University of Oregon, College of Education : :

Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences

Contact: Emily Cornell
Phone:(541) 346-1638
340 HEDCO
5261 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-5261
Email: ecornell@uoregon.edu

· Educational Services Option

· Forms

· Disability Studies Option

· Overview

PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY
The Special Education undergraduate minor is for students who (a) plan to pursue a career in education, (b) are interested in working with individuals with disabilities in non-school settings, or (c) are interested in issues concerning people with disabilities. Students in the Special Education minor learn about and explore beliefs, attitudes, and issues related to disability. A student can choose from two strands, the Educational Services Option or the Disability Studies Option.

Undergraduate Minor
The Educational Services Option is ideal for students planning careers in teaching. They earn bachelor's degrees in various majors and apply to graduate level teacher education programs. This option gives these students expertise to make them more competitive applicants to graduate programs at the UO or elsewhere.

The Disability Studies Option is a strand that takes an interdisciplinary approach. Students majoring in disciplines such as English, comparative literature, pre-law, journalism, architecture, arts administration, business, public policy and management, can combine these with this Option's focus on issues related to people with disabilities. This option will provide an enhanced understanding of disability perspectives and issues in the students' chosen professions. This is an individually-designed program and must be entered in a student's sophomore or junior year.

Program Prerequisites
Before applying to either option of the minor program, students must complete either Foundations of Disability I (SPED 411) or Foundations of Disability II (SPED 412) or any SPED graded course with a grade of "B" or better.

Application, Deadlines, and Admission
The Special Education minor is open to all interested undergraduates who have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. Students apply to the department and are assigned a minor advisor who helps plan a course of study. Applications are available in the special education office in Trailer F, College of Education or online.

Program Description
The minor in Special Education (either option) consists of 24 credits, including a 10-credit required core of coursework providing general knowledge of special education and disability issues. Core courses consist of the following:

SPED 411 Foundations of Disability I: 3 credits
SPED 412 Foundations of Disability II: 3 credits
SPED 407 Seminar: Special Education Minor: 1 credit
SPED 406 Field Study SPED Minor: 3 credits
(Note: Students can take up to 6 credits of field study.)

In addition to the 10 credit core, students also choose to complete 14 additional credits for the minor. See the description and requirements for each option.

Field Experience
Approximately one-third of the required core coursework is field-based experience. Students can choose sites ranging from schools to community agencies.

Notes on Licensure and Certification
Special Educator Teaching Licensure is available at two levels at the University of Oregon: Early childhood/Elementary and Middle/Secondary. Three of the courses in the Special Education minor program of study may apply toward the licensure requirements for these levels: SPED 411, SPED 426, and SPED 480.

University of Oregon College of Education