Degree Title and Name:  Master of Education in Early Childhood Intervention Specialist

Program Name and Number:  Early Childhood Intervention Specialist – ME6220

Department/Unit:  Teacher Education/Special Education

Delivery Mode:  Online

Term(s) of Entry:  Fall, Spring, Summer

Program Overview:  Our mission is to prepare knowledgeable and effective intervention specialists who are lifelong learners and strong advocates, able to serve individuals with a variety of abilities and needs, especially in low-resource settings. We provide programs and experience that value and celebrate differences, are field-intensive, steeped in interdisciplinary collaboration, co-teaching, and P-5 student-focused problem solving. This program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Normative time to completion is one year for individuals who already have a teacher license and complete the program on a full-time basis. Individuals completing the program on a part-time basis or those seeking their first teacher license typically require two years to complete the program.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• By the completion of the special education licensure program, candidates will demonstrate mastery of CEC standards. (Core Knowledge)
• By the completion of the special education licensure program, candidates will create an environment that is supportive of continuous improvement of P-5 student learning outcomes. (Pedagogy)
• By the completion of the special education licensure program, candidates will model high professional expectations and ethical practice and create supportive environments that safeguard legal rights and improve outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities and their families. (Professionalism)
• By the completion of the special education licensure program, candidates will engage in the design and implementation of research and inquiry. (Research methods and analysis; Independent Research)
• By the completion of the special education licensure program, candidates will produce written and oral quality communications directed to students, parents/guardians and other professionals. (Scholarly Communications)

Opportunities for Graduates:  Teacher shortages in special education have been a problem for numerous years and they tend to be even more challenging to resolve in rural settings. Three-fourths of all Ohio students enter kindergarten without the skills necessary to be successful. Completion of the program meets Ohio’s Educator Licensure Standards for early childhood special education, which are standards for teaching P-5 students who have disabilities. After completing this coursework and passing the Ohio Educator Assessments, individuals will be fully credentialed to teach early childhood students with disabilities.

Link to Program: https://www.ohio.edu/education/teacher-ed/special-education-masters

Graduation Requirements:  

The Master’s Degree in Education with a Major in Early Childhood Intervention Specialist is designed for those pursuing an initial teacher license or those who already hold another license and wish licensure to teach P-5 learners with disabilities. The focus of the Special Education program at Ohio University centers on the delivery of high-quality and equitable services and supports to all students.

All individuals completing the program must complete a minimum of 30 graduate semester hours of course work, with a grade of a “C” or better. The number of hours required to meet state requirements for the early childhood intervention specialist licensure is determined in consultation with the advisor and is based on previous degrees, licensures, course work, and professional internship hours and when these previous requirements were completed.  The coursework requirements can range from 30 hours for a person with a previous special education license to 43 hours for a person with an early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescent to young adult teacher license who has undergraduate state reading requirements to 71 semester hours for persons seeking their first (initial) teacher license.

• Teacher Education Core Coursework: EDTE 6670, EDSP 5700, EDTE 5600, EDTE 6940
• Special Education Core Coursework: EDSP 5720, EDSP 5730, EDSP 5740, EDSP 5750, EDSP 5760, EDSP 6700
• Early Childhood Intervention Specialist Coursework: EDSP 5770, EDSP 5830, EDSP 6800, EDPL 5620, EDPL 5630, EDPL 5650
• Basic Instructional Methods Coursework (All of the courses in this section are subject to waiver if equivalent courses were completed previously, as documented on the transcript.): EDTE 5300, EDCT 5010, EDTE 5210, EDTE 5240, EDTE 5260, EDTE 5270

Culminating Experience: Individuals complete a Master’s Research Project as their culminating experience that they plan during the Teacher as Action Researcher course (EDTE 6670) and implement/complete during the Master’s Research Project course (EDTE 6940).

Admission Requirements: Overall 3.0 GPA from most recent degree program; 1-2 page statement of personal and professional reasons for seeking the degree and major, which serves as the writing sample; and, two acceptable letters of recommendation.

International Students: This program does not permit full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 cannot be issued based on admission to this program.