Teacher with Children

Bachelor of Science in Special Education

Special Education: Every Child Deserves an Excellent Education

All children are equally precious in God’s eyes. If you have a passion for teaching those with special needs, you can pursue a degree that will help you follow His example and serve your students with love. The special education degree at Pensacola Christian College will provide you with training to meet the need within Christian schools, using your skills to make a Christian education accessible to all students.

Earning your degree in special education at Pensacola Christian College will help you understand how to identify cognitive and behavioral disabilities and adapt material to more efficiently meet individual needs. The skills you develop will qualify you to aid those with ADHD and autism, as well as communication, behavioral, and emotional disorders. Working with these students will help strengthen their memory-building techniques as well as their understanding of academic subjects such as arithmetic and language arts—allowing them to excel both in and out of the classroom.

PCC will help you to share a Christian-traditional education with unique and exceptional learners. You’ll receive valuable teaching experience through a semester-long internship, and you’ll have access to education labs equipped with the latest classroom technology. With the knowledge gained from the special education program, you’ll be qualified to teach in a mainstream elementary classroom, lead a special education program, or create a combination of both, depending on the needs of the school where you teach. Through knowledgeable faculty, thorough training, and extensive experience, PCC produces teachers who are ready both to educate and to share God’s love with every child.


Faith-Based Special Education

The special education major at PCC will show you how to make learning accessible. As you teach every subject area from a biblical worldview, Christ will become the center of your classroom.

Special education is not just a career choice. It is a ministry. Christians understand that they must approach the special education classroom with patience, empathy, and understanding. You can fulfill a special calling by helping those with disabilities reach their full potential. Your hard work may be the key to bridging the learning gap for students, making you a meaningful part of their testimony.

Education Class

Special Education Major Learning Outcomes

As a special education graduate, you will be able to

  • apply a Christian-traditional philosophy of education to purposes, content, and methods of teaching.
  • demonstrate knowledge and understanding of subject content unique to special education.
  • demonstrate proficiency in the use of methods and materials appropriate for the traditional special education classroom.
  • organize, establish, and manage an effective learning environment.
  • demonstrate knowledge of the learner with ability to teach him.
  • teach effectively in a Christian school.
  • integrate biblical Christian values in teaching.
  • exhibit the professional qualities required of successful teachers.

Your Special Education Future

What can you do with your special education degree?

With a bachelor’s degree in special education from PCC, you’ll be equipped to teach in a Christian school’s special needs program or elementary classroom. You can also pursue graduate studies. Although the education degree programs do not lead to state licensure, graduates are qualified to receive teacher certification and special education certification through the American Association of Christian Schools (AACS) and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

Here are a few of the countless career opportunities available to you.

  • Christian School Teacher
  • Church Ministry
  • Curriculum Consultant
  • Missionary
  • Remedial Education Specialist
  • Resource Room Teacher
  • Special Education Program Director
  • Special Needs Consultant
  • Student Advocate
  • Tutor

Faculty Highlight

Dr. Rick Enders

Dr. Rick Enders

M.A., Ed.S., University of West Florida
B.S., Ed.D., Pensacola Christian College


“It is my prayer that students majoring in special education would get a glimpse of Jesus’ view of those with disabilities. Our Lord is very clear in Luke 14:21, 23 that God is honored and pleased when we do things for those individuals who cannot repay us. Just as God calls the rest of us to be served and to serve, God calls people with disabilities first to salvation and to be served, and then to take their proper place in God’s kingdom as those who serve others in extraordinarily effective ways that none of those without a disability could possibly accomplish.

If God has called you to teach those with disabilities, give thanks. God has chosen you to honor Him by teaching those with a specific need to the degree that each individual will fulfill and enjoy their intended relationship with God, their Creator.”

Meet more faculty

Special Education Concentration Course Schedule

Total Credits

120
Intern teaching students

About the Special Education Concentration

The purpose of the special education major is to prepare students to teach in a Christian school by equipping them with a Christian-traditional philosophy of subject content and teaching methods, practical teaching skills, and a servant’s heart with a focus on special needs students.

Special education students can apply for scholarships to receive financial aid.

Kathleen Irwin Scholarship
Two $1,000 scholarships awarded to education majors, to be applied over one semester.

Melvin and Mabel Teuscher Memorial Scholarship
$1,000 scholarships each awarded to continuing sophomores, juniors, or seniors who have a financial need, to be applied over one semester. Priority will be given to education majors or a missions or pastoral ministries concentration.

See More Scholarships

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Education Career Support

With Career Services and Career Link, students can start making connections with employers while on campus during Career Fair events. These services provide tools and resources designed to empower you for your special education calling.

Every year, an average of 96 schools attend Educator Recruitment, seeking to hire PCC graduates.

Need help? Career Services staff are ready to assist you in researching employment opportunities, exploring job qualifications, and providing mock interviews and résumé support.