Special Education (Minor)

Special Education (Minor)
Special Education Students in class

What is special education?

In the special education minor,you will engage in a critical examination of disability and study fundamental issues of values, purposes and practices in education systems. The concept of disability has a dual nature. It is an object of protection that recruits efforts and resources to develop all individuals’ abilities, and to ensure their meaningful, full participation in society. Disability has also been a conduit for exclusion and inequity, withlong-standing intersections with race, language, class and gender, among others. The minor can be combined with other majors, and provides a pathway to the Education Department's professional graduate preparation programs.

Why study special education at UNH?

We believe that students identified with disabilities, like all students, are entitled to a meaningful and full education. In this minor, you will have opportunities to examine and work within justice-oriented and coalition-building activities that seek to transform the marginalization mechanisms that exist within formal and informal educational settings. Community engagement is central to the mission of the Education Department, and you’ll have an array of opportunities as a result of our strong collaborative relationships with schools and community agencies, regionally and internationally. In addition, the department offers several options for continuing studies in special education through graduate and post-graduate studies.

Potential career areas

  • Disability law
  • Early childhood teaching
  • Educational advocacy
  • Guidance counselingLobbying/advocacy
  • Pediatric hospital/clinical education
  • Post-secondary teaching
  • Program administration
  • School board service
  • Social work
  • Special education teaching

Curriculum & Requirements

In the special education minor, you will engage in a critical examination of disability and study fundamental issues of values, purposes and practices in education systems. The concept of disability has a dual nature. It is an object of protection that recruits efforts and resources to develop all individuals’ abilities, and to ensure their meaningful, full participation in society. Disability has also been a conduit for exclusion and inequity, with long-standing intersections with race, language, class and gender, among others. The minor can be combined with other majors, and provides a pathway to the Education Department's professional graduate preparation programs.

A Certification of Completion of Minor form needs to be completed at the beginning of a student’s final undergraduate semester at UNH. Forms are available from the Registrar’s Office or the Department of Education Office.

A minor consists of 20 credits in Education Department courses. The specific courses required for the minor are:
 

Required Courses
EDUC 650Introduction to Disability in Inclusive Schools and Communities4
EDUC 656Advocating for Diverse and Inclusive Family-School-Community Partnerships4
Choose one of the following: 14
EDUC 751A
Inclusive Elementary Education: Literacies and Learning for Diverse Learners
EDUC 751B
Methods of Inclusive Secondary Education: Literacies, Learning, and Transitions
Elective Courses
Choose two of the following:8
EDUC 556
Peer to Peer Mentoring for Students with Disabilities 2
EDUC 720
Educational Technology
EDUC 745
Math with Technology in Early Education
EDUC 760
Introduction to Young Children with Special Needs
EDUC 761
Designing Curriculum for Inclusive, Equitable Settings for Young Children (birth-8)
EDUC 762
Curriculum for Young Children with Special Needs: Evaluation and Program Design
One course taken at UNH in a closely related department, such as a course from the disability studies minor from the Occupational Therapy Department.
Total Credits20
1

Selection to be determined by the undergraduate major and future career interests

2

May be taken twice as the content/readings are different each semester

No more than one required course or one elective may be a transfer course. A three-credit course taken transferred from another school will count for three credits at UNH, not four credits. A minor in Special Education does NOT lead to a teaching certification.

Explore Program Details

The Special Education Minor provides students with the opportunity to explore special education as a professional career choice. This minor provides a pathway to the Department of Education's professional graduate preparation program. It will also allow students who wish to gain a greater understanding of the diversity of individuals with disabilities to study their characteristics and needs and the institutional response to assisting those individuals with a disability.

Objectives

  • To provide an overview of disabilities
  • To provide an understanding of inclusive community and public school options
  • To enhance the understanding of diversity within our schools
  • To provide an understanding of the impact of disabilities on families, schools and communities

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