Special Education, A.A.

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Program Code: S.SPD.AA

Graduation requirement: 60 credit hours

Students interested in completing a baccalaureate degree in special education are strongly encouraged to complete an A.A. degree prior to transfer. To transfer into an approved baccalaureate program in special education as a junior, students must complete specific requirements and a minimum of 30-60 credits. UIUC recommends early transfer after completion of 30 credits, including required courses.

Since admission is competitive, completion of the recommended courses does not guarantee admission. Students should be aware that a minimum grade point average for most universities is required for program admission.

Students planning to teach in special education in Illinois are advised to plan their transfer programs with a Parkland academic advisor to meet specific requirements of their preferred college or university and the Illinois State Teachers Certification Board.

Program Notes

Future educators should work with an academic advisor to learn which general education courses are required for transfer or acceptance into the specific institutions that have educator licensing programs.
A criminal background investigation is required prior to field experience.
Licensure by the State of Illinois requires that all courses in program be passed with a grade of C or higher.
The following universities have specific math requirements for education transfer students.
- EIU: MAT 105 -MAT 106 sequence recommended
- ISU: Transfer math other than MAT 108 recommended
Check with transfer institution regarding foreign language requirements.
EDU 101 , PSY 209 , and PSY 220 are required for transfer into Special Education
Recommended courses are designed to facilitate completion of the A.A. degree and transfer into a four-year college or university with junior standing.

Recommended General Education Courses

The following courses are recommended to fulfill General Education requirements for this degree:

Social/Behavioral Sciences
HIS 104 - History of the United States to 1877 4 credit hours
OR HIS 105 - History of the United States since 1877 4 credit hours
POS 122 - American National Government 3 credit hours
PSY 101 - Introduction to Psychology 4 credit hours

Recommended Elective Courses

Students should select courses from the following recommendations to meet the minimum 60-hour degree requirement. They are advised to make course selections with an academic success advisor as universities and the Illinois State Teachers Certification Board may have specific course requirements.

EDU 101 - Introduction to Education 3 credit hours
EDU 104 - Introduction to Special Education 3 credit hours
KIN 181 - Health Education 2 credit hours
PSY 207 - Introduction to Child Psychology 3 credit hours
OR PSY 209 - Human Growth and Development 3 credit hours
Mathematics elective: 3-4 credit hours
Literature elective: 3 credit hours
Fine Arts elective: 3 credit hours
Science elective(s): 3-8 credit hours
Foreign language courses: 0-8 credit hours
Area of teaching concentration: 3-9 credit hours

Graduation Requirements for the Associate in Arts Degree

General Education Core Curriculum: 38 credit hours

Note: One course taken in Humanities, Fine Arts, or Social/Behavioral Sciences must be a Non-Western culture course.

Communications: 3 courses (9 credit hours)

Take all three:

COM 103 - Introduction to Public Speaking (IAI C2 900)
ENG 101 - Composition I (IAI C1 900) - Grade of C or higher required
ENG 102 - Composition II (IAI C1 901R) - Grade of C or higher required

Social/Behavioral Sciences: 3 courses (9 credit hours)

Take courses from at least two different subjects.
Choose from the
Social/Behavioral Sciences GECC course list

Humanities and Fine Arts: 3 courses (9 credit hours)

Take at least one course from Humanities and at least one course from Fine Arts.
Choose from the
Humanities and Fine Arts GECC course list

Mathematics: 1 course (3 credit hours)

Choose from the
Mathematics GECC course list

Physical and Life Sciences: 2 courses (8 credit hours)

Take one course from Physical Sciences and one course from Life Sciences. Or, take both of the Interdisciplinary Physical/Life Sciences courses.
Choose from the
Physical and Life Sciences GECC course list

Liberal Arts and Sciences: 3 credit hours

Take one:

LAS 188 - Diverse U.S. Cultural Expression 3 credit hours
OR LAS 189 - Introduction to Liberal Arts and Sciences 3 credit hours

General Elective Courses: 19 credit hours

Choose general elective courses to meet the 60 credit hour graduation requirement. If LAS 188 was chosen above, 22 hours of general elective courses will be needed to reach 60 total credit hours.

General electives include any transfer-focused courses (courses with an even middle number such as MGT 101 or ART 121).

Students should work with their advisor to choose electives that match their interests and transfer plans. Some four-year universities prefer transfer students to complete specific coursework. Contact the Academic Advising office for assistance with course planning.

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