Northern Arizona University
College of Education
PO Box 5774
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5774
(928) 523-5342
Undergraduate Programs
Our unique educational specialties department consists of four fields of education that are special and crucial programs in the public schools:
- Bilingual Multicultural Education
- Educational Technology
- Special Education
- Career and Technical Education
Each of these programs provides you, the future teacher, with knowledge and skills that add valuable depth to your expertise as a professional educator. Every year, public schools search for potential teachers who are experienced in working with special and culturally diverse populations. Preference is also given to teachers who understand the potential of technology as an instructional tool in the classroom and who can go far beyond basic computer games and word processing.
The overall purpose of each of our programs is to prepare you to deal effectively with the special and unique needs of all children and youth. The U.S. demographic characteristics are continually changing, and you must be able to provide all students with appropriate instructional programs. By expanding your professional education preparation beyond the general programs of elementary and secondary education, you will be well prepared to compete for positions virtually anywhere in the United States and in international education.
Bilingual Multicultural Education
As a result of the increasing diversity of our country's population, you must be prepared to meet the needs of students from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, and our courses in bilingual multicultural education are designed to help prepare you.
If you are majoring in elementary education or are preparing for certification in secondary education, our program can provide you with a valuable content emphasis or minor consisting of courses that lead to Arizona endorsements in bilingual education and English as a second language (ESL).
Go to: Content Emphases
Educational Technology
As a teacher, you must be prepared to meet the needs of students in a technologically advancing world.
Our educational technology area is designed to help you explore the use of computers in instructional technology (using technology to support instruction), computer-aided learning, telecommunications, and multimedia.
ECT 447 provides you with an introduction to technology, emphasizing the use of computers as integrated tools for teaching and learning. We support a teaching lab for students taking ECT 447, to provide you with experiential preparation in strategies for teaching in classrooms with one computer or in state-of-the-art technology classrooms.
Special Education
In this area, we offer a dual major in special education and general education to prepare you to become a certified teacher of children and youth who have disabilities as well as those who do not. Our program is a cross categorical program with the following emphasis:
- emotional handicaps
- learning disabilities
- mental handicaps
- physical impairments
- other health impaired
You must be admitted to C.O.E's teacher-education program before you take any education courses except EDF 200 and ESE 380. Review carefully the information about admission requirements for our teacher-education program.
Check out the list of upper division syllabi.
Degrees Offered
You may pursue the following degrees in special education:
- a dual B.S.Ed. in special education and elementary education
- a dual B.S.Ed. in special education and secondary education
- a dual B.S.Ed. in special education and career and technology education
In both programs, you student teach for one semester, with your time divided between special education and elementary or secondary education. When you complete your degree, you will have earned one certificate in special education (grades K-12) and one in either elementary education (K-8) or secondary education (7-12).
You may also pursue a single major in elementary education with a content emphasis in special education. This 18-hour special education content emphasis does not require student teaching, and it does not result in special-education certification.
School-Based Programs
As a special-education major, you may wish to take education coursework in a school-based program. At this time, we offer three unique school-based programs to special-education dual majors. In each of these programs, you spend several hours each day working with students in public-school classrooms under the supervision of cooperating teachers and N.A.U. faculty.
Two rural, multicultural programs (RSEP) are made possible through grants funded by the U.S. Department of Education of Special Education. One is based in Kayenta, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation; the other is based in Tuba City, Arizona (on the Navajo Reservation) in the fall semester and in Yuma, Arizona (near Mexico) in the spring semester. These programs emphasize professional preparation in culturally diverse environments. Tuition, books, and some housing expenses may be provided by the federal grants. These programs are available for elementary and secondary dual majors.
The third program, Praxis, is based in an elementary school in Flagstaff. This four-semester program includes student teaching and is currently the only school-based program through which dual majors can take all of your elementary and special-education courses.
We accept applications for these programs each fall and conduct interviews during late fall and early spring. For more information, go to: School-University Partnerships or contact Marrianne Doughterty in our Division of Student Services located in room#101 of the Eastburn Education Center
Special Education Content Emphasis
If you decide to pursue the single major in elementary education with a content emphasis in special education instead of the dual major, go to: B.S.Ed. in elementary education in the Instructional Leadership section for general information about this degree.
For the 18-hour special-education content emphasis, you take:
- ESE 380, 423, and 425
- 9 hours from ESE 390, 426, and 520 (seniors only)
You may also take electives with the approval of a special-education advisor. Be aware that only dual majors may take ESE 450 and 460.
