Bachelor of Science / Master of Education in Exceptional Student Education (4+1 Program)

In the state of Florida, and in the majority of the country and even the world, exceptional student education (ESE) teachers are in critical shortage. Southeastern’s ESE degree trains professionals who can meet that need. What’s more, this valuable Florida state-approved 4+1 degree also carries special perks.The Florida Association of Teacher Educators has selected an SEU senior for its top scholar-teacher award for the past 10 years. Not only will you graduate with both an undergraduate and a graduate degree in education but you will also become certified in multiple areas (exceptional student education, elementary education and a secondary education content area of your choice) and acquire endorsements in several specialty areas (reading, autism and English for speakers of other languages), making you a highly qualified and sought-after teacher. Very few state or Christian institutions offer a degree with this highly marketable set of specializations. Southeastern, in fact, is one of the first institutions in Florida to do so. In addition to four semesters of gaining hands-on field experiences, you will learn research-based classroom techniques for teaching special-needs children with the most prevalent disabling conditions. Your final semester will then be rounded out with full-time teaching in a local partner school, where you will make valuable connections in the community and perfect your craft in preparation for taking charge of your own classroom.

Sample Core Courses

• Applied Linguistics (EDUC 4043) — This course is a practical approach to teaching English to speakers of other languages. The course includes topics such as general linguistics, language theory, principles of language acquisition, and techniques for teaching and assessing K-12 ELL students. Special attention is given to the linguistic components of English, namely phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, discourse, and pragmatics.
• Survey of the Exceptional Learner (ESED 3113) — This is a required course for certification in Exceptional Student Education, Elementary Education, and Secondary Education. This is an introductory course that examines the history, characteristics and issues in exceptional education. The course covers all areas of exceptionality and their manifestations from early childhood through adulthood. It is designed to provide students with a firm grounding in the foundations of special education and expose them to the reconstruction of the field, in order that they may better deal with new and ever-changing developments.
• Educational Psychology (EDUC 2233) — This course is a study of student diversity, the principles and philosophy of human growth and development, motivation and learning theory, and how these are applied to teaching. Included are introductions to intelligence theories, cultural issues, instructional approaches, learning taxonomies, motivation, and different assessment tools.
• Empowering ESOL Teachers: Overview (EDUC3353) — This course is an overview of curriculum, instructional methods and materials, testing and evaluation, and cross-cultural communication processes and linguistic principles as related to instructing English Language Learners (ELLs) in the K-12 classroom