B.A.Ed. in Special Education
Description
The B.A.E. degree with a major in special education prepares graduates to be eligible for certification in Mississippi to teach special education in grades K-12, mild/moderate and severe/profound. Graduates may also teach other subjects by gaining supplemental endorsements. (See an adviser for more information.)
Minimum Total Credit Hours: 122
General Education Requirements
The core/general education requirements for the B.A.E. degree are as follows: 6 hours of English composition (Engl 101, Engl 102 or Liba 102); 6 hours of American or English literature; Math 121 or higher; a 3-4 hour biological science course with laboratory; a 3-4 hour physics, astronomy, or physical science II course with laboratory; a 3-4 hour course in geology, chemistry, or physical science I; one additional 3- hour course in mathematics or science; a 3-hour course in fine arts (appreciation or history of); one additional 3-hour course in fine arts; 6 hours of history; 3 hours of humanities (from among classics, modern languages, philosophy, religion, literature, history, Southern studies, gender studies, linguistics, or African-American studies); Psy 201.
Course Requirements
Requirements for the B.A.E. with a major in special education include Math 245, 246 (6 hours); CSD 201 (3 hours); Psy 301 or Psy 311 (3 hours); Spch 102 (3 hours); health science or nutrition (3 hours); Geog 101 (3 hours); Edrd 355 (6 hours); Edsp 308, 327, 329, and 335 (12 hours); professional education common core courses, 352, 353 (8 hours); professional education-special education courses, Edsp 402, 403, 405, Edci 419, Edle 467, SW 315, and SW 402 (21 hours, including 9 hours of Edle 464); elective hours to reach the 124 hours requirement.
Note: A minimum grade of C is required in all professional education courses. If this minimum of C is not met, the course(s) must be retaken before enrolling in the next level of professional education courses.
Other Academic Requirements
Admission to Phase II: Professional Education Core
Students who wish to enter a teacher education degree program must submit a formal application for admission to Phase II to the Office of the Dean of the School of Education. Requirements for admission to teacher education are as follows:
Completion of 45 semester hours. Students are responsible for submitting grades to the Office of the Dean for courses taken at other institutions.
A grade-point average of 2.75 or above on the 45 semester hours described above. Those who meet the test requirement (see below) and have at least a 2.50 but less than the 2.75 on the core may appeal to the Admissions Committee by submitting a portfolio that should include an essay and examples of successful experiences working with children. Information regarding the details for appeal is available for qualifying students. An on-site writing test is required in the appeal process.
Appropriate scores on the Praxis 1: Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) or SAT or ACT scores (see below):
- PPST scores required: Reading-170; Writing-172; Math-169. - Students who provide proof of an SAT composite score of at least 860 or an ACT score of at least 21 with no subtest score below 18 may be admitted to the teacher education program without PPST scores. ACT or SAT scores must be from tests taken prior to admission to a college or university.
A formal application for admission to Phase II must be filed in the Office of the Dean by the deadline date announced.
Approval by the Teacher Education Committee. Criteria for acceptance include requirements 1-4.
Admission to Phase III: Student Teaching
Applications are available on the advising link of the School of Education's Web site http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/educ_school2. Fall student teaching (music only) applications are due the spring semester prior to fall student teaching.
To be admitted to student teaching, a student must meet the following requirements:
- Admission to Phase II: Professional Education Core.
- A minimum grade of C in professional education courses. If this minimum of C is not met, the course(s) must be retaken before enrolling in the next level of professional education courses.
- Completion of all but two courses in the teaching field (not including electives) with a minimum grade of C. Candidates missing more than the maximum of two courses with the minimum grade of C can submit a letter of appeal to the director of field experiences. A committee will convene to consider the appeal.
- Completion of 15 hours in residency at The University of Mississippi (includes Tupelo and DeSoto campus centers).
- Completion of courses taken by correspondence for admission to student teaching.
- Evidence of professional liability insurance.