Special Education - Early Childhood PreK-3
Students in this program must be admitted TEP to be considered a candidate for licensure and must meet TEP requirements at key checkpoints in their program. The TEP and its requirements are described fully on the University website in the online Teacher Education Handbook. Cumberland University students who wish to become teacher candidates must see a Teacher Education Program advisor for more information on teacher candidacy.
Degree Requirements
Area I – Foundation Skills - 2 hours
| FSL 101 | Foundations of Scholarship and Learning | 2 |
FSL 101 is required for new and transferring freshmen with less than 24 credit hours. Students must earn a "C" or higher in
FSL 101.
Area I - Rhetoric and Communication - 15 hours
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area I - Mathematics - 3-4 hours
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - Arts and Humanities - 3 hours
| ART 191 | Enhancing Art Understanding | 3 |
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - Literature in English - 3 hours
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - The Social Sciences - 6 hours
| PSY 211 | Psychology of Human Growth & Development | 3 |
| SOC 221 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - History - 6 hours
Choose one of two sequences:
| HIS 191 | World Civilization to 1500 | 3 |
| and | |
| HIS 192 | World Civilization since 1500 | 3 |
| or | |
| HIS 201 | History of the United States I | 3 |
| and | |
| HIS 202 | History of the United States II | 3 |
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Area II - The Natural Sciences - 7-8 hours
Choose one:
AND Choose one from the following:
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
Required Professional Education Core Courses - 36-37 hours
| ED 190 | Introduction to Computers for Instruction | 3 |
| or | |
| ED 191 | Computers in the 21st Century Classroom | 1 |
| and | |
| CIS 170 | Intro to Microcomputer Applications | 3 |
| and | |
| ED 201 | Education as a Profession | 3 |
| ED 230/PSY 230 | Exceptional and Culturally Diverse Students | 3 |
| ED 301 | Instructional Strategies | 3 |
| ED 317 | Assessment | 3 |
| ED 322 | Education for the Developing Learner | 3 |
| ED 432 | Classroom Management | 3 |
| ED 433 | Applied Methods and Concepts | 3 |
| ED 435 | Enhanced Student Teaching | 9 |
| ED 436 | Student Teaching Seminar | 3 |
If a student has completed a CIS 170 course or equivalent, enroll in ED 191 instead of ED 190. Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses. Exception: Students must earn a "B" or higher in ED 301. ED 432 and ED 433 must be taken the semester prior to student teaching and full admission to the Teacher Education Program.
Required Courses for Special Education Early Childhood - 35 hours
| ED 304 | Strategies for Reading/Language Arts | 3 |
| ED 305 | Diagnostic Teaching of Reading | 3 |
| ED 334 | Support for Early Childhood Learning | 3 |
| ED 340 | Reading and Writing in the Content Areas | 3 |
| ED 412 | Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum & Assessment | 3 |
| HHP 343 | Essentials in Adaptive Physical Education | 2 |
| MU 129 | Music Listening | 3 |
| SPE 340 | Language Development and Disorders | 3 |
| SPE 345 | Effective Collaboration | 3 |
| SPE 346 | Ethical & Professional Aspects of Special Education | 3 |
| SPE 347 | Practical Applications of Specialized Education | 3 |
| SPE 444/PSY 444 | Applied Behavior Analysis | 3 |
Students must earn a "C" or higher in all courses.
General Electives - 0-7 hours
Select sufficient courses from any academic discipline to bring the total hours for graduation to a minimum of 120.
Total GEC credit hours (43-47 hours)
Total required Education core (36-37 hours)
Required courses for Special Education (35 hours)
General Electives (0-7 hours)
120 minimum hours for graduation.
All courses must have a "C" or higher, except for ED 301 which requires a "B" or higher.
Licensure: Candidates for a Tennessee teaching license must pass state-required exams to be qualified for a license. Exam requirements periodically change. Candidates must consult the Tennessee Department of Education and Educational Testing Service websites for a list of current licensure exams. Teacher licensure candidates are responsible for taking and passing the correct licensure examinations at specific times in their program of study as is detailed in the online Teacher Education Handbook.