ISU, Heartland announce new transfer pathways in special education, engineering
Written by Kyra Craddock on March 18, 2026
Image courtesy of Illinois State University
NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State University and Heartland Community College announced three new transfer agreements for students pursuing special education and engineering programs.
The first agreement allows for transfer and degree completion through Illinois State’s Paraprofessionals Unlocking Licensure in Special Education program, also known as the PULSE program.
The program is designed for special education paraprofessionals seeking to earn a bachelor’s degree while maintaining their current jobs, salaries and benefits.
Chris Coplan, director of media relations for Illinois State, said the program addresses a long-standing need.
“It’s built on the national teacher shortage,” Coplan said. “Special education teachers have been in short supply for decades.”
The agreement aims to help address that shortage by providing paraprofessionals, who may have been unable or unwilling to pursue a degree, a pathway to do so without leaving their current positions.
The second and third agreements create direct pathways from Heartland’s expanded engineering programs into the final two years of Illinois State’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering programs.
Coplan said the programs support students already earning credits by “helping them seamlessly transfer to ISU.”
The agreements are made possible in part by Illinois State’s new College of Engineering, which opened in fall 2025.
Illinois State and Heartland already maintain multiple transfer agreements across other majors.
“These three agreements make our 17th between the two institutions,” Coplan said.
The transfer pathways are intended to reduce barriers to higher education and provide more students with the opportunity to earn a four-year degree.
