Special Education PK-12 BS

Major: Special Education PK-12
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits:181.0
Co-op Options: No Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 13.1001
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 25-2051; 25-2055; 25-2056; 20-2057; 25-2058

About the Program

Special educators are in a unique position to support diverse young learners to develop social, emotional, academic, and life skills that will serve them throughout their lives. The role of the special educator is challenging and rewarding and requires extensive knowledge and practical experience and insight into their learners’ unique abilities and challenges. Drexel’s BS in Special Education offers students the opportunity to develop professional knowledge and skills to assist these learners in a full- or part-time online option.

The courses address all required state and federal regulations as well as the Pennsylvania General Standards for Special Education and the competencies and standards outlined by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Most courses include a fieldwork component that helps the student apply the skills and content learned in the classroom to real world educational environments. Clearances and field placement applications must be submitted before participating in coursework with classroom-based field components. 

The program requires that candidates have a B average (3.0 GPA) in content courses needed for teacher certification in addition to the grade of B or better in each EDEX, EDLT, EDPO, EDUC and MTED courses throughout their time in the program. These requirements must be satisfied for Drexel to recommend the candidates for teacher certification upon graduation and/or be considered to have completed the program. 

Additional Information

More information is available at the School of Education's website.

Admission Requirements

  • HS Diploma or GED (in last 2 years) plus transcript
  • SAT/ACT score no more than 5 years old

Degree Requirements

General Education/Content Requirements
Art History or Music Elective (Choose one):3.0
History of Art I
History of Art II
History of Art III
African Art
Introduction to Music
BIO 161General Biology I3.0
BIO 162General Biology II3.0
Science Elective (Choose One):3.0-4.0
General Chemistry I
Environmental Science and Society
Survey of the Universe
Applied Physics
COM 111Principles of Communication3.0
ECON 201Principles of Microeconomics4.0
ENGL 101Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research3.0
or ENGL 111 English Composition I
ENGL 102Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing3.0
or ENGL 112 English Composition II
ENGL 103Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres3.0
or ENGL 113 English Composition III
English (Literature) elective: Select course between ENGL 200 - ENGL 3603.0
HIST 275History of Pennsylvania3.0
MATH 107Probability and Statistics for Liberal Arts3.0
MATH 110Precalculus3.0
MATH 171Introduction to Analysis A3.0
MATH 172Introduction to Analysis B3.0
NFS 100Nutrition, Foods, and Health2.0
NFS 101Introduction to Nutrition & Food1.0
PSY 101General Psychology I3.0
PSY 320 [WI] Educational Psychology3.0
PSY 330Cognitive Psychology3.0
SOC 335Sociology of Education3.0
Pedagogy Requirements
EDLT 325Design for Learning with Digital Media3.0
EDPO 312Educational Policy, Law & Advocacy3.0
EDUC 101Foundations in Education I: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective3.0
EDUC 106First Year Seminar: A Case of Schools and Cities1.0
EDUC 107First Year Seminar: Exploring Pedagogies1.0
EDUC 108First Year Seminar: Designing Learning Spaces1.0
EDUC 205Sophomore Pedagogy Seminar1.0
EDUC 222Development in Early Childhood Education3.0
EDUC 216Diversity and Today's Teacher3.0
EDUC 236Early Literacy I3.0
EDUC 305 [WI] Junior Pedagogy Seminar1.0
EDUC 308Creating a Positive Classroom Climate3.0
EDUC 314Science Teaching Methods3.0
EDUC 316Teaching in Urban Contexts3.0
EDUC 322Evaluation of Instruction3.0
EDUC 324Current Research in Curriculum & Instruction3.0
EDUC 336Early Literacy II3.0
EDUC 355Social Studies Teaching Methods3.0
EDUC 360English/Language Arts Teaching Methods for the Middle Years1.5
EDUC 361Middle Years Science Methods1.5
EDUC 362Middle Years Social Studies Methods1.5
EDUC 365Foundations in Instructing English Language Learners3.0
EDUC 405Senior Pedagogy Seminar1.0
EDUC 411Family and Community Partnerships3.0
MTED 363Middle Years Mathematics Methods (4-8)1.5
MTED 417Mathematics Methods and Content: Early Childhood3.0
MTED 418Mathematics Methods and Content3.0
Special Education Core Courses
EDEX 142Special Education Foundations: Referral and Assessment3.0
EDEX 336Special Education Law and Processes3.0
EDEX 344Inclusive Practices3.0
EDEX 348Emotional and Behavioral Support of Individuals with Disabilities3.0
EDEX 349High Incident Disabilities3.0
EDEX 350Teaching Individuals with Low Incident Disabilities3.0
EDEX 352Integrating Technology for Learning & Achievement3.0
EDEX 355Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders3.0
EDEX 368 [WI] Literacy and Content Skill Development PK-123.0
EDEX 375Teaching STEAM in an Inclusive Environment PK-123.0
EDEX 378Special Education: Methods & Practices PK-123.0
EDEX 388Implementing Academic Interventions in Inclusive Educational Environments3.0
Student Teaching Experience
EDUC 409 [WI] Teaching Seminar I9.0
EDEX 414 [WI] Special Education Student Teaching Seminar9.0
Free Elective3.0
Total Credits181.0-182.0

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study

First Year (Part-Time)
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
EDUC 1013.0EDUC 1071.0EDEX 1423.0EDUC 2163.0
EDUC 1061.0EDUC 2223.0EDUC 1081.0ENGL 1033.0
ENGL 1013.0ENGL 1023.0Free Elective3.0HIST 2753.0
PSY 1013.0MATH 1713.0MATH 1723.0 
 10 10 10 9
Second Year (Part-Time)
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
BIO 1613.0BIO 1623.0EDUC 2363.0EDEX 3363.0
EDEX 3443.0EDEX 3683.0EDUC 3051.0EDPO 3123.0
EDUC 2051.0EDUC 3223.0EDUC 3083.0Art History or Music Elective3.0
MATH 1073.0 EDUC 3653.0 
 10 9 10 9
Third Year (Part-Time)
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
EDEX 3493.0EDEX 3553.0EDEX 3523.0EDEX 3503.0
EDEX 3753.0EDUC 3163.0Literature Elective3.0EDLT 3253.0
MATH 1103.0NFS 1002.0Science Elective3.0-4.0EDUC 3553.0
 NFS 1011.0  
 9 9 9-10 9
Fourth Year (Part-Time)
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
EDEX 3783.0EDEX 3483.0EDEX 3883.0EDUC 3601.5
EDUC 3243.0EDUC 3143.0EDUC 3363.0EDUC 3611.5
EDUC 4113.0PSY 3203.0MTED 4173.0EDUC 3621.5
   MTED 3631.5
 9 9 9 6
Fifth Year (Part-Time)
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
EDUC 4051.0EDEX 4149.0COM 1113.0MTED 4183.0
EDUC 4099.0 ECON 2014.0PSY 3303.0
  SOC 3353.0 
 10 9 10 6
Total Credits 181-182

Program Level Outcomes

  • Use multiple reliable and valid methods to assess student strengths and needs and make instructional recommendations based on assessment data. 
  • Demonstrate collaborative partnerships with stakeholders (including educational team members, family members and students) in the development, implementation and assessment of individualized educational plans and goals. 
  • Create and support inclusive learning environments where all learners are welcomed, challenged and held to high expectations. 
  • Demonstrate competency with the legal requirements as well as ethical and professional standards that undergird the practice of Special Education. 
  • Exhibit competence in selecting and executing evidence-based behavioral, instructional, and technology strategies to address the diverse needs of students with disabilities. 

Education Faculty

Jennifer Adams, EdD (Harvard University). Associate Professor. Comparative and international education; Poverty and education; Child welfare; Educational policy.
Ayana Allen, PhD (Texas A&M University ). Associate Professor. Urban education; Identity construction in school contexts; Urban school transformation.
Kristen Betts, EdD (George Washington University). Clinical Professor. Higher education administration and governance, online blended education, instructional design and educational technology, program assessment and evaluation.
Eric Brewe, PhD (Arizona State University). Associate Professor. Physics Education Research, introductory course reform, network analysis in learning, neuromechanisms of learning.
Stephanie Smith Budhai, PhD (Drexel University). Associate Clinical Professor. Teacher and higher education, culturally responsive teaching, equity and social justice, online learning, community engagement and service-learning, family involvement and partnerships, and learning technologies.
José Luis Chávez, EdD (University of Southern California). Clinical Professor. Higher education leadership and administration.
Rebecca Clothey, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) Department Head, Global Studies and Modern Languages. Professor. Comparative and international education, education of ethnic and linguistic minorities, refugees, China studies.
James Connell, PhD (Louisiana State University) Founding Clinical Core Director and Research Fellow, A.J. Drexel Autism Institute. Associate Professor. Identifying the variables that influence adult behavior change in community settings; autism intervention; widespread dissemination of evidence-based interventions in school and community settings.
Kareem Edouard, PhD (Stanford University). Assistant Professor. Educational technology; internet-based STEM learning; equity and inclusion in STEM education
Salvatore V. Falletta, EdD (North Carolina State University). Clinical Professor. Human Resource intelligence (i.e., HR research and analytics practices); HRD assessment, measurement, and evaluation models and taxonomies; organizational diagnostic models; web-based employee and organizational survey methods, and computational modeling.
Aroutis N. Foster, PhD (Michigan State University) Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies. Professor. Educational psychology and educational technology, especially the following: Motivation; Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK); Immersive Interactive Digital Environments (simulation, games, virtual realities.
Rajashi Ghosh, PhD (University of Louisville, Kentucky) Department Chair for Policy, Organization & Leadership. Associate Professor. Mentoring and leader development, workplace Incivility, workplace learning and development.
John M. Gould, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) Harrisburg EdD Educational Leadership & Change Program. Clinical Professor. Change leadership, curriculum re-design, the impact of technology on learning.
Dominic F. Gullo, PhD (Indiana University). Professor. Studying the relative and long-range effects of early schooling experiences in prekindergarten and kindergarten on children's achievement and social adaptation to school routine.
H. Bernard Hall, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Professor. Hip-hop Pedagogy, English Education, Urban Teacher Education.
Paul Harrington, PhD (University of Massachusetts, Boston) Director, Center for Labor Markets and Policy. Professor. Teen and young adult job access; economic outlook, college labor market; workforce development, planning, and development; vocational rehabilitation and job market transition.
Michael J. Haslip, PhD (Old Dominion University). Assistant Professor. Early childhood education, social and emotional learning, child guidance strategies, effects of public pre-school attendance.
Deanna Hill, JD, PhD (University of Pittsburgh). Associate Clinical Professor. Higher education, international education, education law, education policy
Erin Horvat, PhD (University of California, Los Angeles) Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Professor. Urban education, access and equity, high school dropout, parent involvement/family involvement, community engagement in research.
Jennifer Katz-Buonincontro, PhD (University of Oregon) Associate Dean of Research. Associate Professor. Educational administration, leadership development, survey & instrument design.
Larry Keiser, PhD (Drexel University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Education and corporate/business leaders’ creativity and entrepreneurial mindsets; creative school/work environments; neuroscience of creativity; everyday creativity for teachers and educators.
Kristy Kelly, PhD (University of Wisconsin, Madison). Associate Clinical Professor. Sociology of gender and development; anthropology of policy; comparative and international education; qualitative research methods; Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Cameron Kiosoglous, PhD (Virginia Tech University) Program Director. Assistant Clinical Professor. Coached on the USRowing National Team staff since 2002, including the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games; coaching development; measuring coaching quality; self-insight and reflective practices; coaching leadership; conference presenter; published author.
Valerie Klein, PhD (Amherst College). Associate Clinical Professor. Mathematics learning and teaching; teacher's use of formative assessment in mathematics; creating opportunities for rich problem solving in the classroom; examining teachers growth and change; qualitative research methods.
Peggy Kong, PhD (Harvard University). Associate Clinical Professor. Comparative and international education, equity in education, family and community, Chinese education and society, sociology of education
Michael G. Kozak, Ed.D. (Rowan University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Leadership, STEAM, online and blended learning environments, systems thinking, experiential learning, K-12 education, and facilitating change
Amanda Lannie, PhD (Syracuse University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Applied behavior analysis and special education; School-based consultation; system-wide interventions as a mechanism for delivery supports to all students; Designing effective and efficient interventions for students with emotional/behavioral disorders.
Vera Lee, EdD (University of Pennsylvania) Department Chair for Teaching, Learning & Curriculum. Associate Clinical Professor. Practitioner Research in online courses to explore inservice/preservice teachers’ emerging understandings about issues of diversity; the development of information/digital literacies of urban youth; English language learners.
Bruce Levine, JD (New York University). Associate Clinical Professor. Educational policy, school law, public-private partnerships, intersection of business and education.
Kristine Lewis-Grant, PhD (Temple University). Clinical Professor. Experiences of students of African descent at predominantly white colleges and universities, college access and college student development, youth civic engagement in urban school reform, qualitative research and evaluation.
William Lynch, PhD (University of Maryland). Professor. Curriculum and educational leadership, educational technology, distance learning policy development, higher and adult education.
Constance Lyttle, PhD, JD (University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University). Clinical Professor. Legal rights of gifted and talented children and children with disabilities; inclusive education of exceptional children; special education mediation; special education IEP/IFSP facilitation; resolution session facilitation
Joy Phillips, PhD (The University of Texas at Austin). Associate Clinical Professor. Visionary leadership in theory and practice, school reform as innovative problem-setting, thinking qualitatively about school reform. thinking about school reform by drawing, Educational Leadership Program Assessment.
Kathleen Provinzano, PhD (Marywood University). Assistant Professor. Educational administration.
Harriette Rasmussen, EdD (Fielding Graduate University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Educational leadership and change.
Lori Severino, EdD (Neumann University). Assistant Professor. Special education, differentiated instruction, reading, Wilson language, multi-sensory instruction, reading comprehension, assessment, adolescent literacy.
Jason Silverman, PhD (Vanderbilt University). Professor. Teaching and learning of advanced mathematical ideas (algebra and calculus); improving teachers' ability to orchestrate and sustain inquiry-based and discussion-based instruction; technology in mathematics education.
Janet Sloand, EdD (Duquesne University) Department Chair for Teaching, Learning & Curriculum. Associate Clinical Professor. Special Education Leadership, Trauma-informed care, Parent engagement in special education service delivery.
Toni A. Sondergeld, PhD (University of Toledo). Associate Professor. Cognitive and affective assessment development; program/grant evaluation; high stakes testing measurement; STEM education; urban education
Bridget Sweeney Blakely, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Consultation; Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS); Response to Intervention (Rtl); Systems-level change; performance feedback
Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, EdD (University of Pennsylvania). Associate Clinical Professor. Early literacy development, learning differences, knowledge construction, urban education.
Sarah P. Ulrich, EdD (Saint Joseph’s University) Associate Dean of Teacher Education and Undergraduate Affairs. Clinical Professor. Cross-cultural, language and academic development, school reform, teacher preparation, teacher retention, teacher residencies in urban contexts.
Sheila Vaidya, PhD (Temple University). Professor. Educational psychology, school psychology, research design.
Christina Vorndran, PhD (Louisiana State University) Program Director, Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education. Clinical Professor. Designing effective and efficient community-based interventions, Severe behavior disorders, Functional behavior assessment
Christopher G. Wright, PhD (Tufts University). Assistant Professor. Engineering and science education, Urban education, elementary teacher education.

Emeritus Faculty

Mary Jo Grdina, PhD (Case Western Reserve University). Clinical Professor. Undergraduate studies, science education, curriculum design.
Joyce Pittman, PhD (Iowa State University of Science and Technology). Clinical Professor. Curriculum and instruction K-16; teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL); instructional design business education and administration; industrial and career technology; oral and written communication; research methodology; instructional and assistive technology assessment; online learning pedagogy
Fredricka K. Reisman, PhD (Syracuse University) School of Education, Founder, Drexel School of Education. Professor Emerita. Director, Freddie Reisman Center for Translational Research in Creativity and Motivation, Creator and Former Director-Creativity and Innovation Programs, Co-Director- Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation, Drexel University Named Recognition- Freddie Reisman Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity Awards