The College of Education offers a master’s degree in Special Education for a teaching license in the following: Intervention Specialist for Mild-Moderate Educational Needs (to serve students with specific learning disabilities, mild mental retardation, mild developmental handicap, and/or emotional/behavioral handicap); Intervention Specialist for Moderate-Intensive Educational Needs (to serve students with moderate-severe mental retardation and/or multi-handicapping conditions); or Early Childhood Intervention Specialist (to serve students with special needs ages 3-8). Each program meets the Ohio teacher licensure requirements. Persons holding no previous teacher license or certification are encouraged to apply. Specific training is provided for all candidates in assessment, curriculum planning, career development, teaching methodologies, prescriptive and remediation techniques, behavioral management, collaboration, technological applications, research methods, and educational foundations.

The intent of all programs is to prepare teachers to deliver quality services in limited resource environments.

Additional information concerning these programs may be obtained from a Special Education faculty advisor or from the Office of Student Affairs,

Student Affairs, McCracken
Hall 124, Ohio University, Athens OH 45701
740.593.4413.

Planning Graduate Programs of Study
Before or while completing the first 16 credit hours of graduate study, students must meet with the faculty advisor to clarify personal and professional goals, which are to be outlined on Form A in Student Handbook materials. Before completing 25 credit hours, students should plan a graduate program of study based on their professional goals. The graduate program of study is to be approved by the advisor who forwards it to the graduate committee for final approval. Any change in a graduate program of study must be approved by the advisor and the graduate committee and be filed with the student’s original program of study.

Students must complete a minimum of 48 graduate hours of coursework. The number of hours required is determined in consultation with their advisor and is based on previous experience and areas of preparation. A typical Intervention Specialist teaching licensure program is 57 hours for a person with a previous elementary teaching license or certification and it will require 82 hours for persons seeking the initial teaching license in a single area and 96 hours for a dual license. A typical program of study for a student who is not seeking a teaching license will total 48 hours.

Requirements for Continuation
Students must maintain a 3.00 GPA to remain in good standing in the program.