Education Minors

Great teaching, and great care for young people, often takes more than one area of study. Florida Southern’s education minors are open to students in any major, adding specialized knowledge and hands-on experience with learners to the degree you are already pursuing. Whether you are preparing to teach, heading into psychology, nursing, or behavioral therapy, or simply want to work effectively with children, a minor gives you skills you will use from your first job forward.

Both minors also prepare you to sit for the appropriate Florida Department of Education certification exam. After earning your Professional Educator Certificate, passing the exam allows you to add Exceptional Student Education or Early Childhood Education as an additional certification on your Florida Professional Educator Certificate, expanding the students and settings you are qualified to serve

Early Childhood Education Minor

The Early Childhood Education minor gives you a foundational understanding of how young children, from birth through age eight, develop and learn. You will study child development, early literacy, and age-appropriate curriculum and assessment, then apply it directly through a clinical lab experience working with young learners.

The minor builds the competencies, knowledge, and skills teachers need to meet the needs of children in an early childhood setting, and it prepares you for the FLDOE Early Childhood Education licensure exam, which certified teachers can use to add an early childhood certification to their professional teaching certificate.

Who It's For

This minor is a strong fit for:

• Education majors who want to specialize in the early years and add an early childhood endorsement to their certificate
• Nursing and pre-health students preparing to work in pediatrics or other settings with young children
• Psychology, family studies, and other students whose careers will involve early development

Minor Requirements

18 hours, in courses where you earn a grade of C or higher:

EDU 2230 Typical and Atypical Child and Adolescent Development

EDU 2240 Foundations of Reading Instruction

EDU 2250 Foundations of Early Childhood

EDU 3260 Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction

EDU 3270 Early Childhood Research and Clinical Lab Experience

Total — 18 hours

Your clinical lab experience connects you with young learners in a real early-childhood setting. See how field experience works in education at FSC

Special Education Minor

The Special Education minor prepares you to understand, assess, and teach exceptional learners. You will study child and adolescent development, assessment and evaluation, positive behavior approaches, and instructional strategies for students with a range of learning needs, building the skills to support every student you work with.

The minor builds the competencies teachers need to serve students who receive exceptional student education services, and it prepares you for the Florida Department of Education Exceptional Student Education licensure exam, which certified teachers can use to add an ESE certification to their professional teaching certificate.

Who It's For

This minor is a strong fit for:

• Education majors who want to add an Exceptional Student Education certification to their certificate
• Psychology majors and registered behavior technicians working toward careers in behavioral therapy
• Nursing, counseling, social work, and other students who will support children with diverse needs

Minor Requirements

18 hours, in courses where you earn a grade of C or higher:

EDU 2210 Foundations of Special Education

EDU 2230 Typical and Atypical Child and Adolescent Development

EDU 3230 Assessment and Evaluation of Exceptional Learners

EDU 3235 Positive Behavior Approaches for Exceptional Students

EDU 4230 Instructional Strategies for Exceptional Learners

Total — 18 hours