About The Program
The special education bachelor's degree gives you the skills necessary to support students with diverse learning needs in a variety of settings as a special education teacher, and often is paired as a double major with NSU’s elementary education degree.
Each candidate admitted to our teacher education program receives an iPad. Our special education majors often hear from special education experts and work with area schools. To further enhance your classroom experience, NSU’s special education professors have forged partnerships with community programs that serve people with disabilities.
NSU has an active Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) chapter, providing additional opportunities to work with students with disabilities in our community.
NSU students have a high first-trial pass rate on the required Praxis exams.
NSU’s K-12 special education degree prepares you to work with students with disabilities in a variety of settings such as schools, residential facilities, and hospitals, or to work as an adult service provider.
For more information on careers in your major or help choosing a major, contact Career Services.
NSU special education students gain valuable hands-on experience in field placements during their sophomore, junior and senior years, including a formal student teaching experience.
School of Education scholarships are available to incoming freshmen and upperclassmen. For details, please call the School of Education at 605-626-2415.
For more information about this degree, contact Justin Bartel or call 605-626-2429. Or, contact NSU Admissions at 605-626-2544 or admissions@northern.edu.
Our Faculty
I have been working as an advisor at Northern since 2015. First, I served as a JumpStart Advisor to support American Indian and low-income students throughout their college career. From 2016 to 2020, I served as a professional advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences – working mainly with students in history and social sciences and students in secondary education programs. In 2020, I moved to the Millicent Atkins School of Education, where I advise all students in teacher education programs. I earned my bachelor of science degree in geography and geographic information sciences and my master of science degree in school counseling from South Dakota State University.
University of South Dakota, Ed.D. Special Education Administration, 2021
Black Hills State University, Endorsement, Early Childhood Special Education, 2013
Southwest Minnesota State University, M.S., Emotional & Behavioral Disorders, 2009
Northern State University, B.S., K-12 Special Education, 2006
Dr. Jessica Vogel joined the NSU School of Education faculty in 2016 after being a special educator for more than 10 years. She has experience as an EBD teacher, self-contained special education teacher, and early childhood teacher. Her undergraduate degree in special education is from Northern State University. Dr. Vogel serves on various committees on campus and community boards.
Dr. Vogel also serves as the graduate coordinator for the MSEd in Teaching and Learning…