PSU’s Special Education bachelor’s degree offers you a direct path to become a special education teacher in Oregon and join a field of caring, highly trained professionals who help students with developmental, physical, behavioral, and emotional needs.
Our comprehensive program will prepare you to work with students of all ages from kindergarten to high school. Through rigorous lessons and hands-on practice, you’ll gain skills to teach students with a wide range of needs, including individuals with complex disabilities and those with targeted support needs in academics, behavior, and social skills.
You’ll also:
- Gain hands-on experience working with students through a full-time student teaching placement and collaborative classroom experiences.
- Explore ways to improve school systems and learn to advocate for equity and inclusion for all students.
- Receive valuable instruction and mentorship from faculty who have real-world experience in the field.
- Build community — and the start of your professional network — within your program cohort.
When you graduate with your Preliminary Teaching License and endorsement in special education, you’ll have the deep professional skills and knowledge to stand up for all students and meet their challenges with real progress.
Special Education Minor Overview
PSU's special education minor is ideal for students who are majoring in elementary education at PSU or who plan to enter a graduate teacher education program and want to become licensed to teach special education. The minor will introduce you to the skills and knowledge required to teach students with special needs at the elementary or secondary school level.
While the minor is not a requirement for admission to PSU’s special education graduate program, it includes all of the prerequisites and highly recommended courses for admission.
Our special education program is one of many ways you can become a teacher at PSU.
We’re dedicated to training the next generation of impact-driven special education teachers and addressing the critical shortage of specially trained teachers across the state of Oregon and in the Pacific Northwest.
Our comprehensive coursework combines collaborative classroom learning with real-world preparation. You’ll study theories and concepts in the safe space of our college classrooms, then put your skills into practice working in local schools during your practicum and student teacher placement.
Program faculty are experts in the field who have strong partnerships with community agencies and can help you explore a wide range of areas in special education including:
- autism
- positive behavior support
- inclusion
- assessment
- early intervention/early childhood
- transition to adulthood
- visual impairments
Our faculty also maintain relationships in local schools through ongoing research and continuous improvement work in Portland area school districts. They stay closely connected to real classrooms, and have a firm understanding of what today’s students need to succeed.
PSU has a history of educating high-quality special education teachers who have a broad skill set and the drive to make a difference. Our reputation as a standout teacher preparation program has helped us build an extensive network of partnerships with local schools and school districts — and get our graduates jobs.
Schools around the region seek out our special education teacher candidates for student teaching placements and teacher positions because they know PSU students are well prepared for the job.
Twenty-first-century schools are diverse and inclusive communities where special education teachers support student growth and learning through creative practices and collaboration with fellow teachers, counselors, and families. This means that special education teachers often have the most diverse teaching jobs.
With a special education degree, you’ll be prepared to earn your Oregon Teacher’s License and enter the teaching field upon graduation. You’ll have the skills and qualifications to teach in Oregon as well as in nearby states who accept reciprocity.
With your deep classroom experience and comprehensive education, you’ll be a top candidate for positions that include:
- Special education teachers
- Education consultant
- Behavior specialists
- Community transition specialist
- Reading specialist
- Education coordinator
- Recreation coordinator
- Adaptive physical education teacher
- Director of special education
- Special education administrator
- Instructional coordinator
- Special education advocate
- Assisted technology specialist
Whether you want to lead a classroom or work 1:1 with special needs students, PSU’s special education program will help you develop your skills and expand your opportunities in the field.
Students who choose the special education minor can pair it with majors in other fields to prepare themselves for graduate school.
Accreditation
The Special Education Bachelor's degree at Portland State University is accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) and the state of Oregon's Teacher and Standards Practices Commission.