Elementary Education and Special Education

Details

Field of Interest
Education
Degree Type
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Academic Plan
Elementary Education and Special Education (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
9301
Effective Term
Fall 2026

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC)

Students pursuing an Associate for transfer to a university or a MCCCD bachelor's degree should note the following changes to the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) requirements, effective Catalog Years 2026-27 and beyond. Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to assess whether transitioning to the Reimagined AGEC requirements aligns with educational goals and to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will include:

  • Oral Communication [OCM] (3 Credits)
  • Quantitative Reasoning [QNR] (3 Credits)
  • Institutions in the Americas [IAM] (3 Credits)

Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will no longer include:

  • Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L] (3 Credits)
  • Computers/Statistics/Quantitative Applications [CS] (3-5 Credits)
  • Cultural, Global, and Historical Awareness Areas [C, G, H] (0-3 Credits)
  • Subject Options -AGEC-S only (8 Credits)

For a full outline of the Reimagined AGEC Requirements, please visit Maricopa’s AGEC Webpage.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CFS/ECH176 or
CFS205 or
ECN211 or
ECN212 or
GCU121WG or
HIS104 or
PSY101
Child Development or Human Development or Macroeconomic Principles or Microeconomic Principles or World Geography: People, Places, and Culture or United States History 1865 to Present or Introduction to Psychology Recommend CFS/ECH176 SB or SB, SCB or SB, SCB or SB, SCB or G, SB, SCB or H, SB, SCB or SB, SCB 3
ENG101 or
ENG107
First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC, WCM or WCM, FYC 3
FYE101 or
FYE103
Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3
MAT14+ or
MAT15+ or
MAT187 or
MAT188
College Mathematics or College Algebra/Functions or Precalculus or Precalculus OR Higher mathematical level Quantitative Reasoning [QNR] approved General Education course with a MAT prefix except MAT206.

Note: MAT182, MAT206, MAT256, MAT257 do NOT meet this requirement.

QNR or QNR or MA, QNR or MA, QNR 3–6
EDU221 Introduction to Education SB, SCB 3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG102 or
ENG108
First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC, WCM or FYC, WCM 3
ARH100 or
ARH101 or
ARH102 or
DAH100 or
DAH201 or
DAH250 or
MHL140 or
MHL145 or
MHL146 or
MHL153 or
THE111 or
THE220
Introduction to Art or Art from Prehistory Through Middle Ages or Art from Renaissance to Modernism or Introduction to Dance in the United States or Dance, Culture, and Global Contexts or Dance in Popular Culture or Survey of Music History or American Jazz and Popular Music or Survey of Broadway Musicals or Rock Music and Culture or Introduction to Theatre or Modern Drama AHM, HU or AHM, H, HU or AHM, H, HU or AHM, HU or AHM, G, HU or AHM, C, HU or AHM, HU or C, HU, AHM or AHM, HU or AHM, H, HU or AHM, HU or AHM, HU, L 3
NSI Natural Sciences Life Sciences: Select four (4) credits of [NSI] in the Biology (BIO) prefix NSI 4
EDU230 Cultural Diversity In Education AHM, C, HU 3
EDU+++ EDU Elective Select one (1) additional EDU course (except EDU250; may not select courses listed in Plan Course Requirements).

Recommend EDU220, EDU236, EDU/HUM/STO292

3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
OCM Oral Communication Recommend COM225 OCM 3
EDU/ENH291 or
ENH110 or
ENH241 or
ENH242 or
HUM250 or
HUM251
Children's Literature or Introduction to Literature or American Literature Before 1860 or American Literature After 1860 or Ideas and Values in the Humanities: Early Civilizations to the Renaissance or Ideas and Values in the Humanities: Renaissance to the Contemporary World Recommend EDU/ENH291 HU or AHM, C, HU or AHM, C, HU, L or AHM, HU or AHM, H, HU, L or AHM, H, HU, L 3
MAT256 Investigating Quantity: Number, Operations and Numeration Systems 4
Content Area Electives Content Area Electives 3–5
EDU/EED115 Digital Literacy for Teaching and Learning in Education CS 3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
NSI Natural Sciences Physical Sciences or Earth/Space Sciences: Select four (4) credits of [NSI] from one of the following prefixes: AGS+++, ASM+++, AST+++, CHM+++, GLG+++, GPH+++, PHS+++, PHY+++ NSI 4
EDU222 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner C, SB, SCB 3
MAT257 Investigating Geometry, Probability and Statistics 4
HIS103 or
GCU/POS113 or
POS110 or
POS220
United States History to 1865 or United States and Arizona Social Studies or American National Government or U.S. and Arizona Constitution H, HU, IAM, SB or H, SB or IAM, SB or None 3
IAM Institutions of the Americas May be fulfilled by HIS103, GCU/POS113, or POS110 in the Plan Course Requirements section. IAM 3
Content Area Electives Content Area Electives 0–2

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU225 Professionalism and Ethics in Education 1
EDU367 Science of Reading with Systematic Phonics Instruction in Grades K-8 3
EDU372 Educational Psychology for Teachers (Grades K-12) 3
EDU427 Social Studies Teaching Methods and Pedagogical Strategies for Grades K-8 3
SPE409 Special Education: Law, Policy, and Practice 3

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU337 Structured English Immersion in Grades K-8 3
EDU368 Reading Instructional Practices, Interventions, and Assessments in Grades K-8 3
SPE343 Special Education: Effective Collaboration and Communication Practices 1
SPE376 Special Education: Classroom Management and Behavioral Analysis 3
SPE422 Special Education: Mild to Moderate Disabilities 4

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU204 Fine Arts In Educational Settings 3

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU428 English Language Arts Teaching Methods and Pedagogical Strategies for Grades K-8 3
EDU429 Science Teaching Methods and Pedagogical Strategies for Grades K-8 3
EDU431 Mathematics Teaching Methods and Pedagogical Strategies for Grades K-8 3
SPE341 Special Education: Language Development and Disorders 2
SPE424 Special Education: Assessment and Eligibility of Exceptional Learners 4

Term 9

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 9
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU477 Student Teaching: Elementary (Grades K-8) 6
EDU487 Professional Seminar: Current Trends in Elementary and Special Education 2
SPE477 Student Teaching: Special Education (Mild to Moderate Disabilities) 6

Content Area Electives

A minimum of eight (8) credits are required to satisfy the Electives for Arizona Professional Teacher Standards: three (3) credits in an additional Education course and a minimum of five (5) credits in Content Area Electives.

Courses must transfer to all public Arizona universities as Elective Credit, Departmental Elective, or Equivalent to a university course as indicated in the Arizona Course Equivalency Guide in effect when the course is taken. Courses identified as Non-transferable in the Arizona Course Equivalency Guide cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.

Choose any combination from the following list of courses and prefixes to total a minimum of five (5) credits of additional coursework. Course(s) selected must be different from those used to fulfill a requirement of the AGEC and/or those used to fulfill Plan Course Requirements.

A list of additional, alternative, or supplemental courses for this pathway map
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ARH+++ Any ARH Art Humanities course(s) 3
ART+++ Any ARH Art Humanities course(s) 3
BPC+++ Any BPC Business-Personal Computers course(s) 3
CFS/ECH176 Child Development SB 3
CFS205 Human Development SB, SCB 3
CIS+++ Any CIS Computer Information Systems course(s) 3
DAH+++ Any DAH Dance Humanities course(s) 3
ECN+++ Any ECN Economics course(s) 3
EDU+++ Any EDU Education course(s) (except EDU204, EDU221, EDU222, EDU225, EDU230, and EDU250) 3
EED215 or
(CFS123 and
CFS125)
Early Learning: Health, Safety, Nutrition and Physical Fitness or (Health and Nutrition in Early Childhood Settings and Safety in Early Childhood Settings) 2–3
ENG+++ Any ENG English course(s) 3
ENH+++ Any ENH English Humanities course(s) 3
GCU+++ Any GCU Cultural Geography course(s) 3
GPH+++ Any GPH Physical Geography course(s) 3
HIS+++ Any HIS History course(s) 3
MAT+++ Any MAT Mathematics course(s) Any MAT course higher than MAT142 (except MAT256 and MAT257) 3
MHL+++ Any MHL Music: History/Literature course(s) 3
MTC+++ Any MTC Music: Theory/Composition course(s) 3
POS+++ Any POS Political Science course(s) 3
PSY+++ Any PSY Psychology course(s) 3
SOC+++ Any SOC Sociology course(s) 3
SWU+++ Any SWU Social Work course(s) 3
THE+++ Any THE Theatre course(s) 3
THF+++ Any THF Theatre and Film course(s) 3
THP+++ Any THP Theatre Performance/Production course(s) 3
Foreign Language Any Foreign Language course 4–5
Natural Science Any Natural Science course 3–4

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC)

Students pursuing an Associate for transfer to a university or a MCCCD bachelor's degree should note the following changes to the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) requirements, effective Catalog Years 2026-27 and beyond. Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to assess whether transitioning to the Reimagined AGEC requirements aligns with educational goals and to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will include:

  • Oral Communication [OCM] (3 Credits)
  • Quantitative Reasoning [QNR] (3 Credits)
  • Institutions in the Americas [IAM] (3 Credits)

Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will no longer include:

  • Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L] (3 Credits)
  • Computers/Statistics/Quantitative Applications [CS] (3-5 Credits)
  • Cultural, Global, and Historical Awareness Areas [C, G, H] (0-3 Credits)
  • Subject Options -AGEC-S only (8 Credits)

For a full outline of the Reimagined AGEC Requirements, please visit Maricopa’s AGEC Webpage.

Fall Semester (Term 1)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Fall Semester (Term 1)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG101 or
ENG107
First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC, WCM or WCM, FYC 3
EDU221 or
EDU230
Introduction to Education or Cultural Diversity In Education SB, SCB or AHM, C, HU 3
FYE101 or
FYE103
Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Spring Semester (Term 2)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Spring Semester (Term 2)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG102 or
ENG108
First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC, WCM or FYC, WCM 3
EDU221 or
EDU230
Introduction to Education or Cultural Diversity In Education SB, SCB or AHM, C, HU 3

Summer Semester (Term 3)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Summer Semester (Term 3)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
MAT14+ or
MAT15+ or
MAT187 or
MAT188
College Mathematics or College Algebra/Functions or Precalculus or Precalculus OR Higher mathematical level Quantitative Reasoning [QNR] approved General Education course with a MAT prefix except MAT206.

Note: MAT182, MAT206, MAT256, MAT257 do NOT meet this requirement.

QNR or QNR or MA, QNR or MA, QNR 3–6
EDU222 Introduction to the Exceptional Learner C, SB, SCB 3

Fall Semester (Term 4)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Fall Semester (Term 4)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CFS/ECH176 or
CFS205 or
ECN211 or
ECN212 or
GCU121WG or
HIS104 or
PSY101
Child Development or Human Development or Macroeconomic Principles or Microeconomic Principles or World Geography: People, Places, and Culture or United States History 1865 to Present or Introduction to Psychology Recommend CFS/ECH176 SB or SB, SCB or SB, SCB or SB, SCB or G, SB, SCB or H, SB, SCB or SB, SCB 3
OCM Oral Communication Recommend COM225 OCM 3

Spring Semester (Term 5)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Spring Semester (Term 5)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU/ENH291 or
ENH110 or
ENH241 or
ENH242 or
HUM250 or
HUM251
Children's Literature or Introduction to Literature or American Literature Before 1860 or American Literature After 1860 or Ideas and Values in the Humanities: Early Civilizations to the Renaissance or Ideas and Values in the Humanities: Renaissance to the Contemporary World Recommend EDU/ENH291 HU or AHM, C, HU or AHM, C, HU, L or AHM, HU or AHM, H, HU, L or AHM, H, HU, L 3
EDU/EED115 Digital Literacy for Teaching and Learning in Education CS 3

Summer Semester (Term 6)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Summer Semester (Term 6)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
NSI Natural Sciences Life Sciences: Select four (4) credits of [NSI] in the Biology (BIO) prefix NSI 4
MAT256 Investigating Quantity: Number, Operations and Numeration Systems 4

Fall Semester (Term 7)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Fall Semester (Term 7)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
NSI Natural Sciences Physical Sciences or Earth/Space Sciences: Select four (4) credits of [NSI] from one of the following prefixes: AGS+++, ASM+++, AST+++, CHM+++, GLG+++, GPH+++, PHS+++, PHY+++ NSI 4
MAT257 Investigating Geometry, Probability and Statistics 4

Spring Semester (Term 8)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Spring Semester (Term 8)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ARH100 or
ARH101 or
ARH102 or
DAH100 or
DAH201 or
DAH250 or
MHL140 or
MHL145 or
MHL146 or
MHL153 or
THE111 or
THE220
Introduction to Art or Art from Prehistory Through Middle Ages or Art from Renaissance to Modernism or Introduction to Dance in the United States or Dance, Culture, and Global Contexts or Dance in Popular Culture or Survey of Music History or American Jazz and Popular Music or Survey of Broadway Musicals or Rock Music and Culture or Introduction to Theatre or Modern Drama AHM, HU or AHM, H, HU or AHM, H, HU or AHM, HU or AHM, G, HU or AHM, C, HU or AHM, HU or C, HU, AHM or AHM, HU or AHM, H, HU or AHM, HU or AHM, HU, L 3
EDU+++ EDU Elective Select one (1) additional EDU course (except EDU250; may not select courses listed in Plan Course Requirements).

Recommend EDU220, EDU236, EDU/HUM/STO292

3

Summer Semester (Term 9)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Summer Semester (Term 9)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Content Area Electives Plan Course Electives 3–5
HIS103 or
GCU/POS113 or
POS110 or
POS220
United States History to 1865 or United States and Arizona Social Studies or American National Government or U.S. and Arizona Constitution H, HU, IAM, SB or H, SB or IAM, SB or None 3
IAM Institutions of the Americas May be fulfilled by HIS103, GCU/POS113, or POS110 in the Plan Course Requirements section. IAM 3

Fall Semester (Term 10)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Fall Semester (Term 10)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
Content Area Electives Plan Course Electives 0–2
EDU225 Professionalism and Ethics in Education 1
EDU367 Science of Reading with Systematic Phonics Instruction in Grades K-8 3
EDU372 Educational Psychology for Teachers (Grades K-12) 3

Spring Semester (Term 11)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Spring Semester (Term 11)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU427 Social Studies Teaching Methods and Pedagogical Strategies for Grades K-8 3
SPE409 Special Education: Law, Policy, and Practice 3

Summer Semester (Term 12)

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Summer Semester (Term 12)
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU204 Fine Arts In Educational Settings 3

Term 13

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 13
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU337 Structured English Immersion in Grades K-8 3
EDU368 Reading Instructional Practices, Interventions, and Assessments in Grades K-8 3
SPE343 Special Education: Effective Collaboration and Communication Practices 1

Term 14

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 14
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SPE376 Special Education: Classroom Management and Behavioral Analysis 3
SPE422 Special Education: Mild to Moderate Disabilities 4

Term 15

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 15
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SPE424 Special Education: Assessment and Eligibility of Exceptional Learners 4

Term 16

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 16
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU428 English Language Arts Teaching Methods and Pedagogical Strategies for Grades K-8 3
SPE341 Special Education: Language Development and Disorders 2

Term 17

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 17
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU429 Science Teaching Methods and Pedagogical Strategies for Grades K-8 3
EDU431 Mathematics Teaching Methods and Pedagogical Strategies for Grades K-8 3

Term 18

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 18
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
EDU487 Professional Seminar: Current Trends in Elementary and Special Education 2
EDU477 Student Teaching: Elementary (Grades K-8) 6
SPE477 Student Teaching: Special Education (Mild to Moderate Disabilities) 6

Content Area Electives

A minimum of eight (8) credits are required to satisfy the Electives for Arizona Professional Teacher Standards: three (3) credits in an additional Education course and a minimum of five (5) credits in Content Area Electives.

Courses must transfer to all public Arizona universities as Elective Credit, Departmental Elective, or Equivalent to a university course as indicated in the Arizona Course Equivalency Guide in effect when the course is taken. Courses identified as Non-transferable in the Arizona Course Equivalency Guide cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.

Choose any combination from the following list of courses and prefixes to total a minimum of five (5) credits of additional coursework. Course(s) selected must be different from those used to fulfill a requirement of the AGEC and/or those used to fulfill Plan Course Requirements.

A list of additional, alternative, or supplemental courses for this pathway map
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ARH+++ Any ARH Art Humanities course(s) 3
ART+++ Any ARH Art Humanities course(s) 3
BPC+++ Any BPC Business-Personal Computers course(s) 3
CFS/ECH176 Child Development SB 3
CFS205 Human Development SB, SCB 3
CIS+++ Any CIS Computer Information Systems course(s) 3
DAH+++ DAH+++ Any DAH Dance Humanities course(s) 3
ECN+++ Any ECN Economics course(s) 3
EDU+++ Any EDU Education course(s) (except EDU204, EDU221, EDU222, EDU225, EDU230, and EDU250) 3
EED215 or
(CFS123 and
CFS125)
Early Learning: Health, Safety, Nutrition and Physical Fitness or (Health and Nutrition in Early Childhood Settings and Safety in Early Childhood Settings) 2–3
ENG+++ Any ENG English course(s) 3
ENH+++ Any ENH English Humanities course(s) 3
GCU+++ Any GCU Cultural Geography course(s) 3
GPH+++ Any GPH Physical Geography course(s) 3
HIS+++ Any HIS History course(s) 3
MAT+++ Any MAT Mathematics course(s) Any MAT course higher than MAT142 (except MAT256 and MAT257) 3
MHL+++ Any MHL Music: History/Literature course(s) 3
MTC+++ Any MTC Music: Theory/Composition course(s) 3
POS+++ Any POS Political Science course(s) 3
PSY+++ Any PSY Psychology course(s) 3
SOC+++ Any SOC Sociology course(s) 3
SWU+++ Any SWU Social Work course(s) 3
THE+++ Any THE Theatre course(s) 3
THF+++ Any THF Theatre and Film course(s) 3
THP+++ Any THP Theatre Performance/Production course(s) 3
Foreign Language Any Foreign Language course 4–5
Natural Science Any Natural Science course 3–4

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.

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