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Special Education



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Major Related
Resources

School of Education
Wright Education Building
Room 1000
Phone: 812-856-8500

Career Related
Resources

Education Placement Office
Wright Education Building
Room 1000
Phone: 812-856-8795

State of the art placement services include on-line job vacancy listings, electronic resume reporting, teleconferencing interviews, support portfolio development, interview preparation, Career advising. These services are available throughout your professional career.

IUB Libraries Career Resources
Education Careers

10th Street & Jordan Avenue
Phone: 812-855-0100



Description of Major

The B.S. degree program in Special Education prepares you to work with students of all ages who have special instructional needs. It requires the completion of 124 credit hours in general education, professional education, and elective course work a s prescribed by the State of Indiana, and includes study in such areas as educational psychology, legal issues of special education, child growth and development, and methods for teaching. The degree leads to certification to teach students in grades K-12 who have learning disabilities (LD), are mildly mentally handicapped (MIMH) or are seriously emotionally handicapped (SEH).

Skills & Knowledge Developed in this Field of Study

Ability to understand and accommodate students’ special needs and apply different teaching methods to reach students; communication and interpersonal skills.

Minors and Second Majors that Expand Career Options with this Major

Bi-lingual/bi-cultural endorsement, computer endorsement, preschool kindergarten endorsement.

Career Options

Careers Specific to the Bachelor's Degree

Special education teacher in self-contained classroom, public or private residential facility, hospital environment, or private home (for homebound learner); resource teacher in general classroom.

Other Career Possibilities with a Bachelor's Degree

Rehabilitation counselor, adapted physical education teacher, creative arts and recreational therapist.

Careers that Normally Require a Graduate Degree

Supervisor, administrator, instructor in teacher education programs, mentor teacher, related occupations involved with the identification, evaluation, and development of students with disabilities including school psychologist, social worker, and sp eech pathologist.

Employment Opportunities

Job Outlook

Special education teachers have excellent job prospects, with employment expected to rise dramatically in the next ten years, due to increased growth in the number of students, legislation emphasizing training and employment for individuals with dis abilities, growing public interest in special needs, and educational reform. Other factors contributing to this rapid employment include job turnover, declining numbers of graduates from special education teaching programs, and the growing use of inclusi ve school settings. Job opportunities are better in certain specialties (such as multiple disabilities, mental retardation, visual impairment, learning disabilities, preschool special education), while the gifted and talented specialty shows a balanced s upply and demand.

Salary Information

Salary will be based on schedules set by salary minimums, conditions in the district, yearly experience, advanced degrees, and adjusted for inflation, revenues from taxes, union negotiations and other factors. Earnings in private schools generally are lower than in public schools. According to the Department of Education in Indiana, average salaries for first-year special education teachers are: Learning Disabilities $22,357 Mild Mentally Handicapped $22,581 Emotionally Handicapped $22,357

Potential Career Growth

According to the Department of Education in Indiana, average salaries for all special education teachers are:Learning Disabilities $33,881 Mild Mentally Handicapped $35,475 Emotionally Handicapped $31,302

Placement Statistics for IU Graduates with this Major

Placement rates are approximately 89 percent for special education majors who enter the job market directly within six months of graduation. Currently Indiana has reciprocity agreements with 40+ states, making it easier for teachers licensed in Indiana to become licensed in another state.

High School Preparation

Not available.

Special Opportunities

Not available.

Noted Alumni

Not Available
Majors and Careers Series Spring 2000

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URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~udiv/majors
Comments: explore@indiana.edu
Created by Brian Smith, Dawn Bourbina, Ben Tesnar, and Stephen Grogg
Copyright 2000, The Trustees of Indiana University