The 121 credit-hour minimum is achievable by using specific courses that meet both general education requirements and the Special Education major curriculum requirements. We recommend students work with their academic advisor.
Special education majors take all of the coursework needed to fulfill the requirements for the Middle Grades Literacy Endorsement. The coursework is already embedded into the program. The requirements for the Middle Grades Endorsement, set forth by the state, add value to the special education teacher candidate's preparation by providing a content area endorsement in addition to the Special Education License-LBS1.
This is a subsequent endorsement, requiring a passing score on the Content test in Middle Grades (5-8) Language Arts and an additional ISBER processing fee.
Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) are general education courses Concordia-Chicago agrees to accept in lieu of comparable, lower-division general education requirements. For more information regarding IAI transfer credit, please see the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s iTransfer website at www.itransfer.org.
Courses listed below with an (*) per College of Education requirements must earn a C or higher.
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COL-1995 | Vocation and College Success | 1 |
Theology – Public Teacher Education (6 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Biblical Courses, choose one | 3 | |
| The Bible (B) | ||
| Introduction to the Old Testament (B) | ||
| Introduction to the New Testament (B) | ||
| Theological Course | 3 | |
| Introduction to Christianity (S) | ||
General Education Requirements
Communication (9 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ENG-1100 | English Composition | 3 |
| ENG-2000 | Writing About Literature | 3 |
| The above courses must pass with a C or higher per IAI requirements. | ||
| COM-1100 | Speech Communication | 3 |
Humanities (9 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities: Required Course | 3 | |
| History of the American People to 1877 (*) | ||
or HIS-1250 | History of the American People since 1877 | |
| Fine Arts: Select one from the following | 3 | |
| Introduction to the Visual Arts | ||
| Two-Dimensional Basic Studio | ||
| Three-Dimensional Basic Studio | ||
| Western Art: Pre-History through Renaissance | ||
| Western Art: Post Renaissance through Contemporary | ||
| Non-Western Art 1 | ||
| Introduction to Film Studies | ||
| Global Documentary 1 | ||
| Exploration of Music | ||
| Survey of Western Music | ||
| Music of World Cultures 1 | ||
| History of Jazz | ||
| Introduction to Theater | ||
| Select one Humanities or Fine Arts from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to the Visual Arts | ||
| Two-Dimensional Basic Studio | ||
| Three-Dimensional Basic Studio | ||
| Non-Western Art | ||
| Western Art: Pre-History through Renaissance | ||
| Western Art: Post Renaissance through Contemporary | ||
| American Sign Language I | ||
| American Sign Language II | ||
| Introduction to Film Studies | ||
| Global Documentary | ||
| Literature for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults (This course is an ISBE requirement) | ||
| Non-Western Literature | ||
| U.S. Latina/o Literature(s) | ||
| Greek & Roman Mythology | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Classical World Literature | ||
| Modern World Literature | ||
| German for Reading I | ||
| German for Reading II | ||
| Greek I | ||
| Greek II | ||
| Hebrew I | ||
| Hebrew II | ||
| Survey of Early Modern Europe, 1350-1815 | ||
| Survey of Modern Europe Since 1815 | ||
| Survey of World History to 1350 1 | ||
| Survey of the World Since 1350 1 | ||
| U.S. Women's History | ||
| African American History | ||
| Hispanic and Latino American History | ||
| Ancient Greek and Roman Civilizations | ||
| A History of Illinois | ||
| Arts and Ideas | ||
| Intro to American Cultural Studies | ||
| Latin I | ||
| Latin II | ||
| Exploration of Music | ||
| Survey of Western Music | ||
| Music of World Cultures | ||
| History of Jazz | ||
| Primer in Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Introduction to Logic | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Elementary Spanish I | ||
| Elementary Spanish II | ||
| Intermediate Spanish I | ||
| Intermediate Spanish II | ||
| Introduction to Theater | ||
Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| EDUC-2020 | Human and Cognitive Development (This is an ISBE requirement *) | 3 |
| PSY-2125 | Child and Adolescent Psychology (*) | 3 |
| Select one additional course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology 1 | ||
| Foundations of Economics | ||
| Geography of North America | ||
| World Geography: Culture Patterns 1 | ||
| The Developing World 1 | ||
| Introduction to Global Cultural Studies | ||
| Engaging Diversity: U.S. Perspectives | ||
| American Government and Politics | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Politics | ||
| General Psychology | ||
| The Mind and the Brain | ||
| Developmental Psychology: Life Span | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Race, Ethnicity, and Racism in the U.S. | ||
Physical and Life Science (7- 8 Hours)
All College of Education students must complete coursework in the following areas: biology, chemistry or earth science. At least one of the transfer courses in science must include a lab.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Science Requirements Select One | 4 | |
| Consumer Chemistry (With Lab) | ||
| Chemistry in the World Today | ||
| Health Science Applications in Chemistry | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry (With Lab) | ||
| Elements of Earth Science (With Lab) | ||
| Concepts in Life and Physical Science (With Lab) | ||
| Medical Terminology | ||
| Energy and Our Environment (With Lab) | ||
| Introduction to Sustainability (With Lab) | ||
| Physics of Things We Use (With Lab) | ||
| Life Science Requirements Select One | 3-4 | |
| Biology in the World Today (With Lab) | ||
| Medical Terminology | ||
| General Biology I (With Lab) | ||
| General Biology II (With Lab) | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology I (With Lab) | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology II (With Lab) | ||
| Fundamentals of Microbiology (With Lab) | ||
Mathematics (3 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MAT-1412 | Mathematics for Early Childhood Teachers: Geometry, Statistics, Functions | 3 |