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Bachelor's Degree Programs

The Department of Special Education is in the process of revising and updating its degree programs. Some information here may be outdated, please contact the Department for the most up-to-date information. ESEInfo@FAU.EDU

The Department of Special Education offers two Bachelor's Degree programs:

Bachelor's Degree in Exceptional Student Education (B.A.E. or B.A.)

Program Overview for Bachelor's Degree in Exceptional Student Education:

Undergraduate DSE students complete a Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.E.) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree* in Exceptional Student Education, which is designed to prepare students to teach individuals with learning and behavioral disabilities. Upon completion of the program, students will be eligible to apply for a Florida teaching certificate in Exceptional Student Education (ESE) with an Endorsement in Teaching English as a Second language (TESOL). ESE certification applies to grades K-12. Individuals certified in ESE and who have teaching certification in either elementary, middle grades, or secondary education, are eligible to teach in classrooms for students with learning disabilities, intellectual disability, emotional/behavioral disorders, and physical impairments, as well as in general education classes. Courses leading toward the Bachelor's Degree program in ESE are currently offered at the FAU Boca Raton, Davie Campus, and Jupiter, campuses.

* In fulfillment of the University's Foreign Language Requirement, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree is awarded contingent upon student's completion of 2 semesters of a foreign language while in college. Students providing evidence of foreign language completion while in high school can work toward a Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.E.).

Admissions Requirements for Bachelor's Degree in Exceptional Student Education:

All applicants seeking admission to the Bachelor's in Exceptional Student Education must meet the University's admission requirements.  Additionally, three conditions must be met before you will be accepted into the Department of Special Education:

  1. Attain a passing grade on all sections of the General Knowledge Test (GK)
  2. Have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and
  3. Receive an official letter of acceptance from the College of Education.

Once these conditions have been met, you will be assigned an advisor in the Department of Special Education who will officially develop your Program of Study. At that time you and your advisor will review the courses, discuss field experiences, and develop a projected sequence of courses for you; this process is called being  programmed. YOU MUST BE PROGRAMMED PRIOR TO REGISTERING FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER OF YOUR JUNIOR YEAR, OR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO  TAKE THE SPRING SEQUENCE OF ESE COURSES.

Make an appointment with the faculty member who has been assigned as your advisor.  You and your advisor will complete a program form that includes the specific courses you will need in order to graduate. After final approval , a copy of the program is given to you, another is kept on file in the ESE department, and another is sent to the Office of Academic and Student  Services.  This is your contract with the ESE department.  In order to graduate, your transcript must show passing grades in all the courses C or above) in ESE and other related methods courses) included on the program.

The undergraduate ESE program is a limited access, single entry point program.  That is, students begin the sequence of ESE courses in the fall semester of their junior year and complete the program at the end of the spring semester of their senior year (5 semesters).  Accordingly, undergraduate ESE courses are offered once a year.  If you do not follow the sequence of ESE courses listed on page 10 of the Undergraduate Handbook,  you will fall behind by one year.

Watermark (LiveText)

Students in this program are required to have an active Watermark (LiveText) account to track mastery of programs skills, competencies and critical assignments, and to meet program and college accreditation requirements.  Information regarding obtaining an account is provided on the College of Education website: http://fau.edu/education/students/livetext.

Graduation Requirements for Bachelor's Degree in Exceptional Student Education:

DSE graduation requirements are consistent with FAU and College of Education standards. Each candidate for graduation must:

  1. Earn a minimum of 120 credits in academic courses acceptable toward the degree;
  2. Earn a minimum of 45 of these credits at the upper division;
  3. Earn the last 30 upper-division credits in residence at FAU;
  4. Earn at least 50 percent of all upper-division courses from the Department of Special Education;
  5. Satisfy Gordon Rule/Writing Across the Curriculum requirements;
  6. Fulfill all admissions, program and course requirements;
  7. Earn a C or better in all Education courses, maintaining a 2.5 GPA upon graduation;
  8. Fulfill the FAU foreign language requirement; and
  9. Submit a completed Application for Graduation form.

Accreditation Standards for Bachelor's Degree in Exceptional Student Education:

CEC International Standards for Preparation/Certification of Special Education Teachers (CEC) State of Florida Certification Standards for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Florida Educators Accomplished Practices (EAP) Florida Subject Area Competencies ESOL (ESOL)

Furthering your Education:

Students completing the B.A. or the B.A.E. in Exceptional Student Education are eligible to apply for a Master's Degree Program in the Department of Special Education. Our Department offers a M.Ed. in ESE; students choose one of the following areas of concentration:

  • Instructional Practices in ESE
  • Gifted Education
  • Early Childhood
  • Reading
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Professional Development

Department Contact for DSE Bachelor's Degree Programs:

Department contact:

College of Education Advising contact:

Forms and Links

Bachelor's in Early Care and Education (BECE)

The BECE is a joint degree program offered by the Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry (CCEI) and the Department of Special Education (DSE).

Program Overview for Bachelor's Degree in Early Care and Education:

The Bachelor’s in Early Care and Education (BECE) degree is designed to prepare teachers and related personnel for employment in the fields of child care and children's services, working with young children from birth to age five. This degree program does not fulfill the Florida Department of Education Teacher Certification requirements. Students completing the BECE degree are eligible to pursue alternative teacher certification after completing their degree. For more detailed information regarding alternative certification, visit Alternative and Traditional Certification. The BECE program is currently offered at the FAU Boca Raton and Davie Campuses.

Admissions Requirements for Bachelor's Degree in Early Care and Education:

Students enrolling in the BECE may exhibit a range of prior levels of preparation. Generally, all students are required to have completed 60 credits of lower division coursework. This could include the A.S. degree in Early Childhood Education and general core requirements. All students seeking admission to the BECE must meet the University's admission requirements. In addition each applicant must have:

  • Attained a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale on lower division undergraduate coursework for a total of 60 credits;
  • Earned an AA degree or completed the General Education Core Requirements;
  • Fulfilled the Foreign Language Requirement; and
  • Satisfied Gordon Rule (GR)/Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Requirements.

Transfer Credits – 60 credits

In addition, a careful review of student transcripts will guide advising decisions for acceptance of previous coursework and selection of additional coursework. These decisions are guided by the Articulation Agreements with community/state colleges for students who completed the Associates of Science (A.S.) degrees in Early Childhood and Associates of Arts (AA) degrees from Community and State Colleges in Florida.

Course Requirements Bachelor's Degree in Early Care and Education:

As a joint program of two FAU departments, the BECE is made up of coursework, field experiences, and advisement from both departments. In sum, all students must meet these requirements:

BECE Program Requirements

Lower Division Requirements (60 credits)

Completion of Intellectual Foundations Program - General Education Curriculum Requirements or Associate of Arts (AA) Degree from Community and State Colleges in Florida. (Please note: The AS degree can be articulated into these requirements)

BECE Core (21 credits)*

  • EEX 3201 Typical/Atypical Development: B-8 (3cr)
  • EEC 3214 Designing & Implementing a Blended Curriculum: B-8 (3cr)
  • EEX 3226 Assessment of ALL Young Children (Pre-requisites: EEX 3201; EDF 3430; Programmed major) (3cr)
  • EEX 3754 Family, School and Community Partnerships (2cr)
  • EEX 3603 Positive Behavioral Support (Pre-requisites: EEX 3226; Programmed major)
  • EEX 4112 Language Development & Intervention (Pre-requisites: EEX 3201; EEX 3226; Programmed major)
  • EEC 4313 Blended Methods: B-5 (Pre-requisites: EEX 3226; EEC 3214; Programmed major) (4cr)

*EEX and EEC courses must be taken in this specific sequence.

COE Core (12 credits)

  • LAE 4353 Language Arts: B-8 (3cr)
  • EDF 3430 Measurement & Evaluation (3cr)
  • RED 4308 Reading Dev: B-Grade 3 (Pre-requisite: LAE 4353) (3cr). Special permission is needed for this course; contact Office for Academic Student Services (OASS) in the College of Education for permission.
  • TSL 4080 Introduction to TESOL (3 cr)

Open Electives (15 credits)**

**Electives must be selected in consultation with your BECE advisor.

Program Electives (12 credits)**

**Electives must be selected in consultation with your BECE faculty advisor.

Students’ degree program must total 120 credit hours

BECE Graduation Requirements

BECE graduation requirements are consistent with FAU and College Education standards. Each candidate for graduation must:

  • Be programmed for admission to the BECE degree program by a faculty advisor from the Department of Special Education or the Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry;
  • Fulfill all admissions, program and course requirements;
  • Earn a minimum of 120 credits in academic courses acceptable toward the degree;
  • Earn a minimum of 45 of these credits at the upper division; Earn the last 30 upper-division credits in residence at FAU;
  • Earn at least 75 percent of all upper-division courses from the Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry and/or Special Education;
  • Earn a C or better in all BECE and College of Education (COE) courses; earn C- or better in non-COE courses;
  • Maintain a 2.5 GPA upon graduation; and
  • Submit a completed Application for Degree form.

Program Completion: Course Rotation

  1. Suggested BECE course completion for Full time students.
  2. Suggested BECE course completion for Part-time students (3 courses per semester).
  3. Suggested BECE course completion for Part-time students (2 courses per semester).
  4. Additional rotations may be discussed in consultation with your BECE faculty advisor.

Accreditation Standards for the Bachelor's Degree in Early Care and Education:

The BECE represents the highest professional standards promulgated by:

  • National Association for the Education of Young Children,
  • The Council for Exceptional Children Division of Early Childhood.
  • Florida Department of Education's Educator Accomplished Practices, and the FAU College of Education's corresponding Behavioral Indicators.

Furthering your Education:

Students completing the Bachelor's in Early Care and Education are eligible to apply for a Master's Degree Program in the Department of Special Education. Our Department offers a M.Ed. in ESE; students choose one of the following areas of concentration: Instructional Practices in ESE; Gifted Education; Early Childhood; Reading; Applied Behavior Analysis; or, Professional Development.

Bachelor's Degree in Early Care and Education Advising:

Bachelor's in Early Care and Education Faculty Advisors

College of Education Advising Contact

Early Care and Education Advising Process

BECE Resources: