Learn to Educate Students Who Face Additional Challenges
Students with exceptional needs require teachers who understand best practices amid the spectrum of challenges these students face every day. Exceptional learners range from children with autism, visual or hearing impairments, intellectual disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, as well as other health impairments. In 2017-2018 in the U.S., 13.7 percent of all students fell into this category. At Nova Southeastern University, our Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education will thoroughly prepare you with the skills to excel in teaching exceptional students. We also will lay the foundation for you to pursue a professional teaching certificate in Florida.
In addition to learning to teach students with multiple disabilities—within the general inclusive classroom or in an exceptional student education setting—you will learn how to teach English as a second language (ESOL). These skills will give you an educational edge in the ability to promote equity, cultural awareness and social responsibility in diverse educational settings.
Why Should You Major in Exceptional Student Education at NSU?
Enrich Your Edge With Real-Life Experience
At NSU, your professors are eager to share the wisdom they have gained after spending years in the classroom. Our curriculum is focused on helping you achieve professional greatness. With field experiences and a final internship, you will be ready to jump right into a full-time classroom environment.
During your undergraduate studies, you’ll have a number of mentorship opportunities and both simulated and real-world classroom experiences, which prepare you for the classrooms of tomorrow.
The field experiences will provide you with an opportunity to perform the duties of a teacher within the classroom setting. The purpose of these experiences is to allow teacher candidates to demonstrate their understanding of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices and subject area competencies. A minimum of 10 field experience hours are required through education coursework and are to be completed throughout the exceptional student education program.
The clinical practice (internship) is the culminating real-world classroom experience; a 12 week, full-time school placement providing for hands-on experience in lesson planning, instructional delivery, student assessment, and parent/teacher interactions. Teacher candidates (interns) are matched with a school and certified teacher that will compliment your NSU supervisory and faculty team. The internship is designed to expand responsibilities each week as you become an integral member of the school community and teaching team. Your assigned mentor teacher will guide you along weekly as you assume full responsibility of the classroom, and upon successful completion of the internship, you will emerge as a highly qualified educator.
Florida participates in the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification Interstate (NASDTEC) Agreement facilitating mobility of Educational Personnel with more than 50 other states and jurisdictions for teacher certification and/or licensure. Graduates who wish to teach outside the state of Florida must contact their state's department of education for information for attaining certification/licensure through reciprocity.
National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification Interstate Agreement
Reserve your seat in one of NSU’s graduate or professional schools while you earn your bachelor’s degree. With NSU’s Dual Admission program, you don’t have to worry about competing with thousands of other students for a spot in a highly selective graduate program. This Premier Program gives you an opportunity to get a head start on your career, so you can start earning sooner.
Your NSU professors are dedicated to ensuring that you have a great academic experience. They regularly review the curriculum to make updates that give you an edge in today’s ever-changing world. As an NSU Education major, some courses that you could take include Educational Psychology, Foundations of Learning Disabilities, Introduction to Language Development and Speech Disabilities and Methods of Teaching Literacy in the Elementary School. Visit the B.S. in Exceptional Student Education/ESOL curriculum to view detailed course descriptions and plans of study.