Special Education and Multiple Abilities – The University of Alabama College of Education

Departments

The Department of Special Education and Multiple Abilities (SPEMA) prepares students to serve as reflective decision makers in instructional settings for exceptional learners. The SPEMA faculty believe that a teacher preparation program should emphasize roles and responsibilities that integrate the strengths of learners, parents, general education teachers, special education teachers, related service professionals, and the community. A combination of learning opportunities that include a coordinated knowledge base, diverse school-based practicums, and internship experiences are designed to facilitate the development of logical, critical, and reflective thinking skills. These skills will enable students to synthesize information and conceptualize knowledge that prepare them as future educators to effectively plan, develop, problem solve, and implement programs for diverse learners.

Based on the fundamental belief that success is a function of the interaction between the individual and the environment, the over-arching goal of teacher education programs offered by the Program in Special Education and Multiple Abilities at The University of Alabama is the development, validation, and use of techniques for maximizing students’ (with and without exceptionalities) attainment of their full potential.

Department Head: Dr. Nicole Swoszowski

Main Office: 201 Graves

Autism

Collaborative Special Education

Early Childhood Special Education

Gifted

Multiple Abilities Program

Severe

Degrees

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN EDUCATION

Special Education
- with certification in Collaborative Special Education
- with certification in Early Childhood Special Education
- with certification in Multiple Abilities Program

MASTER OF ARTS

Special Education
- with certification in Autism
- with certification in Collaborative Special Education
- with certification in Early Childhood Special Education
- with certification in Gifted Education
- with certification in Severe Disabilities

MASTER OF ARTS (Alternative Route)

The Alternative Master of Arts degree is aimed at students with an undergraduate degree in a non-teaching field who wish to gain an alternative A certificate which enables them to teach in the public schools.