Special education (SPED) teachers in Oregon must hold a K-12 teaching license with a special ed teaching endorsement. To earn your teaching license, PSU's College of Education (COE) offers a both a SPED major, and multiple SPED licensure programs at the master's level.
Program Structure
While any student can declare SPED as a major, you must apply and be accepted into the SPED program as a Junior
Once-a-year admissions for Fall term
Cohort model—takes a minimum of 2 years to complete sequence of requirements
Students can choose full-time or part-time work
Required summer class between Junior and Senior years
Full-time student teaching required in Spring term of Senior year
Admission Requirements:
Junior class standing (90+ credits)
GPA of 3.0 or higher
Grades of B- or better in:
MTH 211 and MTH 212 (Foundations of Elementary Math I & II)
SPED 418 (Survey of Exceptional Children)
All applicants should have experience working with persons with disabilities, preferably in public school settings.
Letters of recommendation, preferably from professional educators who have direct experience with you working with special needs children (see previous bullet point)
If a Special Education bachelor's degree option won't work for you, you can major in any other subject area, and apply to the Master's program. Pre-Special Ed students have a lot of flexibility in selection of a major. However, some majors are certainly more accommodating than others when it comes to building a broad foundation of knowledge in the subjects and populations SPED teachers serve. The following majors tend to be most common among students who graduate from PSU with their bachelor's and are then admitted to the SPED graduate program:
Social Science (Interdisciplinary Major)
Arts & Letters (Interdisciplinary Major)
Liberal Studies (Interdisciplinary Major)
Click here for a complete list of PSU majors and their respective advising locations.
Complete the Special Educator License Program
Earn a Master's in Special Education
K-12 teaching license with special ed endorsement.
License authorization is for grades K-12, but the program of study focuses on your choice of either elementary (K-5) or secondary (middle/high school) aged children.
1 year full-time or 2 years part-time to complete
Program follows a cohort model starting every summer term.
Admission Requirements (must be completed by the end of spring term prior to program starting summer term):
Bachelor's degree awarded
GPA of 3.0 or higher (undergraduate cumulative or graduate-level)
Grades of B- or better in all pre-requisite courses (or approved equivalent courses):
MTH 211 and MTH 212 (Foundations of Elementary Math I & II)
SPED 418 (Survey of Exceptional Children)
PSY 311U (Human Development)
All applicants should have experience working with persons with disabilities, preferably in public school settings.
A personal statement reflecting on your prior experiences and future ambitions in the field of special education
Letters of recommendation, preferably from professional educators who have direct experience with you working with special needs children (see previous bullet point)
Inclusive Elementary Educator Program (IEEP) combines elements of GTEP Elementary and SPED Licensure and Master's programs.
Earn a Master's in Education OR a Master's in Special Education
K-12 teaching license with special ed endorsement AND multi-subject endorsement
License authorization is for grades K-12, but the multi-subject teaching endorsement is typical of elementary (K-5) teaching.
2 years full-time to complete
Program follows a cohort model starting every other summer term (next admitting for summer 2019, followed by summer 2021)
Admission requirements and recommended majors include all items listed for SPED Master's Program (above) as well as those for GTEP Elementary.
Secondary Dual Educator Program (SDEP) combines elements of GTEP Secondary and SPED Master's programs.
Earn a Master's in Education OR a Master's in Special Education
K-12 teaching license with special ed endorsement AND subject-specific endorsement
License authorization is for grades K-12, but subject-specific teaching endorsements are typical of middle school (6-8) and high school (9-12) teaching.
2 years full-time to complete
Program follows a cohort model starting every other fall term (review COE Admissions Deadlines)
Admission requirements include all items listed for SPED Master's Program (above) as well as those for GTEP Secondary (in your chosen subject endorsement).