsement, grades K-12. There are two focus areas offered through our program:

• Teachers of Students with Cognitive Impairment
• Teachers of Students with Emotional Impairment

A program is also offered for teachers holding general elementary or secondary certification to become certified in the area of emotional impairment or cognitive impairment.

Lenora Marie Star Nelson Memorial Scholarship

Established in 1985 by Kenneth Nelson in memory of his wife and CMU alumna, Lenora, who devoted her life to the field of teaching both general and special education in many different areas of the country. This scholarship is open to undergraduate students majoring in Special Education.

All programs are subject to changes in state certification rules and students should contact an adviser before pre-registration each semester.

A student who plans to major in special education should contact the EHS Center for Student Services office, 421 EHS (989-774-3309), to initiate admission to the Teacher Education Program.  Students must fulfill all requirements for certification in general elementary or secondary education. The endorsements in cognitive impairment and emotional impairment, both K-12, require either an elementary or secondary education general education certificate (see B.S. in Education, Special Education Emphasis). Students completing a special education endorsement will be eligible to teach special education students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grade

Before a major is signed the student must have earned a grade of C or higher in SPE 126, Introduction to Special Education.

Students will be required to complete two student teaching assignments, one in Special Education during one semester and one in General Education during another semester. Application for student teaching must be made through the office of the Department of Teacher Education and Professional Development by the established deadline in advance of each placement, with approval recommended by Special Education prior to placement. Fall student teaching applications are due the preceding spring semester, and spring student teaching application are due the preceding fall semester, by the established deadline.

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Special Education Undergraduate Program Advisors

(Students are assigned to Special Education Advisors by the first letter of their last name.) 

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