Special Education Bootcamp

Completing the Special Education Boot Camp education requirements while working full time or raising a family has never been more possible. Here’s why adult students are thriving and reaching their goals at SNU:

• Classes take place each Tuesday evening for eight weeks so you can maintain a full-time career and family obligations.
  
• Students focus on one 3 credit hour course at a time before moving on to the next.
  
• Students study alongside other educators in similar stages of their careers.
  
• Instructors with vast amounts of education experience guide students through courses.

Path to Certification
Becoming a non-traditional certified special education teacher is a rigorous process that requires challenging coursework, 120 hours of training, and 30 hours of field experience. Once your training is complete, you must apply for certification. You then have three years to pass the OSAT, PPAT and take 18 hours of Master Level Courses to complete certification.  Once you have completed your requirements you will receive a Standard Teaching Certificate.  To learn more about the certification process, click here.

A Special Education teacher works with students who have a range of learning, emotional, mental, or physical disabilities, adapting lessons to meet their unique needs. With a Master of Arts in Administration of Special Education from SNU, educators gain leadership skills to manage individualized education programs (IEPs), collaborate with parents and staff, and ensure compliance with educational standards. This degree prepares teachers to advocate for inclusive practices and support students’ academic and personal development

The Bootcamp certification is a nontraditional route to teaching special education, which is truly one of the most rewarding fields in teaching.

Any school in Oklahoma can hire you with a provisional certificate. After three years, with completed requirements you would have a standard certificate.

Special Education Bootcamp will prepare you to be a special education teacher.

The average salary for a special education teacher varies by location and district but generally ranges between $40,000 and $50,000 annually. Special education teachers who complete the Special Education Bootcamp certification programs may start with salaries closer to the lower end of this range but can increase their earnings with experience and advanced qualifications.

• Taught by practitioners
• Accelerated program
• Special pricing

You will have 36 hours of seat time, along with time spent on outside assignments. You must also complete a 30-hour observation/field experience. We can assist you in locating places to complete these observations and field experiences.

The Special Education Bootcamp Certification Program costs $600.00, and we will provide you with a book to use during class.

Many of our Bootcamp students form lasting relationships and find networking and job-seeking opportunities. Superintendents and Principals often call seeking to find a special education teacher for their district or building. Your professors are also well-connected within the educational community and can assist anyone seeking employment

SNU also has an active network of over 600 educators across Oklahoma, Texas, and the United States! There are also multiple opportunities for in-person networking at SNU career fairs, the annual Women in Leadership Symposium, and SNU's monthly Business and Leadership Network.

We have instructors who are in the field. They are abreast of all the latest trends, laws, and best practices. At SNU, you are not just a number but a person. You become a part of our family.

Please check out the OSDE non-traditional teaching routes and the Special Education Certification Pathways. 

Once the OSDE issues you your provisional certificate, SNU sends a letter to the OSDE requesting a provisional certificate for you immediately upon completion of Bootcamp (as long as you don't have any holds). Then, the OSDE will issue you your provisional. The OSDE turnaround time varies with different times of the year. Usually, it is no longer than 4-6 weeks.

Credit hours: 3

Candidates will be introduced to special education policies, procedures, legislative guidelines, and research-based instructional/behavioral strategies for educating students with disabilities. The course explores current best practices in characteristics, identification, assessment and placement options, and education supplementary aids and services for students with disabilities. This course requires a 30-hour field component. 

Credit hours: 3

This course will include an advanced study of persons with learning disabilities. This study may include, but not be limited to, development, theoretical models, intervention, issues and trends, and legislation pertinent to this category.

Credit hours: 3

The term ‘low incidence’ includes the traditional profound diagnosis, but could also introduce students to the medical and physical needs of students with multiple disabilities. This has implications for the educational model of intervention and service delivery of programs. Advanced adaptations and structural modifications will be researched for individuals under this category.

Credit hours: 3

This course will address the theoretical frameworks and assessments for consultation and collaboration including paraprofessionals and student families. Professional relationships with teaching faculty will be targeted as academic and behavioral support are needed to ensure student success.

Credit hours: 3

This course will conduct an analysis of research-based intervention strategies for students with varying disabilities. Content will include, but not be limited to literary and reading comprehension, written composition, and mathematics. Portfolio and curricular options will also be a component of the course. There will be an emphasis on Reading Assessment and Instruction in this course.

Credit hours: 3

This course will explore the introductory knowledge of current research in applied behavior analysis, the application of learning theories and examine functional relationships. This course will include the creation of behavioral/learning plans to optimize the success of student learners with disabilities.

Credit hours: 3

This course will begin the process of building a working network of state and local agencies that assist in the transition planning stages for students with disabilities. Guest speakers representing agencies and their specific services will provide teachers with helpful information for parents and caregivers as the process requires early planning and direction.