COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Bachelor’s Degree Program

Prepare for a person-centered teaching career.

Many Special Education programs limit licensure to a grade level or a specific level of ability. At UW-Whitewater, you’ll earn a Special Education bachelor’s degree with breadth and depth.

Our program is cross-categorical, meaning that it prepares future special education teachers to work with students from kindergarten to adult, with mild disabilities to severe and profound disabilities, and in inclusive to intensive self-contained educational placements.

While the overall demand for special education teachers is expected to remain steady over the next decade, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 19% increase for behavioral specialists, an 8% increase in opportunities for special education professors, and a 2% growth for instructional coordinators for special education programs.

In addition to our on-campus program, we offer the same high-quality curriculum and instruction in an online format.

4-year plan Apply

Why study Special Education at UW-Whitewater?

With our inclusive curriculum, dedicated faculty, long-standing reputation for teacher preparation, and award winning programs, UW-Whitewater is among the best colleges for Special Education majors in Wisconsin.

As our department also houses four graduate degree programs and seven graduate certificate programs, you’ll be surrounded by faculty members and students committed to researching and advancing the field.

Here are a few other advantages to earning your degree in Special Education at UW-Whitewater:

  • Access to the Wisconsin Instructional Technology Resource Institute, which houses computer labs, virtual reality experiences, and more
  • Help from a dedicated librarian who specializes in education
  • An array of program-specific scholarships available to incoming and current students
  • Opportunity to participate in research under the guidance of special education faculty
  • Field experience or student teaching abroad

What our students do

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Gain first-hand teaching experience in local schools

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Pursue research with faculty mentors

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Volunteer in the local community

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Serve as agents of change

Clinical experiences

Special Education majors complete at least three fieldwork experiences before their final student teaching semester. This allows students to actively engage in classrooms through observation, teach in inclusive and intensive educational placements, coteach, and gain practical experience in a specialty area, such as intellectual disabilities or emotional/behavioral disorders (learning disabilities, autism, and dyslexia).

Student teaching, also called directed teaching, is a semester-long experience in a classroom.

Campus and community involvement

Our Special Education students have a variety of opportunities to interact with classmates or volunteer on campus or in the local community. 

 

Students meet with professor at UW-Whitewater

 

Special Education majors often join UW-Whitewater organizations such as: 

Aspiring Educators of Wisconsin
Provides educational and social opportunities to future teachers, and is a branch of both the National Education Association and the Wisconsin Education Association Council. 

Best Buddies
As part of this national organization, our chapter matches college students with people with intellectual disabilities for one-on-one friendships. 

CARE: Creative and Resourceful Educators
Advocates for the community of young children and their families through education, fundraising and service. 

LIFE: Learning is for Everyone
The LIFE program offers a complete college experience to young adults (ages 18 to 25) who have an intellectual disability. Participants gain independent living skills and prepare for meaningful employment experiences. Special Education majors have an opportunity to work and engage with students in the LIFE program. 

What our graduates do

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Teachers

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Administrators

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Program directors

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Disability specialist

Jobs in Special Education: Career success

Most of our graduates become special education teachers, and many pursue graduate degrees. With their advanced training, these students could work in special education careers such as:

  • Autism specialist
  • Behavioral specialist
  • Board-certified behavior analyst
  • Curriculum specialist
  • Dyslexia interventionist
  • Educational diagnostician
  • Learning support teacher
  • Program director
  • School administrator
  • School counselor
  • Transition specialist

Contact us

Want to learn more about earning your degree in Special Education at UW-Whitewater? education@uww.edu

Our faculty

The UW-Whitewater Special Education faculty have a range of educational and clinical experience. Among the faculty are board-certified analysts, reading and dyslexia specialists, and recipients of various teaching, advising and publishing awards.

Our faculty members have research and professional interest in areas such as:

  • Autism
  • Co-teaching
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Learning strategies
  • Person-centered planning
  • Reading interventions
  • School Reform
  • Universal design for learning
Meet our faculty

UW-Whitewater offers the following Special Education undergraduate degrees:

This program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Education in Cross Categorical Special Education [PDF].

Your class schedule will likely include:

  • Characteristics and Methods for Autism and Neurodiversity
  • Characteristics and Methods for Emotional/Behavioral Disorders
  • Characteristics and Methods for Intellectual Disabilities
  • Characteristics and Methods for Learning Disabilities
  • Behavior Management for the Inclusive Classroom
  • Collaboration for Co-Teaching
  • Special Education Law

Minors:

To apply, you’ll complete the UW-Whitewater application for admission and indicate your interest in earning a degree in education.

Apply now

Explore related programs at UW-Whitewater

Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education

Communication and Science Disorders

Social Work
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