Special Education

Students with special needs generally have learning disabilities, mental conditions or other disabling conditions that require special equipment, materials and teaching procedures. A graduate degree in special education prepares you for a rewarding career providing services to those with special needs or training others to work with students with special needs. Graduates of this program are in high demand nationwide.

Special education teachers design and teach appropriate curricula and assign work geared toward each student’s needs and abilities. They are involved in the students’ behavioral, social, and academic development, helping them develop emotionally, feel comfortable in social situations, and be aware of socially acceptable behavior. Preparing special education students for daily life beyond school also is an important aspect of the job. Teachers provide students with career counseling or help them learn routine skills.

This program is offered in Moscow and Coeur d’Alene.

Prepare for Success

A graduate degree in special education is ideal for people who have compassion and a desire to help those with special needs. A graduate degree places the student in leadership and decision-making roles. An undergraduate degree in education or a similar field is required for the special education program.

Your First Year

Some of the courses you will take are:

• Introduction of Evaluation of Children and Youth
• Education of People with Disabilities
• Behavioral Analysis for Children and Youth
• Families: Issues of Disability and Culture
• Special Education Curriculum
• Language, Communication, and Social/Emotional Enhancement

What You Can Do

Graduates are prepared to teach special education, advance toward administrative positions, do research in the field or prepare for a doctoral degree.

Opportunities

Reported shortages of qualified teachers coupled with increasing enrollments of special education students will likely create favorable job opportunities for professionals with this degree.

Current Research

Current faculty research is exploring:

• Learned helplessness in families of children with disabilities
• Autism

Our faculty members are conducting one of the first studies in the nation that looks at the inclusion of students with disabilities in Idaho's classrooms since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Hands-On Experience

Students in the special education program have many opportunities for hands-on training in the Center on Disabilities and Human Development. With about 20 students enrolled in the program each year, students form strong interpersonal bonds with faculty and with one another.

You will also have opportunities to participate in interdepartmental studies, become involved in community-based programs and network with professionals in special education and other disciplines.

Faculty Involvement

A small student-to-faculty ratio provides a unique opportunity for students to interact closely with faculty.