PSU’s AddSPED endorsement program is part of the largest Department of Special Education in Oregon. Our program welcomes collaboration and values community-based partnerships to support children, youth, families, school districts, and agencies throughout the state. Our committed faculty and their strong partnerships with community agencies help you explore a wide range of expertise in special education. This includes instructional methods, autism, positive behavior supports, inclusion, assessment, early intervention/early childhood, transition to adulthood, and visual impairments.

PSU is the public research university for the Portland metro area. The faculty in the Special Educator License program are intensely involved in improving special education services and instruction in Oregon and the nation through developing research-based curricula and teaching methods, setting up model classrooms and programs, and building collaborative relationships within schools and between schools and the community that improve education for students with and without disabilities.

PSU’s Special Educator License program is part of the largest Department of Special Education in Oregon. The Special Educator License program is accredited through the state’s Teacher and Standards Practices Commission. Our program welcomes collaboration and values community-based partnerships to support children, youth, families, school districts, and agencies throughout the state. Our committed faculty and their strong partnerships with community agencies help you explore a wide range of expertise in special education. This includes instructional methods, autism, positive behavior supports, inclusion, assessment, early intervention/early childhood, transition to adulthood, and visual impairments. PSU is also the public research university for the Portland metro area. The faculty in the Special Educator License program are intensely involved in improving special education services and instruction in Oregon and the nation through developing research-based curricula and teaching methods, setting up model classrooms and programs, and building collaborative relationships within schools and between schools and the community that improve education for students with and without disabilities.

Our asynchronous online courses offer a flexible, supportive and accessible path to a career in human services — no matter where you live. Designed with adult learners and working professionals in mind, it includes Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) opportunities that can save you time and money. No other undergraduate Human Services program in Oregon offers this combination of benefits.

Backed by PSU’s School of Social Work: A Leader in Online Social Work Education

PSU’s Human Services program is housed within the School of Social Work, a nationally respected leader in social justice-focused social work education. The School of Social Work has a long track record of delivering high-quality, online degree programs, in particular Oregon’s first online Master of Social Work (MSW) program. As a student, you’ll benefit from the school’s expertise in distance learning, its national network of human services professionals and its deep commitment to equity and social change.

What You’ll Learn in PSU’s Human Services Program

Our courses emphasize cultural humility, trauma-informed care, and equity in human services, and use the latest research in the field. You’ll learn how to work with individuals and communities in collaborative, respectful and people-centered ways. Through virtual and simulated practice, you’ll develop the client care, communication, and problem-solving skills you need to start serving your community immediately. 

Customize Your Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services: Four Career-Aligned Concentrations

PSU’s Human Services program helps you focus your degree with workforce concentrations in behavioral health, addictions, gerontology, and children and youth services. These concentrations prepare you for careers or advanced degrees in human services, counseling, social work, behavioral health and healthcare. 

Pursuing the Criminal Behavior and Justice Undergraduate Certificate at Portland State University allows students to gain a deep understanding of the causes of criminal behavior and evidence-based solutions for it, while learning from nationally recognized faculty. Instructors are experts in their field, their teaching and research often centers around understanding and evaluating policies within the country, state, and local community.

Portland State University places a strong emphasis on community engagement, and the faculty and students in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department are committed to working in and having a positive impact on the community. Classes consider who comes into contact with the criminal justice system, why, and how to create safer and healthier communities. PSU’s location in Portland, Oregon offers students unique opportunities to learn and network within a dynamic urban setting with a rich history of criminal justice reform and practice.

Classes focus on gaining a comprehensive understanding of criminal behavior, crime, and criminal justice agencies while being able to specialize in areas such as forensics and crime control strategies. The program offers flexibility, allowing students to choose electives that align with their specific interests and career aspirations (e.g., juvenile justice). Students can complete the certificate in either our campus or fully online pathways. 

Pursuing the Criminal Law and Justice Undergraduate Certificate at PSU will allow students to specialize in a law-related focus, while learning from nationally recognized faculty. Instructors are experts in their field; their teaching and research often centers around laws and policies within the country, state, and local community. In the United States, 95% of all criminal cases are resolved in state courts – state laws matter and impact all of us! Courses within this certificate will introduce students to the broader structure and functioning of the United States legal system, but with a special emphasis on Oregon’s laws and policies. This is important for students who are interested in going to law school and practicing in the state, and for students interested in jobs in Oregon. PSU’s location in Portland, Oregon, offers students unique opportunities to learn and network within a dynamic urban setting with a rich history of criminal justice reform and practice.

Students will benefit from a blend of classes, gaining a comprehensive understanding of criminology, court systems, and criminal law while being able to specialize in areas such as human behavior, race and crime, and crime control strategies. The program offers flexibility, allowing students to choose electives that align with their specific interests and career aspirations (e.g., law and behavior, social justice). Students can complete the certificate in either our campus or fully online pathways.

Portland is known as a leader in accessibility discussions, and PSU supports this by offering the only O&M program in the Pacific Northwest. PSU also is host to the Pacific and Northwest Consortium for Vision Education (PNWCVE). PSU is supported by diverse regional partners. This offers O&M students a highly networked experience. You become collaborators in regional opportunities. O&M will assist you in building competencies through projects with partners. The program also teaches innovative ways to address service needs in rural and geographically remote regions. We believe that within our differences lie individual strengths. For that, we foster generous self-respect and relentlessly support one another toward maximal contribution and impact.

About the program

Applicants from PNWCVE member states (Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana) receive priority admissions and federal grant funding when available. Applicants from nonmember states are welcome to apply and are accepted on a space-available basis.

O&M is a non-licensure program. Graduates of this certificate are not eligible for licensure in Oregon, or any other state. If you are interested in related licensure programs, please visit Visually Impaired Learner for a Preliminary Teaching License or to add an endorsement to a special education license.

• 99% of our graduates are employed in the fields of O&M and visual impairment.
• We retain 97% of our students.
• 84% of our completers pass the ACVREP COMS exam.

Program benefits

• Enjoy multimedia-rich courses
• Get matched with O&M mentors in home communities.
• Understand links between research-based instruction and effective O&M practices
• Engage at events such as Mobility Matters
• Learn from rich hands-on training in the summer with O&M experts and agency partners, such as Guide Dogs for the Blind
• Prepare to complete the international certification exam through the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP)
• Experience incredible value: Learn from experienced teachers who have scholarly expertise and advanced degrees—and do so in convenient locations and at an accessible price

Program specifics

• Enjoy convenient, hybrid scheduling for working professionals. Most courses meet online, with one month of face-to-face coursework in the summer
• Benefit from your peers’ knowledge and experience in our unique cohort model
• Available in conjunction with the VIL initial license, as a graduate certificate, as courses that lead to a Master of Science degree, and as an added certificate to those who currently hold a TSVI license.