Gate 1 - Admission to Program
Admission to UW-Eau Claire does not guarantee admission to program!
Undergraduate students may seek certification in one of the following programs:
- Cognitive Disabilities/Learning Disabilities
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Emotional Behavioral Disabilities/MCEA*
- Learning Disabilities/MCEA*
- Learning Disabilities Minor (MCEA or EAA)*
*Students seeking certification in elementary or secondary education must follow an additional procedure for admission to the programs in the Department of Education Studies.
Application to Undergraduate Program:
Beginning March 1, 2013 electronic applications are required using TaskStream. For more information on TaskStream go to http://www.uwec.edu/Sped/gates/TaskStream.htm.
Applications for department approval will be accepted in the Department of Special Education office twice a year with deadlines of March 1 and October 1 by midnight. A recommendation for admission to program will be made by a faculty review committee.
Approval for admission to major and minor programs will be determined by competitive rankings. Objective criteria will be applied to rate the applicants. Students who are denied admission may request a meeting with the faculty review committee chairperson. Students will be provided their ratings and informed of the cutoff number for acceptance. Students may resubmit an application the following semester.
Students should be aware that in order to be recommended for the professional semester, they must have earned at least a B- in SPED 200, B- in specified "methods" courses, and a 2.67 grade point average on specialization courses. In order to be recommended for licensure, students need a minimum of a 2.75 grade point average based on a combination of all course work in the major, minor (where certifiable), and professional education courses exclusive of student teaching (see current University Catalogue, College of Education and Human Sciences for additional criteria).
If a student is put on academic probation after admission to program, they will not be able to take courses that require admission to program until their semester GPA is at or above 2.0. Students who remain on probation for two semesters or more will be dropped from the program. If a student is experiencing difficulty during the semester, they must meet with their advisor.
Prerequisites for Admission:
- 2.75 GPA (resident and total)
- 30 minimum credits (excluding education)
- Successful completion of SPED 200 and SPED 205
- Passed all three portions of PPST
- Complete application
Your application must include:
- Admission to Program Applicant Information
- Resume
- Degree Audit
- Letter(s) of Recommendation
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- one minimum, maximum of three
- must be written from people outside of the Department of Special Education
- must be on letterhead (where applicable)
- must be signed
- Evidence of Wisconsin Teaching Standards 1, 3, 9 and 10
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- Standard 1 - Special Education Philosophy - You must follow very specific guidelines.
- Standard 3 - SPED 205 Final Evaluation
- Standard 9 - SPED 205 Essay - As part of your SPED 205 final exam, you will be asked one of a series of essay questions. You will need to pick this up from the instructor to include in your application.
- Standard 10 - Validation Forms
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- Any hours beyond SPED 205 need to be validated (form available on department website)
- SPED 205 hours are a given. If you do not validate any hours beyond SPED, you will receive a very low score for Standard 10. Your service to children and people with disabilities should be varied and over a long period of time. High school experiences may be counted.
- Validation forms must be signed.
After you have been accepted into a special education program and then wish to change your program within the department, you need to complete the "Change of Major Request" form which is available on our web page and submit by admission deadlines.
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