Community Education Program (CEP): Disability Services and Advocacy (B.A.)
The Bachelor of Arts in Community Education Program
The Community Education Program (CEP) is for students that are ready to be change makers, innovators, leaders, creative thinkers, and non-traditional educators in their chosen fields in either education, the nonprofit sector, for profit organizations, or entrepreneurial enterprises.
The course work is driven by hands-on, experiential, progressive forward-thinking practical experiences in the chosen field, to prepare students for the challenges of an ever changing and developing 21st century world and their work with the lifelong learner community.
Graduates will leave with a degree that is innovative, creative, non-traditional, and forward-thinking, by being prepared with basics of community and social change and innovation, as well as problem/ project-based service learning opportunities. All, while giving them the freedom to follow their dream careers by partially building and creating their own degree through selecting a number of electives of interest. This prepares the students for a job market in high demand positions in ever and newly developing fields and industries on the local, national, and international level.
The CEP is a 120-credit hour program, consisting of general studies, core, and track/ concentration specific coursework.
The CEP also offers a 15-credit hour minor.
There are five tracks/ concentrations for students to choose from:
Community Innovation and the Arts
Disabilities Services and Advocacy
Outdoor Education Experiential Learning and Mindfulness
Sports Recreation and Wellness
Teaching English and Global Education
Disabilities Services and Advocacy focuses on services related to disabilities and advocacy fields for patients and their caregivers. These specific areas include but are not limited to autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mental/ emotional disabilities, other social/ behavioral issues, as well as physical, and people in recovery from alcohol, drug, or other addictions. Advocacy includes education on rights, identification of discrimination, raising awareness, and seeking solutions in these areas. Graduates seek leadership positions in either community-based or public/ state organizations, working with people with disabilities of any kind and their caregivers. They also promote and advocate for the service, care and education of children, adolescents, and life-long learners in any field. In order to focus on specific topics of interest, students can select a number of elective courses fitting their individual career aspirations and areas of interest.
Career opportunities include but are not limited to working in private or public-school settings, non-, or for-profit organizations, or family settings as disabilities service consultants, transition specialist, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) specialists, advocates, and/ or outreach directors and coordinators. In some instances, graduates work as independent consultants, behavioral coaches, and trainers (e.g. Birth to Three), depending on the field they focus on.
This track/concentration also can serve as preparation for graduate school to further students’ studies and work in allied areas of their chosen field.
Requirements
Required Courses
| CEP 101 | Introduction to Community Education & CEP | 3 |
| CEP 201 | Cross-Cultural Competencies in Changing Communities | 3 |
| CEP 411 | Formal & Non-formal Educational Models | 3 |
| CEP 421 | Promoting Creativity & the Arts | 3 |
| CEP 422 | Outdoor Learning Spaces | 3 |
| CEP 433 | Program Design & Implementation | 3 |
| | Or | |
| CEP 452 | Reggio Emilia & Other Approaches | 3 |
| | Or | |
| CEP 473 | Community & School-based Programming | 3 |
| CEP 442 | Community Empowerment & Engagement | 3 |
| CEP 443 | Fundraising & Grant Writing | 3 |
| CEP 463 | Leadership in Community Education | 3 |
| CEP 482 | Practicum II (off-campus) | 3 |
| CEP 492 | Practicum I (on-campus) | 3 |
| CEP 493 | Internship/ International Community Experience | 4 |
| EDUC 201 | Human Development | 3 |
| ENT 350 | Entrepreneurship Law & Ethics | 3 |
| SPA 252 | Sign Lang I | 3 |
| SPED 241 | Introduction to Exceptionalities | 3 |
| SPED 341 | Policies & Procedures in Special Education | 3 |
| SPED 348 | C&M Assess For Behavior Needs | 3 |
| SPED 352 | C&C Assess Functional Needs | 3 |
| SPED 401 | Autism I: Charact of Autism | 3 |
Choose 6 hours from the following:
| EED 301 | Designing Effec Lrng Environme | 3 |
| HE 320 | Mental Health & Drug Use & Abuse | 3 |
| HE 360 | Community & Environmental Health | 3 |
| SPA 452 | Advanced Sign Language | 3 |
| SWK 403 | Family and Child Welfare | 3 |
Electives to total 120 hours