There’s a lot of room for debate on what the most underrated major is. It’s a subjective title. Many majors don’t get the attention and recognition that they deserve. However, there is one major that consistently doesn’t make the “hardest majors” or “most important” lists. This major is often the most time-consuming and takes the most heart, and rarely gets the credit that it deserves. It takes a lot of effort to complete this major, and it takes more knowledge than most people realize. What major am I talking about? The one and only: Special Education.
I’m not a SPED major. I’m an education major, so I do have a first-hand look at what is required from the SPED majors. From just observation, it’s not hard to see that SPED is the most underrated major out there. There’s a lot more that goes into SPED than most people realize. Not only do you have to learn content to teach grades kindergarten through 12, but you also have to learn how to manage your future classroom. By being a special education major, you sign up to teach students with disabilities. This is not something to overlook. Students with disabilities are amazing people to teach and mentor, but each and every one has specific and distinct needs that are completely dictated by their own mental capacities. So, a SPED major has two things to worry about when teaching: getting the content across and adapting to each student’s specific needs. Since every student will have their own needs, a SPED major needs to be well-rounded. Their coursework covers so many different intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities and disorders that they might encounter. Since you can’t plan ahead, you have to learn it all.
Personally, for this reason, I think every special education major deserves a round of applause. Special education majors are few and far between. The field of special education requires patience, understanding, and compassion, on top of the knowledge requirement. Many people don’t fit the bill, leaving SPED a disastrously underpopulated program at many schools. SPED majors go into their field knowing that they’ll have to do extra work to make up for the lack of people. They understand that their job is going to be demanding and time-consuming. They go into it regardless of all this, which is something I can’t help but admire. SPED majors have it tough. Their program is demanding, and their future job requires a lot from them. SPED never makes the “best major” lists, so it’s about time we start giving SPED majors the love that they deserve.