Special Education

Special education majors have soft spots in their hearts for children with special needs. They gain the skills needed to help students with learning disabilities, mental handicaps, hearing or visually disabilities and behavioral disorders. They become familiar with the basics of planning a curriculum and dealing with students based on their respective disability or handicap. Special education majors understand human developmental, sociological and psychological principles of behavior. Specialized training may be given in speech, emotional, behavioral and motor development; laws concerning children with disabilities; and instruction procedures. Classes taken in some programs include: education of students with autism, cultural diversity and disability, and advance literacy approaches for at-risk adolescents.

Special education teachers are altruistic people who simply want to help these children reach their full potential – it’s their biggest reward. Graduates in special education become licensed to teach students from kindergarten to 12th grade within their states – though some licenses are reciprocal to other states – and they can teach in public or private schools. Properly trained special education teachers generally aren’t easy to find, so they’re always in need. And in the coming years, there will be even more opportunity for employment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17 percent growth is expected through 2018. Careers can also be pursued in counseling, rehabilitation and educational consulting.