Early Childhood Education/Special Education Composite - BA, BS

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Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Department of Teacher Education and Leadership

About This Degree

This degree is a combination of courses required for the early childhood education major and the special education major with Birth to Age Five emphasis. Students who complete this composite degree are eligible for two licenses, one for special education preschool (birth to age 5) and one for elementary education (K-3). Students gain content knowledge through the early childhood education program and learn strategies for teaching diverse learners through the special education program.

This degree gives students the opportunity to have more flexibility in their careers. Having both licenses allows teachers to move back and forth between special education and elementary education. Most teachers will have students with disabilities in their classrooms, and this composite degree makes them more qualified to meet the unique educational needs of these students.

For more information about Elementary Education, see the website.
For more information about Special Education, see the website.
Admitted and current students must meet with an academic advisor.
Log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
The highest math requirement for this degree is MATH 2020 - Euclidean Geometry and Statistics for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) .

Minimum University Requirements

Total Credits: 120
Credits of C- or better: 100
Total credits taken through USU: 30
Total major required credits taken at USU: 10
Minimum Grade Point Average (many majors require a higher GPA): 2.0 GPA
Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above): 40
Upper-division credits taken at USU: 20
General Education Requirements
University Studies Requirements
Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Admission Requirements For This Program

New freshmen must be admitted to USU in Good Standing.
Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU must have a 2.0 GPA.

Preparation Courses

Unless otherwise noted, these courses require a B- or higher.

ELED 1010 - Orientation to Elementary Education 3 credit(s) or
TEAL 1010 - Introduction to Education 3 credit(s)
HDFS 1500 - Human Development Across the Lifespan (BSS) 3 credit(s)
TEAL 2660 - Educational Psychology for Teachers 2 credit(s)

Major Requirements

This program requires a GPA of 3.0 in required major courses. Program requirements may not be taken for a pass/fail grade, except for those courses that are only taught pass/fail. In addition to satisfying the basic Communications Literacy (CL) general education requirement, students in this major must receive a grade of C+ or better in both ENGL 1010 and ENGL 2010 .

Mathematics Requirements

MATH 1050 and 1051 require a grade of C- or higher. MATH 2010 and 2020 require a grade of C or better.

MATH 1051 - Classical Algebra for Teachers (QL) 4 credit(s) or
MATH 1050 - College Algebra (QL) 4 credit(s)
MATH 2010 - Algebraic Thinking & Number Sense for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) 3 credit(s)
MATH 2020 - Euclidean Geometry and Statistics for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) 3 credit(s)

Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction Core

A grade of B- or higher is required.

Choose one from the following:
ART 3700 - Elementary Art Methods 3 credit(s)
MUSC 3260 - Elementary School Music 3 credit(s)
THEA 3320 - Movement Exploration for Elementary Education Majors 3 credit(s)
THEA 3330 - Drama for Classroom Teachers 3 credit(s)
THEA 3340 - Methods of Teaching Drama, Grades K-6 3 credit(s)
THEA 3380 - Drama Across the Curriculum, Grades K-12 3 credit(s)
Foundations Block
ELED 2480 - Early Childhood Education Kindergarten Through Grade 3 3 credit(s)
ELED 3000 - Historical, Social, and Cultural Foundations of Education (CI) 3 credit(s)
ELED 3002 - Foundations Practicum 1 credit(s)
ELED 3050 - PE and Health in the Elementary Classroom 2 credit(s)
ELED 3100 - Classroom Reading Instruction 3 credit(s)
HDFS 2600 - Seminar in Early Childhood Education 2 credit(s)
HDFS 2630 - Practicum in Early Childhood Education 2 credit(s)
ELED Literacy Block
COMD 3200 - Child Language Development 3 credit(s)
ELED 4040 - Reading Assessment and Intervention (CI) 2 credit(s)
ELED 4042 - Reading Assessment and Intervention Practicum 1 credit(s)
ELED 4049 - Foundations of Reading Review 1 credit(s)
TEAL 3080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning (DHA) 3 credit(s)
ELED Content Block
ELED 4020 - Teaching Science in Elementary School 2 credit(s)
ELED 4030 - Teaching Language Arts (CI) 2 credit(s)
ELED 4050 - Teaching Social Studies in Elementary School 2 credit(s)
ELED 4056 - Elementary Content Practicum 4 credit(s)
ELED 4062 - Teaching Elementary School Mathematics II: Number, Operations, and Algebraic Reasoning 2 credit(s)
HDFS 4960 - Practice Teaching in Child Development Laboratories 3 or 6 credit(s)

Special Education Major (B- or better)

Licensure Notification

This program typically leads to licensure and was designed to meet licensing qualifications in the state of Utah. If students wish to work in another state within the United States, they should review the qualifications for that state and the Education Licensure Compliance Table provided by School of Teacher Education and Leadership.

For more information, please contact the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at https://cehs.usu.edu/teal/

Open Electives

Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Please consult your  Academic Advisor for details.

Total Credits: 152

Suggested Degree Map - Early Childhood Education/Special Education Composite: Birth to Five Emphasis BA, BS

Early Childhood Education/Special Education Composite: Birth to Five Emphasis BA, BS - 4 Year Degree Map