Undergraduate Programs

Learner Specialty Concentrations

Learner Specialty Concentrations will better prepare you to teach the variety of learners who will be in your future classroom and will help both you and your future students succeed.

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Purdue’s teacher education program sets you apart! One of the ways we do this is through our Learner Specialty Concentrations. As an undergraduate student preparing for your teaching career, you will dive more deeply into understanding the unique talents and academic needs of different types of learners. As a part of your second year’s foundational coursework focusing on “Special Populations,” you will take courses that introduce you to working with students with gifts and talents, English learners, students with disabilities, and using positive behavior interventions. Beyond these introductory courses, you will also choose one of four Learner Specialty Concentrations for deeper exploration and preparation.

Please note: Students in teacher education programs housed in the College of Education (Elementary Education, English Education, Social Studies Education, and Special Education) are required to complete a Learner Specialty Concentration. Students in teacher education programs housed in our Partner Colleges are encouraged, but not required, to complete one. Also, as you can see below, two of these Concentrations lead to licensure: ELL and GCT. If you select one of these two Concentrations, you will be required to take its associated Praxis Content Exam upon completion of the coursework. For questions about these exams, contact the Office of Teacher Education and Licensure.

A male teacher works with a male student using flash cards

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

With an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) concentration, pre-service teachers gain advanced knowledge and skills in behavior approaches to instruction and student supports. The three-course sequence builds on the introductory EDPS 36201 (Positive Behavioral Supports) course that is required for all teacher education students’ Plan of Study; it focuses on procedures for evaluating behavior and target skills, designing data-driven interventions, and monitoring progress.

Pre-service teachers who complete the ABA pathway will have a start on the required coursework for the ABA 4+1 Accelerated MSED program, which they may apply to during their undergraduate studies. The 4+1 program fulfills the Behavior Analyst Certification Board course content requirements needed for eligibility to sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) exam.

English Language Learning (ELL)

With the English Language Learning (ELL) concentration, pre-service teachers pursue a pathway to dual licensure in Elementary, Secondary, or Special Education and English Language Learning, which ends in licensure in English as a New Language (ENL). After completing introductory coursework embedded in all teacher education Plans of Study and the 9-credit-hour ELL concentration, teacher education candidates can add the ENL teaching license to an existing Indiana instructional license if they pass the required Indiana ELL examination.

This concentration helps meet the needs of the increasing ELL student population in Indiana by providing teachers with the professional preparation to support K-12 English Learners in developing both English language and content area knowledge.

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A female Asian teacher works with a group of special education students

Special Education

Because approximately 60% of students with disabilities spend most of their school days in general education classrooms, all teachers need to have both the knowledge and the skills to teach students with disabilities. All teaching majors at Purdue learn about disabilities and how to provide each student in the classroom with access to the curriculum.

Pre-service teachers choosing the Special Education concentration complete additional coursework to increase their understanding of special education laws and their role and expectations in the shared responsibility of educating students with disabilities. Pre-service teachers in the Special Education concentration will have additional opportunities to develop their teaching practice in classroom experiences that include students with disabilities.

Gifted, Creative, and Talented (GCT)

In the Gifted, Creative, and Talented (GCT) concentration, pre-service teachers prepare for teaching excellence through a strengths-based, student-centered approach to teaching and learning. Based on a talent development perspective, we know all learners have strengths, talents, and interests that can be discovered and developed by teachers with knowledge and skills in academic, social-emotional, and personal talent development.

The goal of the GCT concentration is to not only identify gifted students but to identify and nurture the strengths and academic needs of all students, providing appropriate levels of challenge for maximum academic success and support to help youth develop healthy social and emotional skills. Successful completion of this 3-course concentration and successfully passing the required Indiana examination leads to K-12 High Ability licensure as an additional credential to an Indiana teaching license.

A black female teacher works with a group of students on a robotics project

Additional opportunities

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Certificate

Collaborative Leadership

Learn useful management skills like team-building, empowerment of others, and identifying and capitalizing on human resources to reach goals in this 9-credit hour program.

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Student Research

Undergraduate Research Training Program (URT)

Gain invaluable research experience through this unique program where you’ll work closely with an education faculty member and their research team.

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Community

Honors College

Join a vibrant intellectual and residential community of young scholars when you apply to be part of the John Martinson Honors College.