Special Education (K-12) Certification (Day)

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¹ Includes Field Experience: Students must complete the application form(s) for courses that include a field experience component by the semester BEFORE desired enrollment. See the Education Office for deadline information.
² Must be taken within first 9 hrs of EDUC classes
³ Meets college Ethics requirement
⁴ EDUC 322/EDUC 580 and EDUC 338/EDUC 516 are required for those who began Elementary certification August 2009 and after.
⁵ EDUC 400 may be taken concurrently with EDUC 426 & may be audited
⁶ Must receive a “B” or higher for certification. Two placements (1:K-6 & 1:7-12) 8 weeks each for Special Education K-12 Certification
⁷ See the Graduate Catalog for admission requirements and retention criteria for the Post Baccalaureate program.

General Education (38-41 sem. hrs)

The general education component is to be completed according to Columbia College degree requirements. In order to complete the requirements set forth by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the following courses must be included in your general education coursework.

Basic Studies and Mathematics

Arts and Humanities

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Liberal Arts and Science Degree (37-54 sem. hrs)

Students seeking certification in Special Education may choose from one of the following recommended degree areas:

BA - American Studies
BA - Psychology
BA - Sociology

Students must complete the degree requirements as set forth by Columbia College. Hours required for completion will vary depending on area chosen.

Please refer to your entrance year catalog for specific degree requirements.

Please note: certification will be Special Education (K-12), not content area certification.

Special Education is not a specific Education Minor

Students seeking Special Education certification will obtain the Education (General) Minor and finish certification requirements at the Post Baccalaureate level.⁷ Students must complete at least half of the Education coursework through Columbia College and maintain a 2.8 GPA within the minor with no grade less than C.

Professional Education Coursework 50 hrs

Complete Certification Sequence

Graduate (24 sem. hrs); Undergraduate (15 sem. hrs)

EDUC 400 - Senior Seminar 3 hours ⁵
EDUC 426 - Student Teaching in Special Education 12 hours ⁶ (16 weeks)
EDUC 514 - Mathematics for the Special Needs Child (Remedial) 3 hours
EDUC 515 - Language Development for the Exceptional Child 3 hours
EDUC 527 - Intro. to Mild/Moderate Cross-Categorical 3 hours
EDUC 528 - Methods of Teaching Mild/Moderate Cross-Categorical 3 hours
EDUC 547 - Career Counseling Including Children with Special Needs 3 hours
EDUC 548 - Communications-Counseling Conferencing & Confronting 3 hours
EDUC 572 - Individual Ability/Intelligence Testing 3 hours
EDUC 574 - Evaluation of Individual Achievement & Aptitude 3 hours

Note(s):

¹ Includes Field Experience
² Must be taken within first 9 hours of EDUC classes
³ Meets college Ethics requirement
⁴ Must receive a “B” or higher for certification. Two placements (1:K-6 & 1:7-12) 8 weeks each for Special Education K-12 Certification
⁵ See the Graduate Catalog for admission requirements and retention criteria for the Post Baccalaureate program.