Program Overview

A Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Special Education prepares students to to become special education teachers (sometimes also referred to as Intervention Specialists), although some graduates may work with individuals with disabilities in non-school settings.

Special educators teach individuals with many kinds of disabilities including learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, ADHD/other health impairments, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, hearing impairments, and multiple disabilities.

Special educators may co-teach with general education teachers in academic classrooms, teach small groups of students in a resource room, or teach students individually in highly specialized classrooms or programs designed specifically to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Special education majors who do not want to become teachers will often work with adults with disabilities in residential and/or vocational programs.

The Special Education major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Deaf Education concentration prepares candidates to work with deaf and hard-of-hearing students across inclusion, itinerant, resource room and self-contained public and residential classroom settings. Extensive field and teaching lab experiences optimize this preparation in combination with coursework in literacy, mathematics, science and social studies that help prepare students to take specific assessments to become designated as a "highly qualified" teacher in deaf education, reading and mathematics. Instructional methods are comprehensive in nature and provide the unique strategies necessary to address issues concomitant with hearing loss, including language development in both English and American Sign Language, use of bilingual-bicultural methodologies and various assistive and instructional technologies. The hierarchical coursework sequence concludes with thematic unit instruction that prepares graduates to work with the Core Curriculum to address all academic content areas, as well as transition, and students with additional needs. Graduates are eligible to apply for Ohio licensure to teach preK-12 deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
• The Mild to Intensive Dual License concentration prepares candidates to work with individuals (kindergarten through age 21) who have a wide variety of support needs in a broad array of settings (e.g., general education classrooms, self-contained classrooms, alternative schools and community-based programs). Candidates in this concentration progress through highly-structured coursework and extensive field experiences to learn evidence-based practices to teach academic, social adaptive and life-skills. Successful completion of this program enables candidates to be eligible for licensure in both Mild/Moderate Educational Needs (e.g., learning disabilities emotional and behavioral disorders, ADHD) as well as Moderate/Intensive Educational Needs (e.g., intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, physical disabilities) through the State of Ohio.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of: 1) learner development and individual learning differences, 2) the learning environment, 3) curricular content knowledge, 4) assessment, 5) instructional planning and evidence-based intervention strategies, and 6) professional learning and practice, and collaboration.
• Demonstrate the dispositions necessary to be successful special educational teachers/professionals.
• Demonstrate preparation for the profession by successfully completing the Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) Special Education Assessments required for their Special Education License type.