Education, Special Education, BEd

Description of Program

The BEd program will facilitate professional growth and development as a practitioner, leader, and communicator in diverse educational environments. Students will be familiar with educational theory, research, and instructional practices and technology within a specific discipline, while integrating multiple societal, ethical, and diverse perspectives into professional practices.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the BEd program, students will be able to:

1. Apply current instructional practices using technology to enhance learning in the diverse K-12 environment using technology
2. Examine theoretical and research models that support ethical and professional educational practice
3. Apply evidence-based solutions for supporting and improving instructional practices
4. Communicate with diverse audiences about educational theories, research, and practices

Completion Program

The NCU Bachelor of Education program of study is an undergraduate articulation program designed for Rio Salado College (RSC) students interested in completing the degree work for the teaching profession in three specific specializations: elementary education, secondary education, and special education.

The BEd partnership program requires the successful completion of 30 credits at NCU for a total of 120 credit hours. Rio Salado College sponsors 39 credit hours in general education subjects and 51 credit hours in teacher preparation courses. The 90 credit hours from RSC are accepted as a block transfer; NCU will accept a maximum of 90 lower, and upper division semester credit hours in transfer toward the bachelor’s degree coursework completed at RSC with a grade of “C” or better. The BEd transfer students come to NCU with academic coursework in elementary education, secondary education, and special education and continue to study within those three distinct areas while at NCU.

Transferring Rio students continue to follow the same track they were enrolled in at Rio. Their NCU specialization will be geared towards their specific field of elementary education, secondary education, or special education. Each course in the 10-course program is identified by a letter following the course number (A for Elementary Education, B for Secondary Education, and C for Special Education). The course content in each specialization has similar information focused on general leadership principles but is geared specifically for the different fields. NCU students are required to take two Field Experience courses. These courses are 12 weeks in length and require coordination with Rio Salado College and the institution where the student will be placed.

Time to Completion

Normal time to completion for this program is 44 months.

Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses and the number of transfer credits accepted. As most NCU students are working adults balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our academic and finance advisors will work with you to develop a program schedule that works best for your needs.

The normal time disclosed above reflects the experience of students who may have entered under different program requirements. In the quest for continuous improvement, academic leadership has revised the program to optimize curriculum and pace, facilitate student learning, and improve chances for success. Therefore, the program is now designed for students enrolling today to take advantage of these revised course structures, lengths, and schedules.

New students following the preferred schedule designed by the Dean for this program, and applying the minimum required transfer credits, can expect to finish in as little as 20 months.