• The major from Grand Valley State University is taken with another content area: the special education major, the early childhood education minor, Spanish elementary education minor plus elementary education major, or the English as a Second Language (ESL) minor plus elementary education major. 
  • Complete both the CSAT major and the complementary major with a GPA of 2.7 or better
  • Have an overall GPA of 2.7 or better
    • Pass the Michigan Basic Skills Test and the MTTC Elementary Education and endorsement-area tests
    • Courses are designed specifically for the major and are taught using best practices identified in research literature.
    • Students have many extracurricular opportunities, such as professional organizations (Student Council for Exceptional Children), service learning in area schools, and becoming active members of the community.
    • The strong pedagogical skills Performing Arts students develop are valuable in settings outside the school system, where an understanding of effective teaching and learning is important.
    • Two of the endorsement areas within the special education major may lead to a master's degree.
    • Grand Valley Performing Arts program graduates are employed as special education teachers across the state and nation.
    • Elementary-education teachers with a Spanish endorsement are in demand locally and across the country.
    • Career Options
    • Graduates who complete the Performing Arts and special education majors are prepared to teach in elementary and middle-school classrooms as well as to serve as special education teachers in endorsement areas such as cognitive impairment, emotional impairment, early childhood, and learning disabilities.
    • Graduates who complete Performing Arts and elementary education majors with the Spanish elementary education minor are prepared to teach Spanish Immersion, Spanish specials, or English in elementary classrooms.