General Undergraduate Admission Requirements
All applicants must meet the general admission requirements for Concordia University Chicago undergraduate programs as published in the Concordia University Chicago academic catalog.
New students are accepted into undergraduate degree-seeking programs for online (ADP) and on-campus (Traditional) study in the fall and spring semesters. If you have any questions please work with your admissions advisors.
Major Requirements
The 120 credit-hour minimum is achievable by using specific courses that meet both general education requirements and the Special Education major curriculum requirements. A course in the major must have the grade C or higher to apply to the major. No course in the major may be taken on the Pass/Fail grade option. No course in the approved program may be taken on the Pass/Fail grade option with the exception of the student teaching internship.
General Education Content Courses Required for the Special Education Licensure Program
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Human and Cognitive Development (*) | ||
| History of the American People to 1877 (*) | ||
or HIS-1250 | History of the American People since 1877 | |
| Child and Adolescent Psychology (*) | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundational Courses in Education | ||
| EDUC-1050 | Introduction to American Education 1 | 3 |
| EDUC-1070 | Media and Technology in the Classroom | 3 |
| EDUC-2020 | Human and Cognitive Development (This may satisfy a General Education requirement ) | 3 |
| EDUC-2050 | Teaching in Diverse Classrooms | 3 |
| EDUC-2090 | Characteristics and Instruction of Exceptional Learners | 3 |
| Prerequisites to the Special Education Professional Coursework | ||
| EDUC-2500 | Foundations of Literacy | 3 |
| EDUC-2400 | Literature for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults (This may satisfy a General Education requirement ) | 3 |
| MAT-1411 | Mathematics for Teachers: Number and Measurement | 3 |
| Child and Adolescent Psychology (This may satisfy a General Education requirement ) | ||
| Professional Education Courses for Teacher Candidacy in Special Education 2 | ||
| Special Education Methods Block I 3 | ||
| EDEL-3500 | Content and Methods for Elementary Literacy | 3 |
| EDSP-4751 | Characteristics of Students with Special Needs: High Incidence | 3 |
| EDSP-4752 | Instructional Strategies and Curricular Adaptations for Students with Special Needs: High Incidence | 4 |
| EDSP-4754 | Assessment of Individuals with Disabilities | 3 |
| Special Education Methods Block II 3 | ||
| EDEL-4905 | Content and Methods for Elementary Math | 3 |
| (Prerequisite: MAT-1411, MAT-1805 and MAT-1812 and acceptance into the College of Education ) | ||
| EDSP-4761 | Characteristics of Students with Special Needs: Low Incidence | 3 |
| EDSP-4762 | Instructional Strategies and Curriculum Adaptations for Student with Special Needs: Low Incidence | 4 |
| EDSP-4763 | Adaptive and Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities | 3 |
| EDSC-4220 | Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas | 3 |
| Specail Education Methods Block III 3 | ||
| EDMG-4900 | Content and Methods for Middle Grades Literacy | 3 |
| EDSP-4771 | Educational Collaboration | 3 |
| EDSP-4772 | Including Individuals with Disabilities in School and Community | 3 |
| EDSP-4773 | Classroom Behavior Support and Management | 3 |
| EDSP-4774 | Topics and Procedures in Special Education | 3 |
| Student Teaching Internship Semester | ||
| EDSP-4960 | Student Teaching Internship - Special Education | 15 |
| EDUC-4985 | Student Teaching Seminar | 0 |
| Minor (Optional) | ||
| Lutheran Teacher Education students automatically fulfill the requirements for a Theology minor | ||
| Electives | ||
| As needed to meet the 121-hour degree requirement | ||
| Total Hours | 83 | |
- 1
LTE candidates should take EDUC-1060 Intro to American Education for Public & Lutheran Teachers.
- 2
Must be admitted to Teacher Candidacy to enroll in the professional methods coursework. The professional coursework sequence focuses on the professional formation of the teacher.
- 3
Blocks I, II and III are taken in sequence and contain coursework required to be taken as a group in the same semester.
The total hours for the program is 120 credits. This includes general education, electives and major requirements above.
Middle Grades Literacy Endorsement Option for Special Education Majors
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 ISBE processing fee.
Student Teaching Internship
The Student Teaching Internship is in a special education assignment every day for the 16-week semester under the guidance of a classroom cooperating teacher. Candidates must also enroll in the edTPA Seminar and Colloquium during the internship. The intern will be supported and evaluated by the University supervisor. Candidates must meet the requirements for Transition Point Two: Admission to the Student Teaching Internship Semester to begin the internship. Subsequently, candidates must meet the requirements for Transition Point Three: Completion of the Student Teaching Internship Semester. Attendance at scheduled edTPA seminars and Colloquium is required. The College of Education Manual provides details and guidelines for meeting the criteria for successful completion of the Internship Semester and the process for obtaining the Illinois Professional Educator License.
Graduation Requirements
Students in the College of Education must meet all University requirements found in the Academic Information section of this catalog. Specific requirements of the College of Education include the following:
- Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 for all college-level coursework completed at CUC.
- Earn a grade of C or higher for courses serving as prerequisites for other courses.
- Earn a grade of D- or higher for general education courses that are not prerequisites for other courses.
- Earn a grade of C or higher in coursework applied to Professional Program requirements.
- Earn a grade of C or higher for Professional Instructional (Methods) course(s).
- A passing score on the Illinois State Licensure Test(s) (taken prior to student teaching for those seeking licensure).
- A passing score on the EdTPA (for those seeking licensure).
- A passing grade for the Student Teaching Internship and a passing grade for both semesters of the DCE internship.
The College of Education Initial Licensure Program has a stipulation indicating that students in the COE may not take any course as Pass/Fail without permission of the Division Chair or College Dean. Students may not take a course as Pass/Fail if the course is mandated by their licensure program through ISBE. Students may not take a course as Pass/Fail including courses with the following course codes - EDEC, EDEL, EDMG, EDSC, EDSP, EDKS and EDUC. The student teaching internship course and the edTPA course are excluded from this policy because they are automatically Pass/Fail. General education courses outside of the required licensure programs may be taken as Pass/Fail if they are in alignment with the University policy.
In addition to the overall minimum credits for the degree major, minor, endorsement, and special programs (Honors Program for example) requirements are also necessary if they have been declared. Deficiency in any area of the program will delay awarding of the degree and will require filing of a new intent to graduate. Students may elect to drop minors, additional endorsements, or other special programs if they present an obstacle to graduation.