Program Overview for Bachelor’s Degree in Exceptional Student Education:
Undergraduate ESE 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, mental retardation, 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.
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 Exceptional Student Education:
- Attain a passing grade on all sections of the General Knowledge Test (GK)
- Have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and
- 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 Exceptional Student 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.
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.
