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Career Opportunities: |
Career opportunities include teaching in public or private schools and educational consultancy.
Public school administrators contact the department with job openings. Announcements are posted on bulletin boards, presented to students in classes, and kept in a departmental job notebook.
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Expectations
of Transfer Students: |
Transfer students may write a letter to the department head appealing to be admitted to the group beginning the fall after their transfer. Students who have 15 semester hours and the required 2.7 overall and cumulative GPA will be admitted to the groups as space becomes available through attrition.
Service Hours: To help students make a more informed decision regarding their future careers, they will be required to complete 60 hours of service work prior to the start of their major courses. Service hours will be accumulated for service work or for part-time or full-time employment while working with individuals across all age ranges, and may be in educational and/or recreational settings. A minimum of 30 hours should be completed by the January 15th application deadline. The remaining 30 hours should be completed prior to the beginning of the major course work during the fall semester. All service hours must be documented by the field supervisor of the student and turned in to the student's academic advisor prior to the start of the junior year.
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Special Requirements: |
Special Education majors will document 60 hours of community involvement with school-aged children and adolescents prior to the third year. The scope of the experiences can involve combinations of volunteerism in school (residential facilities, center-based programs, etc.), or community-based programs (tutoring, scouts, parks and recreation programs). The community service requirement is intended to give students reference points for course content, as well as to provide them with enriching experiences in settings that are comprised of diverse populations.
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Scholarships: |
The Carol Jo Bishop Scholarship is available to students in this major.
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Study Abroad: |
Study Abroad in Peru and Ireland.
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Internships: |
Student Teaching
Students will be placed for Student Teaching upon completion of the following requirements:
Maintenance of 2.7 GPA in all professional education and area of concentration courses, with no grade below C in either area. No course work other than student teaching (SPED 5460 and SPED 5450) may be taken during the student teaching semester. It is the responsibility of the student to insure all necessary course work is completed prior to student teaching.
Consideration for Student Teaching Placement
In general, field placements will be made in the Athens and surrounding area which will allow for maximum efficiency and quality of college supervision. Student teaching placement is a departmental decision; it is not a student decision. The major criterion for placement is the faculty's professional judgement concerning students' needs as preservice teachers and the availability of suitable field experience sites. Our primary objective is to provide the student the experience necessary for the student to become a good beginning teacher. The faculty are concerned about the future generations of children the student will teach!
Therefore, family responsibilities, health considerations, financial responsibilities, and transportation constraints are only secondary considerations taken into account when they do not undermine the professional decision made.
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Student Organizations: |
The Student Council for Exceptional Children: http://www.coe.uga.edu/spe/scec.html
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Available Graduate Programs: |
Special education, elementary education, social work, administration, counseling.
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