Students in the early childhood special education major will learn about the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of young children, with and without special needs, and about the role that families play in their development. Students graduating with this major are eligible to be recommended for Alabama Class B certification to teach children with diverse needs (P-3) as well as Alabama Class B certification in early childhood education (P-3).
Experimental learning activities, assessment, and practicums are provided for students on and off campus through the Office of Clinical Experiences. On-campus facilities that provide structured practicums may include the Children's Program, the Rural Infant Stimulation Environment (RISE) Program, and Early Intervention at The University of Alabama (EI@UA). These programs provide opportunities for students to work with infants, toddlers, pre-K children, and their families. Additionally, all students who major in early childhood special education will complete supervised practicum and internship experiences in diverse settings.
The undergraduate catalog is published annually. Program advising sheets are updated as policy changes are made and are thus likely to provide the most up-to-date information on degree and other requirements through DegreeWorks in myBama.
General Studies: 60 hours
Courses that are common to the teaching field and the general studies component may be applied to both. At least 120 hours are required for the degree.
In addition to the required general studies, students in this program must complete 9 additional hours of mathematics and 4 additional hours of science for a total of 12 hours in each area. Twelve hours in both English language arts and social science are required.
See general studies requirements listed earlier in this section. The following exceptions apply:
- Area II: Courses should be selected to meet teaching field or prerequisite requirements.
- Area IV: Courses should be selected to meet teaching field or prerequisite requirements.
- Area V: From those courses listed in option 2, CAT 200 Computer Education Application and CAT 250 Computer Educ Curric Devel should be selected. EDU 200 Orient to Teacher Education is also required.
Requirements
| Code and Title | Hours |
| 60 |
| 60 |
| |
| BEF 362 | School, Culture, and Society 1 | 3 |
| BEP 305 | Educational Psychology 1 | 3 |
| SPE 300 | Survey Spe Accomd Stratg 1 | 3 |
| SPE 304 | Instructional Strategies In Sp 1 | 3 |
| SPE 479 | Intern In Early Childhood Spe 2 | 6 |
| SPE 479 | Intern In Early Childhood Spe 2 | 6 |
| EDU 400 | Internship Seminar | 1 |
| 25 |
| |
| CEE 380 | Tch Early/Elem Mathematics | 3 |
| CRD 369 | Fnd of Read Inst for EC/ELE | 3 |
| CRD 400 | Teach Readg Diverse Learn K-12 | 3 |
| HD 202 | Child Dev-Infancy/Todlr | 3 |
| HD 205 | Early and Middle Child Dev | 3 |
| SPE 301 | SPED Practicum (Block 1) | 1 |
| SPE 301 | SPED Practicum (Block 2) | 1 |
| SPE 301 | SPED Practicum (Block 3) | 1 |
| SPE 374 | Working with Families | 3 |
| SPE 414 | Collaborative Consultatn | 3 |
| SPE 420 | Early Language and Literacy | 3 |
| SPE 435 | Behavior Management | 3 |
| SPE 471 | Dev Persp Young Child W/ Disab | 3 |
| SPE 476 | Assessment Of Young Children | 3 |
| SPE 477 | Differentiated Acad. Instruct | 3 |
| SPE 478 | Meth Teach Yng Child W/ Disb | 3 |
| 42 |
| Total Hours | 127 |
Types of Jobs Accepted
Birth–3rd grade special education teacher, prekindergarten–3rd grade elementary education teacher, early interventionist, case manager
Jobs of Experienced Alumni
Lead teachers, instructional facilitators, cooperating master teachers, administrators (principals, special education supervisors, directors of non-profit organizations)
Learn more about opportunities in this field at the Career Center
