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• Fast Facts
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Fast Facts

• The Department of Special Education and Literacy Studies emerged during a reorganization during 2005-06.
• The doctoral program in special education was approved as a degree in 1976 – the first doctoral program established at WMU.
• The undergraduate baccalaureate degree in special education was one of the first such programs in the country.
• Undergraduate students majoring in special education select one of two endorsement options: (a) the Emotional Impairment (EI)/Learning Disability (LD), K-12 program or (b) the Cognitive Impairment (CI)/Learning Disability (LD), K-12 program.
• The program admits up to 60 students each year using a cohort model, through which students proceed in a defined sequence of courses.
• The master’s degree in the special education program (SPED) includes three options: master teacher, clinical teacher and administration.
• The Literacy Studies unit began in 2007-2008 with a Master of Arts in Literacy Studies (LSTM) degree.
• Both the special education and literacy studies units provide significant instruction for elementary and secondary education majors. Special education provides instruction regarding teaching students with disabilities in elementary and secondary settings and well as introduction to special education courses for counseling, speech pathology and music therapy majors.
  
  
• The literacy faculty members provide the major methods and literacy content courses for all undergraduate education majors, as well as core courses in the education master’s curriculum.

Accreditations/External Program Review

• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• Council on Exceptional Children

Mission

The Department of Special Education and Literacy Studies offers undergraduate and graduate programs focused on preparation of educational professionals with expertise in meeting the needs of K–12 students with diverse abilities. Special education faculty offer a number of program options at the undergraduate, master and doctoral levels with an emphasis on the application of research-generated practices to improve students’ educational and post-school outcomes. Literacy Studies offers a master’s program that leads to the Reading Specialist Endorsement K-12. The Literacy faculty provide undergraduate courses to all WMU elementary and secondary education majors. These courses integrate teaching reading and literacy development throughout the curriculum and across the educational continuum. Within each program area, faculty are engaged in research initiatives that enhance both student engagement and learning. Through the Dorothy J. McGinnis Reading Center and Clinic and the Career Connections Research Center, SPLS faculty provide opportunities for WMU students to participate in experiential learning.