Does anyone have a list of institutions offering a BA or BS in elementary special education (leading to certification) that is all or mostly all by distance?
Western Governors University (WGU) offers an online BA in Special Education. WGU is the only DL school to receive accreditation from NCATE (National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education). Tom
Grand Canyon University www.gcu.edu offers the BS in Elementary Education & Special Education online.
Be careful with WGU: they will not allow you to transfer in any credits toward your major. I almost went to WGU, but that was a deal killer for me. I would have had to retake five education classes that I spent hundreds of hours on.
Here's one http://www.umassonline.net/degrees/Online-Degree-Bachelor-Early-Care-Childhood.cfm and another http://www.northcarolina.edu/content.php/apps/disted2/searchresults.php?inv_type=D&browse=edu
Walden University, www.waldenu.edu, has programs leading to certification in those areas. The University of Phoenix, www.phoenix.edu, does as well. Having taken courses at both, I'd highly recommend Walden. As for the NCATE certification, it really doesn't mean anything. When obtaining a teaching license the state looks at coursework, not NCATE accreditation. The only accreditation you'll need to worry about is Regional or National. Virginia requires Regional, but other states may have differnent rules. -Matt