Parkland College Online

Special Education

Minimum graduation requirement — 60 semester hours

Associate in Arts (A.A.)
Program Code: SSPD AA

Associate in Science (A.S.)
Program Code: SSPD AS

Students interested in completing a baccalaureate degree in special education are strongly encouraged to complete an A.A. or A.S. degree prior to transfer. To transfer into an approved baccalaureate program in special education as a junior, students must complete specific requirements and a minimum of 30-60 credits. UIUC recommends early transfer after completion of 30 credits, including required courses. Since admission is competitive, completion of the recommended courses does not guarantee admission. Students should be aware that a minimum grade point average for most universities is required for program admission.

All transfer applicants are required to pass the Illinois Basic Skills Test, and this score may be required at time of application. Contact Parkland’s Counseling and Advising Center for more information about this test and suggested timing.

Students planning to teach in special education in Illinois are advised to plan their transfer programs with a Parkland academic advisor or counselor to meet specific requirements of their preferred college or university and the Illinois State Teachers Certification Board.

Program Note
A criminal background investigation is required prior to field experience. Students are responsible for any fees.

Requirements	Credit Hours
Required General Education Core Courses (40 hours minimum)
Communications (9) ENG 101Composition I ENG 102 Composition II SPE 101 Introductory Speech Communication	3 3 3
Social/Behavioral Sciences (11) HIS 104 History of the U.S. to 1865 or HIS 105 History of the U.S., 1865 to the Present POS 122 American National Government PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology	4 3 4
Humanities/Fine Arts electives (9) Literature elective Fine Arts elective	3 3
Hum or FA elective that fulfills the Third World or non-Western culture requirement.	3
Mathematics elective	3-6
Physical Sciences elective	4
Life Sciences elective	4

Required Professional Courses (9 hours)
EDU 101 Introduction to Education	3
EDU 104 Introduction to Special Education	3
PSY 209 Human Growth and Development	3

Required Course for A.A. Degree (3 hours)
LAS 189 Introduction to the Liberal Arts and Sciences.	3

Required Course for A.S. Degree (3-5 hours)
Additional Mathematics, Physical Sciences, or Life Sciences elective Must be a course numbered 100-289 whose second digit is even.	3-5

Suggested Electives Select courses from the following to bring total number of credits to a minimum of 60:
KIN 181 Health Education	2
Mathematics elective	3-4
Literature elective	3
Fine Arts elective	3
Science elective(s)	3-8
Foreign Language courses	4-16
Area of teaching concentration Select up to a maximum of 9 hours in one academic discipline: Anthropology, Art, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Dance, Earth Science, Economics, English, Foreign Languages, History, Literature, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Theatre.	3-9
General electives	0-8
Total Semester Credit Hours	60

How to get started

Contact Parkland
Distance Learning: Admissions: Financial Aid: Advising: Bachelor's Degree:	Lori Wendt Reo Wilhour Dawn Good Advising Center Billie Mitchell	217-353-2012 217-353-2638 217-353-2242 217-351-2555 217-353-2666	lwendt@parkland.edu rwilhour@parkland.edu dgood@parkland.edu getadvised@parkland.edu finishyourdegree@parkland.edu

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Email Us
217-353-2342
Building D, Room 106
Parkland College
2400 W. Bradley
Champaign, Illinois