Special Education (BS) Program Overview
Special education teachers prepare all students to learn, regardless of ability or other special needs. A special education degree prepares you to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in K-12 education today. Special education majors study all four major subjects: English, math, science, and social studies in addition to learning how to teach. They also develop techniques for teaching and assessing students with special needs, including gifted learners, in preparation for licensure.
BU’s Unique Program
Bluefield University provides a Christ-centered approach that prepares servant leaders to make a difference in the classroom. The School of Education faculty makes every effort to know you as a person. With their help, you’ll design creative lessons and learn how to reach challenged students. You will begin to complete valuable classroom observations early in your education courses to help prepare you for the student teaching semester.
Are you ready to learn how you can change lives with a special education degree? Complete our information request form today and schedule a campus visit.
The Academic Catalog is the student’s guide to all policies and procedures for Bluefield University.
The Teacher Education Handbook is the guide to all of the policies and procedures for students entering the Teacher Education Program (TEP).
The Student Teaching Handbook is the primary resource for all students in the culminating experience of the Teacher Education Program (TEP).
Tuition: $395 Per Credit Hour
On-Campus Tuition & Fees
Next Start: January 2024 (Online)
Next Start: January 2024 (On-Campus)
Time to Complete: 4 years
Courses & Requirements
General Education (53 Credits)
General Education requirements may be fulfilled in more specific courses for certain majors
- Invitation to Inquiry
- Character Formation
- Civic & Global Response
- Personal Wellness & Activity
- Intro to the Writing Process (3 Credits)
- Argumentative & Analytical Writing (3 Credits)
- Biblical Perspectives (3 Credits)
- World Civilizations I & II (6 Credits)
- 2000 Level Literature Course (3 Credits)
- College Algebra I (3 Credits)
- Mathematics for Elementary & Special Education Teachers OR College Algebra II (3 Credits)
- Introduction to Psychology (3 Credits)
- Introduction to Sociology (3 Credits)
- Fine Arts (3 Credits)
- Fundamentals of Speech (3 Credits)
- General Biology & Lab (4 Credits)
- Intro to the Physical Sciences & Lab (4 Credits)
Core Requirements (37-38 Credits)
- Modern English Grammar
- History of the English Language
- Literature of Children & Adolescents
- Regional & Ethnic Literature
- Principles of Macroeconomics
- Mathematics of Finance
- Intro to Statistics
- General Chemistry or Chemistry Culture
- Human Biology & Lab or Human Anatomy & Physiology & Lab
- United States History
- History of Virginia
- (Choose 1)
- American Government & Politics
- State & Local Government
- History of American Government & Politics
Professional Education (29 Credits)
- Human Growth & Development for Educators
- Foundations of Education
- Intro to Instructional Media & Technology
- Reading & Language Arts
- Diagnostic & Remedial Reading
- Intro to the Exceptional Child
- Methods in Teaching PreK-6 Mathematics
- Assessment & Evaluation in Special Education
- Teaching Students with Disabilities for Success in the General Curriculum
- Collaboration & Transition for Students with Disabilities
Field Experiences (15 Credits)
- Dynamic Learning Environments
- (Must be taken prior to Student Teaching)
- Student Teaching
- (Taken in the final semester)
Required Testing (2 Tests)
- Virginia Communication & Literacy Assessment
- Reading for Virginia Educators: Elementary & Special Education