Special Education

PSU’s Special Education programs offer you a variety of paths to become a special education teacher in Oregon, add to your teaching skills with special education expertise, or change your career. At PSU, you will have the opportunity to make an impact with special needs students in local schools. PSU offers elementary and secondary education pathways to obtain a special education teaching license.

Majors

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Special Education Bachelor’s

This comprehensive program prepares you to work with students of all ages – from kindergarten to high school. Through rigorous lessons and hands-on practice, you’ll gain the specialized skills needed to effectively teach students with a wide range of support needs.

Special Education Major

Master's Programs

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Special Education License

This graduate program prepares you to earn your Oregon Teaching License and a master’s degree. Learn to effectively teach students with a wide range of support needs from complex disabilities to those who need targeted support with behavior, social, or academic skills.

Special Education

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Early Intervention Special Education Master’s/Graduate Certificate

This program is for pre-service professionals, licensed teachers, and those who already hold a master’s degree. You will learn to provide crucial support to children with developmental delays and disabilities from birth to their start in school. You’ll gain the skills to assess children for delays, create and implement a strategy to build skills, develop relationships with family, and support children in their transition to a school setting.

Early Intervention Special Ed

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Early Childhood: Inclusive Education Master’s

In our comprehensive master’s degree, you will develop as a highly reflective and responsive early childhood educator or social service professional. This fully online program takes an interdisciplinary approach, fully preparing you to understand the role of development, diversity, and culture in the lives of young children and their families.

Early Childhood: Inclusive Ed

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Inclusive Elementary Educator Master’s

Earn your master’s degree and Oregon Teaching License through this comprehensive dual-endorsement program. You’ill earn endorsements in elementary and special education, allowing you to work in any elementary setting. Learn to work with all students in your classroom, creating a more equitable learning environment and to teach by the core principles that all students deserve to learn.

Inclusive Elementary Educator

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Secondary Dual Educator Master’s

If you already have a bachelor’s degree, earn your master’s degree and Oregon Teaching License through this comprehensive dual-endorsement program. You will earn endorsements in special education and your subject areas, allowing you to work in a variety of secondary settings. We will prepare you to integrate educational equity, social justice, and a sense of belonging in your classroom. With our focus on integrating special education in a general education classroom setting, you will learn to use specialized instructional methodology and content area expertise to differentiate instruction and develop curriculum accommodations.

Secondary Dual Educator

Visually Impaired Learner Master’s or Blindness & Low Vision Graduate Certificate

Whether you are a pre-service professional, currently licensed teacher, or already hold a master’s degree, we have a pathway for you! Our program equips you to serve students birth to 21 years old with visual impairments, ensuring they access a quality education. You’ll learn to assist students with visual impairments to fully access the general education curriculum and gain practical experience through field placements in local educational agencies or at residential schools for the blind.

Visually Impaired Learner

Graduate Certificates & Endorsements

If you are a teacher candidate, or already working in the classroom you can add an endorsement to meet the requirements for Oregon's education licensing board, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC). Some programs have the option to culminate in a master's degree with additional credits.

Added Special Education (AddSPED) Graduate Certificate/Endorsement: Bring inclusion to your own classroom and create a space where all students can learn and thrive; blend evidence-based research with creative classroom practices; and expand your opportunities to work with students ages 3–21 who have a range of support needs. This program can culminate in a master’s degree with additional credits.

Applied Behavior Analysis Graduate Certificate: This fully online graduate program provides a concentration of coursework in behavior analysis for those interested in careers as behavior specialists in schools or day-treatment centers, or in applied behavior analysis provider agencies, community-based organizations, in homes, and in communities. This program can culminate in a master’s degree with additional credits.

Infant/Toddler Mental Health Graduate Certificate: Through this program, you will learn the dynamics of infant and toddler development, protective factors in family environments, home and community-based intervention, and more. Our students are early childhood and early intervention educators, mental health, health care, social services, social workers, and counselors as well as home visitors and childcare providers. This program can culminate in a master’s degree with additional credits.

Orientation and Mobility for Children, Youth, and Adults (O&M) Graduate Certificate: O&M specialists educate students with visual impairments, including those with deafblindness. Through this program, you will gain the knowledge and skills to support student goals in a diverse range of schools, universities, rehabilitation settings, and community organizations. Often, students will combine this program with our Visually Impaired Learner program. Additionally, this program can culminate in a master’s degree with additional credits.

Certificates of Completion

Certificates of completion are granted by the College of Education but are not accredited programs through Portland State University. You can complete the courses as either a non-degree student or apply them toward a master’s degree in special education.

Autism Core Concepts: This certificate will help you expand your skill set for working with individuals and students with autism. Designed for anyone who wants evidence-based knowledge about autism spectrum disorders and the effects of autism for individuals and their families/caregivers and communities.

Autism Advanced Concepts in Intervention: This certificate will further expand your skills and understanding when working with individuals and students with autism. Our coursework aligns with an individual’s development needs, whether you are a working professional, community, or family member interested in learning more about supporting individuals with autism. The advanced concepts in this certificate include a focus on programming and building relationships.