What to Expect

In a special education degree program, students learn to teach those who march to the beat of a different drum.

"New students should be aware of the fact that a great deal of their success will depend on their own ingenuity and initiative," says Vincent James White. He did graduate work in special education.

"Graduate students have a tremendous amount of information that they are responsible for reading and understanding on a weekly basis. Term assignments are extensive and weigh heavily in your final grade."

White says he found an undergraduate survey course in special education particularly helpful. "The instructor forced us to take positions on such issues as the impact of inclusion of students with extensive special needs into today's classrooms," he says.

"Some days were spent reviewing case studies, while other days were spent in workshops learning how to do 'wheelies' in a wheelchair. I left the course with a profound sense of the enormity and importance of special education."

John Klapp took a PhD in special education. He was surprised by the program's level of difficulty. "It [was] new for me not to have everything be very easy and to not be way ahead of the other students," he says.

How to Prepare

"I recommend taking hard classes that challenge you to think. The development of thinking skills is essential," says Klapp."Also, any courses that will help with writing skills are helpful."

"The greatest preparation one can gain is life experience," says White. "Working full time in a blue-collar job will give a person a perspective that cannot be taught in a classroom, and will help one to appreciate the value of post-secondary education. Volunteering in an area that you hope to specialize in is always a fantastic first step."