Master of Education in Early Childhood Intervention Specialist

Early Childhood Intervention Specialist – ME6220

Department of Teacher Education
Patton Hall
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
740.593.4400
specialeducation@ohio.edu

Delivery Mode: Online

Terms of Entry: Fall, 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, promote equitable education for all students, 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)
• Create an environment that is supportive of continuous improvement of P-5 student learning outcomes. (Pedagogy)
• Model high professional expectations and ethical practice and create supportive environments that safeguard legal rights and improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their families. (Professionalism)
• Engage in the design and implementation of research and inquiry. (Research methods and analysis; Independent Research)
• Produce quality written and oral communications directed to students, caregivers 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.

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.

Further Information

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

Admission Requirements

Applicants whose qualifications satisfy all the following elements are reviewed for admission to the Early Childhood Intervention Specialist Master’s program:

1. Bachelor’s degree in an accredited institution or equivalent.
2. Overall 3.0 GPA from most recent degree program.

The application requires a resume or CV, three letters of recommendation, a 1-2 page goal statement that addresses personal and professional reasons for seeking the degree, and transcripts (undergraduate and graduate when applicable). The goal statement also serves as the writing sample. 

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.

Graduation Requirements

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.