Special Education (Multi-Categorical) (Online BS)
Program Credit Hours
120 credits
Course Length
7 weeks per course
Program Format
Online
Cost per credit hour
$450
* Total Cost (cost per credit hour x total credit hours) is provided to aid in program comparison only. All stated financial information is subject to change. Total Cost does not include fees, book or material costs.
Help students reach their unique potential.
Special needs students and individuals with exceptionalities need teachers who recognize their potential and support their learning. In SWU’s online Special Education program, you’ll learn best practices for teaching individuals with disabilities in a K-12 setting.
Our highly trained faculty have diverse, real-world experiences in special education grounded in a Christian ethic of care—and by the time you graduate, so will you. All courses are seven weeks long and, with the exception of the pre-clinical and clinical experiences, fully online. Online doesn’t mean remote, though: you’ll have numerous opportunities to engage with both faculty and your peers. Scholarship funds are available through Project CREATE for full-time employees in South Carolina public and charter schools.
Who Can Apply?
Any full-time employee in a South Carolina School district (public and charter) who does not have a bachelor’s degree can apply regardless of the position—bus driver, maintenance, custodial, and paraprofessional.
Scholarship Funds Available
CREATE underwrites all tuition, textbook, and Praxis II exam costs for qualified participants.
Earn your bachelor's degree in Special Education
Apply Online
Apply online at swu.edu/apply. Be sure to select BS–Teacher Special Education as your choice of major, and submit all documentation requested by SWU.
Complete your FAFSA
Complete FAFSA by going to www.studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
SWU FASFA code: 003422
The financial aid office at SWU can be reached at 864-644-5519 or
Register for Classes
When your student ID number is received via email, CREATE applicants will contact the SWU CREATE Center Director, Dr. Simone Adams, 864-644-5357 or , to register for and to complete your program of study.
Please remember that you are not enrolled in classes until you actually register for the specific sections you want. Acceptance to SWU does not complete your enrollment process!
Southern Wesleyan Degree Program Partnership
In Fall 2022, Southern Wesleyan University partnered with CREATE to offer a new FULLY ONLINE bachelor’s degree program in Special Education that provides initial South Carolina Department of Education licensure to teach. Through this partnership, full time employees (instructional and non-instructional staff, in and out of the classroom) from all school districts across the state are eligible.
SC-CREATE (Centers for the Re-education and Advancement of Teachers in Special Education) is a scholarship program sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) Office of Special Education Services. CREATE underwrites all tuition, textbook, and Praxis II exam costs for qualified participants. To receive continuous funds, you must remain employed full-time in a S.C. public/charter school. CREATE and Southern Wesleyan require that you maintain a minimum GPA throughout the program.
With support from CREATE funding, qualified students earn 120 hours and finish their Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree at Southern Wesleyan University. Field experiences and directed teaching will be completed in your home school district under the supervision of qualified personnel. This program is online, asynchronous (a few classes may require synchronous online sessions), and requires you to have access to a computer with internet service to complete the program.
To apply for this program with CREATE scholarship funds, you must:
- Be employed full-time (any position) in a South Carolina public or charter school.
- Complete the online CREATE application at sccreate.
- Apply online to Southern Wesleyan University at swu.edu/apply and declare B.S. Teacher Special Education as your major.
- Obtain an acceptance letter for Southern Wesleyan University.
- Meet with the CREATE Center director to obtain an approved program of study.
- Complete a CREATE Scholarship Loan Agreement at sccreate..
- Commit to teach in a multi-categorical special education classroom in a S.C. public/charter school for at least three years following completion of the B.S. degree program and obtaining SCDE licensure.
Meredith Gaskin
Online Admissions Counselor
864-644-5562
The CREATE scholarship program is administrated by Joe P. Sutton, PhD, Program Director, Office of Special Education Services, South Carolina Department of Education. For information on how to qualify for scholarship funds, submit your CREATE application online at sccreate. Upon receipt, your application will be processed within 3-5 business days, after which you will receive a CREATE Next Steps email notice with information and documents you must gather and submit in order to qualify for scholarship funds.
Graduate Study
- Occupational Therapy
- School Leadership/Administration
- School Psychology
- Special Education
- Speech-Language Pathology
Career Paths
- Case worker
- RTI interventionist
- School-to-work coordinator
- Special education teacher (inclusion, resource, self-contained)
- Transition specialist
Graduates of the Special Education program will be able to:
- Understand and describe how exceptionalities affect learning and development and use this knowledge to provide meaningful, challenging learning experiences in a safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environment.
- Employ general and specialized curricula to individualize learning for students with exceptionalities and support them in becoming active, effective learners with improved emotional well-being, positive social interactions, and self-determination.
- Select, adapt, and use evidence-based instructional strategies and deploy multiple methods of assessment and data sources when making educational decisions.
- Inform their special education practice with foundational knowledge of the field; professional, ethical principles and practice standards; a lifelong learning mindset; and a commitment to advancing the profession.
- Collaborate with families, educators, related service providers, individuals with exceptionalities, and community agency personnel in culturally responsive ways and across various learning experiences.
Additional Program Information
- Submission of a completed application
- An official high school transcript if transferring fewer than 15 credit hours from accredited colleges or universities. Minimum high school cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
- Home school students must provide evidence of membership in an approved home school association and provide an official transcript with a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale; otherwise, applicant must submit GED scores.
- Transfer students who have attended other colleges or universities must provide official transcripts from each school attended. Students must have earned a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA for all college work attempted.
- Submission of all military transcripts, if applicable.
- International transcripts must be evaluated by an approved agency. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers can do this evaluation, and National Association of Credential Evaluation Services provides a list of approved agencies. From the NACES list, Southern Wesleyan recommends using World Education Services or Josef Silny.
- Applicants for whom English is a second language must meet the official TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper test), 213 (computer test), or demonstrate equivalent evidence of proficiency in English, such as an overall band score of 6.0 or higher on the IELTS test.
- Satisfactory interview with a designated committee or academic division, if required.
Learn more about transfer credits from accredited colleges and universities.
Have questions? We can help. Connect with an admissions representative at 864-644-5550 or .
In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendment of 1972 and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Southern Wesleyan University does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, sex, or physical handicap in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. The university reserves its right to operate as a church-related institution and to develop policies consistent with the religious tenets of its sponsoring denomination, The Wesleyan Church.
Additional information related to SWU’s non-discrimination policies include:
Commencement ceremonies are held on SWU’s campus twice a year in May and December. Online graduates who complete their degree program of study at the conclusion of the summer semester will have their degrees conferred at the December graduation. Letters of completion are available to graduates who wish to confirm to their employers that they have completed their degree program upon request through the Office of Academic Records ( ). We look forward to celebrating with you soon!
