Special Education
Undergraduate programs involve courses of study to qualify the prospective educator to be able to meet the needs of students with a variety of learning and behavioral challenges.
A career as a teacher for children at risk and those with special needs allows you to help students learn and develop to their greatest potential. If you enjoy helping others learn new ideas and skills, a career in education may be for you.
The undergraduate programs offered in the Department of Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa provide teacher candidates with the opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and learn the best practices necessary for becoming effective teachers responsive to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families. The curriculum is a carefully planned sequence of classroom and practical experiences.
Minors:
Early Childhood Special Education
Instructional Strategist I: Mild/Moderate Disabilities (7-12)
Instructional Strategist I: Mild/Moderate Disabilities (K-6)
Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
(Click major/minor/certificate title to see typical courses for the program)
A teaching degree from the University of Northern Iowa is as close to a guarantee of a teaching job as you can get. In recent years, approximately 80 percent of teacher education majors who graduated from the University of Northern Iowa have found teaching positions; most of those who are not teaching have simply elected to go into a different field. Of those who are employed as teachers, 72 percent are teaching in Iowa. For those graduates who seek teaching positions in other states, opportunities for employment are even greater. Recent graduates are teaching in Nevada, Texas, Georgia, Florida and Arizona.
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Outstanding faculty who have won many teaching and research awards, and are known nationally and internationally for their scholarly contributions to the field.
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Integrated methods courses.
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Development of a student portfolio.
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More than 100 hours of field experience prior to student teaching including 18 weeks of half-day, week-long teaching in public classroom settings.
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A variety of student teaching sites in Iowa as well as opportunities in other states and countries.
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Nationally recognized Minorities in Teaching program, designed to encourage minority students as young as 6th grade to pursue teaching as a career.
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Yearly teacher education induction convocation to honor students admitted to teacher education.
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Kappa Delta Pi education honorary for students with cumulative grade point averages above 3.25.
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Membership in Student Council for Exceptional Children
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All-Iowa Teacher Recruiting Fair and the UNI Overseas Recruiting Fair, regarded worldwide as one of the foremost teacher recruiting events.
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Housed in Schindler Education Center, featuring extensive clinical areas, media facilities and a curriculum laboratory
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Malcolm Price Laboratory School on the UNI campus provides preschool and primary classroom facilities for observation and participation purposes
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UNI Child Development Center, located in the Price Laboratory School, is used for the education and care of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. It also serves as an observation and participation site for UNI early childhood education majors.
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Up-to-date computerized classrooms and computer labs
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Computer linkages with area schools for college student-grade school student communication
Full-tuition College of Education scholarships
available to incoming freshmen include the Teacher Education Scholarship
for Iowa residents; nearly 20 other scholarships are available in varying
amounts.
More information on department scholarships can found at Financial Aid.