Bachelor of Science in Education – Applied Special Education; Teacher Certification in Special Education, Early Childhood Through Grade Twelve; Instructional Aide Pathway Online

Turn your classroom experience into a fulfilling teaching career. This online program helps instructional aides gain the skills and certification needed to teach core subjects and make a lasting impact on exceptional students.

Apply by: 5/13/25
Start class: 5/27/25
Apply Now

Program Overview

The special education bachelor's degree online program at a glance

Transform lives and unlock your potential with Texas State University’s online Bachelor of Science in Education – Applied Special Education; Teacher Certification in Special Education, Early Childhood Through Grade Twelve; Instructional Aide Pathway. Designed for instructional aides ready to become certified teachers, this program empowers you to create inclusive classrooms, advocate for diverse learners, and teach students ages three to 21.

Gain the skills to adapt lessons, manage behaviors, and develop individualized education programs that help students with disabilities thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. With the demand for passionate, qualified special education teachers on the rise, this degree not only helps to advance your career but also allows you to make a lasting difference for students with special needs.

As a student of this bachelor’s in education – applied special education online program, you will learn how to:

  • Demonstrate a deep understanding of special education principles, theories, and practices, including assessment, diagnosis, evidence-based instructional strategies, and accommodations
  • Develop and implement individualized education programs (IEPs) that address the unique needs of students with disabilities
  • Promote inclusive classroom environments where all students can learn and succeed
  • Effectively collaborate with students, families, and other professionals involved in the educational process
  • Adhere to ethical standards in special education, including confidentiality, advocacy, and cultural sensitivity
As a student of this bachelor’s in education – applied special education online program, you will learn how to:
  • Demonstrate a deep understanding of special education principles, theories, and practices, including assessment, diagnosis, evidence-based instructional strategies, and accommodations
  • Develop and implement individualized education programs (IEPs) that address the unique needs of students with disabilities
  • Promote inclusive classroom environments where all students can learn and succeed
  • Effectively collaborate with students, families, and other professionals involved in the educational process
  • Adhere to ethical standards in special education, including confidentiality, advocacy, and cultural sensitivity

Also available:

We offer a variety of student-centered online degrees that can help you advance. Explore other education programs.

Per credit hour $404*
Transfer Credits Up to 90
Credit Hours 120
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Need More Information?

Call 833.690.1245 today!

Call 833.690.1245 today!

Tuition

Stay on budget with affordable tuition

Tuition for the B.S. in Education – Applied Special Education; Teacher Certification in Special Education, Early Childhood Through Grade Twelve; Instructional Aide Pathway online program is affordable and paid by the course, so you can achieve your academic goals while remaining within your budget.

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Program Per Credit Hour Per Course
B.S. in Education – Applied Special Education, EC-12 $404* $1,212

*Tuition and fees are subject to change by legislative or Board of Regents action; changes become effective on the date of enactment. For more information, please visit https://onestop.txst.edu/cost-payments/cost-attendance.html.

Tuition breakdown

Per Course $1,212
Per Credit Hour $404*

Transfer your credits for lower tuition

Use our Tuition Estimator to see how affordable your degree could be. Slide the notch to the number of credits you've already earned—which may qualify for transfer credit—to get an estimate of what your degree might cost.

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90
Transfer Credits: 0
Your Estimated Tuition: $Your Estimated Tuition:
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Transcripts sent from other colleges and universities will be evaluated, and accepted credits will be added to the student's Texas State record. The Tuition Estimator is not a guarantee or predictor of the number of credit hours that will be accepted.

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Calendar

Upcoming dates you need to know

The Texas State B.S. in Education – Applied Special Education; Teacher Certification in Special Education, Early Childhood Through Grade Twelve; Instructional Aide Pathway is delivered in a convenient online learning format that offers maximum flexibility for working adults like you. Choose the start date that fits your goals.

View Full Calendar  + 

TermStart DateApp DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlineTuition DeadlineClass End DateTerm Length
Summer 10W 20255/27/255/13/255/20/255/27/255/27/258/1/2510 weeks
Summer 5WA 20255/27/255/13/255/20/255/27/255/27/256/27/255 weeks
Summer 5WB 2025 6/30/256/16/256/23/256/30/256/30/258/1/255 weeks

Now Enrolling

Apply by 5/13/25
Start Class 5/27/25

Admissions

Key steps for admission to the special education bachelor's degree online program

Apply to the online B.S. in Education – Applied Special Education; Teacher Certification in Special Education, Early Childhood Through Grade Twelve; Instructional Aide Pathway program quickly and easily with our streamlined admission process. Review the admission requirements below and take the next step toward your professional goals.

View all admission requirements

To be eligible to earn your B.S. in Education – Applied Special Education, EC-12 online from Texas State University, you must:

  • Submit a completed application and all supporting documents—including official transcripts from your high school and any postsecondary institutions attended—to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by the stated document deadline
  • Pay the nonrefundable application fee of $75 ($90 for international*)
  • Be eligible to re-enter all colleges and/or universities previously attended

High school graduates who plan to attend Texas State the semester after high school graduation (not including summer sessions) regardless of how many dual credit or transferable college credits earned, are considered an entering freshman.

Freshmen must do the following to qualify for admission to Texas State University:

  • Receive a diploma from an accredited high school
    • We recommend students complete the following curriculum:
      • 4 credits of English, 4 credits of mathematics, 4 credits of science, 3 credits of social studies and 2 credits of a language other than English
  • ACT and SAT test scores are not required for applicants ranked in the top 75% of their graduating class.
  • Applicants who do not meet assured admission, or do not submit test scores, will be reviewed holistically. All students ranked in the fourth quartile of their class must submit scores that meet assured admission standards for admission.
  • Submit your high school transcripts by mail or via Parchment, Naviance, National Student Clearinghouse.

Transfer students must meet these requirements:

  • 14 or fewer credit hours: minimum 2.0 GPA in all transferable course work plus meet freshman admission standards
  • 15-29 credit hours: minimum 2.5 GPA in all transferable course work
  • 30 or more credit hours: minimum 2.25 GPA in all transferable course work
  • Be at least one full semester out of high school and eligible to return to all postsecondary institutions previously attended

Transcripts may be sent electronically to [email protected] or mailed to:

TXST One Stop
Texas State University – Undergraduate Admissions
601 University Dr.
San Marcos, TX 78666

*Texas State defines an international student as anyone who is in a nonimmigrant visa status, including H-1B visa holders. If you are not a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, you would be classified as an international student and should complete the international application for admission.

College of Education and Instructional Aide Pathway admission:

Any student admitted to Texas State may declare and be admitted to the instructional aide pathway education program under a temporary status known as “pre-major.” Once you have accumulated at least 36 credit hours and meet the requirements outlined below, you will be admitted to the school in full-major status. You will not be admitted to the major if you fail to meet these requirements.

  • Minimum of one year employment as an instructional aide and current employment as an instructional aide in a Texas PK-12 public or accredited private school district
  • Minimum 2.25 overall GPA
  • Completed pre-major: 36-37 credit hours**

**Students with an Associate of Arts in Teaching in K-12 special education will have transfer credit for the pre-major course work. Some course work requires a ‘C’ or better.

Admission Requirements

  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • Must be a certified instructional aide in Texas

Courses

Take a closer look at the online B.S. in Education – Applied Special Education, EC-12 courses

To graduate from the B.S. in Education – Applied Special Education, EC-12 online degree program, you must complete a total of 120 credit hours, including 42 credit hours of general education courses, 69 credit hours of core courses, and 9 credit hours of electives.

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To graduate from the B.S. in Education – Applied Special Education, EC-12 online degree program, you must complete a total of 120 credit hours, including 42 credit hours of general education courses, 69 credit hours of core courses, and 9 credit hours of electives.

Students must take 42 credit hours of general education courses to meet the degree plan requirements. Students with an Associates of Art in Teaching (AAT) in EC-6 Education will have transfer credit for the pre-major coursework (36-37 credit hours). Some coursework requires a ‘C’ or better.

Includes 9 credits remaining in General Education Core not completed during pre-major work, Math 2312, and foreign language proficiency. Students with an AAT in EC-6 Education will have transfer credit for these 12 credit hours but may still need foreign language proficiency. Some coursework requires a ‘C’ or better. 

Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
As a continuation of MATH 2311, this course builds and reinforces a foundation in fundamental mathematical concepts and skills. It includes the concepts of geometry, measurement, probability, and statistics with an emphasis on geometry and measurement as well as problem-solving and critical thinking.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course provides for the examination of types, characteristics, and causes of various exceptionalities; identifies federal laws as they relate to various populations; and serves as an introduction to the education of exceptional students in the home, school, and community. 
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides an overview of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) teaching and learning, including science and engineering practices. Students will participate in and learn how to facilitate asset-based, culturally responsive, inclusive, inquiry-based, and design-based learning experiences that promote the STEM literacy and identity of early childhood and elementary students.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course addresses topics associated with teaching students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Content includes an overview of definitions and characteristics, etiological factors, assessment for diagnosis and intervention planning, treatment options, including methods and materials for effective instruction, collaborative interagency services, and current issues.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course delineates evidence-based instructional theories and practices for students with mild or moderate disabilities and targets curricular and instructional design for students who need specialized methods for successful learning. Topics include curriculum-based measurement and progress monitoring, evidence-based strategies matched to presenting characteristics, and evidence-based inclusion models.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides an overview of student characteristics and appropriate instructional techniques pertaining to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Techniques include specialized assessment and instructional strategies, functional curriculum development, transition planning, positive behavior supports, and assistive technologies.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course provides effective, research-based instruction for struggling readers, including basic literacy and adaptations to facilitate students’ access to the general education curriculum. Basic literacy content will be presented, including information about phonological awareness, word study and spelling, fluency, comprehension, and writing across content areas.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides opportunities to develop knowledge and skills to elicit, understand, and extend children’s thinking from early childhood to second grade. Through directed field experiences, students will participate in problem-solving and assessment practices that support inclusive, culturally sustaining mathematics teaching to racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse children.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course will examine elementary education from a sociocultural, sociopolitical, and sociohistorical lens to reveal the need for equity in the current American schooling system. Students will question, analyze, and evaluate key issues and connections between schooling, community, society and policy.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines "play" as a fundamental mechanism for learning in schooling and society through historical, sociological, anthropological, and cultural perspectives with a focus on constructive play and sociodramatic play in educational settings. Students will explore equity in children’s access to power and voice within play, deconstruct deficit-oriented views of children, examine the impact of play deprivation, and analyze how children acquire powerful cultural tools for problem-solving from home communities. In field experiences students will design inclusive play environments, utilize strategies designed to support and encourage children's play, and observe and document young children as they utilize play-based skills.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Effective strategies for classroom management. Topics include: common management problems, evaluation of classroom management approaches, strategies for preventing behavior problems, teaching new behaviors, increasing desired group and individual behaviors, and positive strategies for reducing inappropriate group and individual behaviors. 
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines the rationale, history, and philosophy of bilingual and ESL education and develops students’ understanding of the cultural and psychological influences that mediate the learning process. As this is part of a multi-course, field-based experience, students must apply in advance for placement and meet program-specific prerequisite and corequisite coursework requirements.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course addresses content, methods, and materials of elementary ESL classroom instruction, including curricula, strategies, and materials for meeting the needs of English language learners in all academic content areas. As this is part of a multi-course, field-based experience, students must apply in advance for placement and meet program-specific prerequisite and corequisite coursework requirements.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is a survey of the content required to teach social studies to elementary students. Topics include economics, geography and culture, government and citizenship, and Texas, U.S., and world history. Practical application within early childhood and elementary classrooms is emphasized.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is a survey of the science content required to teach science to elementary students. Topics include the history and nature of science, physical science, earth science, space science, life science, and lab safety. Practical application within early childhood and elementary classrooms is emphasized.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course provides for the understanding, critical analysis, and application of current literacy methods and materials, with a focus on ESL theories and methodologies. Course is taught in a field-based setting.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Students will understand principles of literacy assessment to guide literacy instruction for all children, including culturally and linguistically diverse students, and plan appropriate instruction in a field-based setting.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on understanding and using children’s mathematical thinking to inform teaching in third to sixth grade. Through directed field experiences, students will participate in problem-solving and assessment practices that support inclusive, culturally sustaining mathematics teaching to racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse children.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The course provides information about formal and informal assessment for the identification of cognitive aptitude; academic achievement; social, emotional, and motor development; and includes implications of these results for instruction or remediation.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course provides an overview of science standards and content, research-based science pedagogy, and the scientific process skills required for a developmentally appropriate, inquiry-driven science curriculum that facilitates the development of scientific literacy for all students, including second language learners.
Duration: 16 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 6
This course will allow students to apply knowledge and skills learned during the Educator Preparation Program while engaging in clinical practice via a residency model. Students will co-teach with experienced mentor teachers in school settings. Students will receive additional support, instruction, and supervision from program faculty throughout the semester experience. As part of the teacher residency program, enrollment requires advanced selection and placement through a competitive process, as well as program-specific prerequisite requirements.
Duration: 16 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 6
This course will allow students to apply knowledge and skills learned during the Educator Preparation Program while engaging in clinical practice via a residency model. Students will co-teach with experienced mentor teachers in school settings. Students will receive additional support, instruction, and supervision from program faculty throughout the semester experience. As part of the teacher residency program, enrollment requires advanced selection and placement through a competitive process, as well as program-specific prerequisite requirements.

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