Special Education Teaching

Most teachers would agree there is nothing more rewarding than watching your students learn, grow and succeed. For the Christian educator, there is the added joy of sharing Jesus' love by encouraging each student to recognize his or her potential. Northwestern's “teacher as servant” philosophy will help you identify your students as God’s children, bringing Christ to the center of your work in the classroom.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Why NWC?

Northwestern's education faculty have experience across grade levels and disciplines in public, private, rural and urban school settings. They will support you throughout your journey to becoming a teacher, from applying to the teacher education program during your sophomore year to applying for licensure as a senior.

With Northwestern's special education teaching major, you’ll receive endorsements in all three levels of special education:

Strat I: Mild/Moderate K-12
Strat II: Behavioral/Learning Disabilities K-12
Strat II: Intellectual Disabilities K-12

CONTACT

Dr. Heather HayesAssistant Professor of Education

#1 FOR EDUCATION IN IOWA Niche.com ranks us as the best college for education majors in the state of Iowa.

100% GRAD PLACEMENT 100% of NWC education majors find a job or enroll in graduate school within six months of graduation.

ACCREDITED PROGRAM by the Iowa Department of Education and Higher Learning Commission

$65,910 PER YEAR Median annual salary of special education teachers in the U.S.

Outcomes

Northwestern grads have high graduate placement rates for a reason—their dedication to giving students a Christ-centered education stands out, and they have the experience and bank of effective program plans to prove it.

Join our standout alumni working in special education at schools such as:

Eagan High School

Eagan, Minnesota

MOC-Floyd Valley Elementary School

Orange City, Iowa

Stevens Elementary School

Wheat Ridge, Colorado

West Lyon Community Schools

Inwood, Iowa

#RaidersStandOut

FACULTY

**Heather** Dr. Hayes is the education department’s resident expert in special education, a field to which she feels called by God. She has experience in the special education classroom and in inclusive education research.

STUDENTS

**Julian** Northwestern is empowering Julian to live out his goal of helping young students the way he was helped as a child.

Experience

100+ classroom hours

Student teaching

Mission + service opportunities

Bachelor’s + beyond

As an education major at Northwestern, you won't have to wait until your senior year to begin work in the classroom. Nearly every education class includes a field experience with students in area K–12 schools, so by the time you're given a student-teaching assignment, you'll have spent more than 100 hours working with students.