Introduction
Some candidates know that they want to make a difference in the lives of students with disabilities as both a teacher and advocate. As a Special Education teacher, you have the unique opportunity to work with students in small groups, design a wide variety of learning experiences tailored to the needs of an individuals and build strong relationships with students and their families that often spans multiple years.
In our program, we believe that inclusive education involves the valuing and facilitating of full participation and belonging of all students and that special education teachers are in the unique position to support others in reaching this vision. As a pre-service teacher, you will gain the knowledge and skills to create interventions and tailor learning opportunities for students of all abilities.
This two-year, compacted program offers a facilitated sequence of courses combined with significant practical experience, including a year-long internship/residency with highly skilled mentor teachers. The curriculum has been co-designed by experts in the field and master teachers. Graduates from our program are highly sought after teachers for special education positions and are frequently at the top of the candidate pool for teaching jobs.
Upon completion candidates and are eligible for a Washington State residency teaching certificate in P-12 Special Education.
Student Resources
Department website: Education Leadership and Inclusive Teaching
Contact information:
Department advising: Learn more about the program at the Education for Inclusive Environments webpage.
Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
Career Services Center: Connect major to a career
Sample Careers: Special Education Resource Room Teacher (P-12), Special Education Teacher (P-12), Inclusive Classroom Teacher, Behavior Interventions Specialist
How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):
We invite prospective student candidates to contact us for more information about the program and for pre-application advising. Before students may begin taking courses in education, they must be admitted to both Western Washington University and Teacher Education Outreach Programs. Admission to our programs occurs once a year; cohorts begin each fall. Program admission requirements include:
Program admission requirements include:
- Transferable A.A. degree from a Washington state community college, or satisfaction of Western’s General Education Requirements.
- Minimum grade point average of 2.75 overall or for the most recent 45 quarter credit hours.
- Meet the basic skills requirement. This may be met by: a) Taking the West-B exam, b) SAT scores, c) ACT scores. There is no minimum score requirement for admission. See the Woodring admissions website.
- English composition course, completed with a B- or better.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Reflective essay.
For additional details about program admission, please visit the program website.
Enrollment restrictions apply in all teacher education programs. Meeting the above criteria makes the applicant eligible for admission, but does not guarantee admission. Students who meet all criteria are further evaluated by the department to determine the most qualified applicants. Retention in the program requires continuous demonstration of competence in standard oral and written English in all coursework. Retention also requires maintenance of a 2.75 quarterly GPA for each quarter after admission. The State of Washington requires students to earn a “C” or better in all major endorsement and most education courses.
Grade Requirements
Students must earn a grade of C (2.0) or better in the elementary education professional program and in all courses required for the endorsements.
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