New minor aims to address special education teacher shortage

San Diego State University has launched a new undergraduate minor for students interested in working with young people with disabilities. 

Offered through the College of Education, the Special Education Minor debuts this fall and is open to students in any major. The program offers in person and virtual courses, has no prerequisites and can be declared at any time. 

“I'm thrilled that students who want to be teachers will get an opportunity to get excited about working with kids with disabilities — and get the tools that they need to start to do that,” said Chris Brum, associate professor in special education and coordinator of the liberal studies major, which prepares elementary educators.

Brum, who designed the minor, said it was launched partly in response to high student interest as the College of Education’s undergraduate advising team fielded frequent inquiries about whether such a minor existed. 

Student demand dovetails with a persistent high demand for special education teachers across California and the U.S. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, prior to the 2024-25 school year, 72% of public schools experienced difficulty filling positions with a fully certified teacher.

“Many kids with disabilities in California are not served by a credentialed teacher — that's how bad it is,” Brum said. “We have a lot of folks on intern credentials and long-term subs. Especially when you get out of the more populated areas along the coast, it gets really challenging. We'll talk to our district partners in rural areas of the county and they'll say they post jobs that nobody applies for.”

The Special Education Minor is a track of already existing courses that offer students a broad perspective, including explorations of disability and society, learning development and special education legislation. Course offerings also take a closer look at issues relating to specific disabilities, such as autism. The program includes an opportunity for early clinical experiences with children with disabilities in both general and special education settings.

While the minor was designed to prepare students interested in pursuing a special education teaching credential program after graduation, it may also appeal to future general education teachers who will have students with disabilities in their classrooms, as well as anyone interested in careers in the helping professions. 

“We're hoping that it will be a mechanism to get people more interested in working with people with disabilities,” Brum said. “Hopefully, many will choose to become special ed teachers, because there's such a big need, but building awareness is important too.”

The new minor may be a sign of things to come. Brum said he is in discussions with the School of Teacher Education and Department of Dual Language and English Learner Education, exploring the development of minors to prepare teachers for general education and bilingual education classrooms.

But for now, progress toward addressing the special education teaching shortage is a good start.

“It's something that's taking very minimal resources yet will hopefully have a big outcome in support of our students,” he said.