Special Education
The Special Education degree program at Cumberland University has been designed with input from teacher education partners to meet the Tennessee Department of Education's requirements for Special Education licenses.
The program has been specifically designed to ensure graduating teacher candidates will meet the academic and developmental needs of all students during their first year teaching and thereafter.
Depending on the type of Special Education licensure sought, students who wish to become candidates for teacher licensure will choose from among different courses designed to meet differing requirements.
Students in this program must be admitted to the Teacher Education Progression (TEP) to be considered a candidate for licensure, and must meet TEP requirements at key checkpoints in their program. The TEP and its requirements is described fully on the University website in the online Teacher Education Handbook. Cumberland University students who wish to become teacher candidates must see a Teacher Education Programs advisor in Bone Hall for more information on teacher candidacy.
Degree Requirements
Area I – Foundation Skills - 2 hours
| FSL 101 | Foundations of Scholarship and Learning | 2 |
FSL 101 is required for new and transferring freshmen with less than 24 credit hours. Students must earn a "C" or higher in
FSL 101.
Area I - Rhetoric and Communication - 15 hours
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area I - Mathematics - 3-4 hours
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - Arts and Humanities - 3 hours
| ART 191 | Enhancing Art Understanding | 3 |
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - Literature in English - 3 hours
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - The Social Sciences - 6 hours
| PSY 211 | Psychology of Human Growth & Development | 3 |
| SOC 221 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - History - 6 hours
Choose one of two sequences:
| HIS 191 | World Civilization to 1500 | 3 |
| | and | |
| HIS 192 | World Civilization since 1500 | 3 |
| | or | |
| HIS 201 | History of the United States I | 3 |
| | and | |
| HIS 202 | History of the United States II | 3 |
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - The Natural Sciences - 7-8 hours
Choose one:
AND Choose one from the following:
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Required Professional Education Core Courses - 34-36 hours
| ED 190 | Introduction to Computers for Instruction | 3 |
| | or | |
| ED 191 | Computers in the 21st Century Classroom | 1 |
| | and | |
| ED 201 | Education as a Profession | 3 |
| ED 301 | Strategies in Teaching | 3 |
| ED 314 | History of Education | 3 |
| ED 317 | Tests and Measurements | 3 |
| ED 330 | Exceptional and Culturally Diverse Students | 3 |
| ED 432 | Classroom Management | 3 |
| ED 433 | Methods in Education | 3 |
| ED 435 | Enhanced Student Teaching | 9 |
| ED 436 | Student Teaching Seminar | 3 |
If a student has completed a CIS 170 course or equivalent, enroll in ED 191 instead of ED 190. Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses. Exception: Students must earn a "B" or higher in ED 301.
Required Courses for Special Education - 40 hours
| ED 304 | Strategies for Reading/Language Arts | 3 |
| ED 305 | Diagnosis & Remediation of Reading Difficulties | 3 |
| ED 322 | Education for the Developing Learner | 3 |
| HPER 343 | Essentials in Adaptive Physical Education | 2 |
| MU 129 | Music Listening | 3 |
| SPE 340 | Language Development and Disorders | 3 |
| SPE 345 | Effective Collaboration | 3 |
| SPE 346 | Ethical & Professional Aspects of Special Education | 3 |
| SPE 350 | Assessment of the Exceptional Student | 3 |
| SPE 360 | Characteristics & Needs of Exceptional Students - Modified | 4 |
| | or | |
| SPE 361 | Characteristics & Needs of Exceptional Students - Comprehensive | 4 |
| SPE 440 | Techniques & Strategies for Exceptional Students - Modified | 4 |
| | or | |
| SPE 441 | Techniques & Strategies for Exceptional Students - Comprehensive | 4 |
| SPE 347 | Practical Applications of Special Education | 3 |
| SPE 444 | Applied Behavior Analysis | 3 |
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
General Electives - 0-3 hours
Select sufficient courses from any academic discipline to bring the total hours for graduation to a minimum of 120.
Total GEC credit hours (43-47 hours)
Total required Education core (34-36 hours)
Required courses for Special Education (40 hours)
General Electives (0-3 hours)
120 minimum hours for graduation.
All courses must have a "C" or higher, except for ED 301 which requires a "B" or higher.
Candidates completing the initial Licensure Special Education Program interested in an additional endorsement in Special Education: Early Childhood/PreK-3
Candidates only interested in an initial license in Special Education Early Childhood PreK-3; please see your advisor.