Inclusive Special Education Major FAQs

Yes. Miami's Inclusive Special Education program is designed to allow our students to earn a degree in four years and go straight into a classroom position. There is a high demand for intervention specialists and school districts actively recruit new graduates.

Our students appreciate being placed in real-world situations as early as their sophomore year, and continue through the senior year with student teaching and the senior capstone. These field experiences allow students to initially observe, eventually assist veteran teachers, implementing teaching methods presented in class; and tutor children in reading.

By graduation, Inclusive Special Education majors have been gradually immersed in their future profession. There is mentoring and feedback each step of the way, and by the time a student teacher is put in charge of a classroom he or she is well prepared for the challenge.

No, when you complete Miami’s undergraduate program you are eligible for a 4-year Resident Educator license. That is the first step to becoming a teacher.

Once you have successfully completed the undergraduate program and passed the required Ohio Assessments for Educators, you are eligible for the State of Ohio Mild-Moderate and Moderate-Intensive Intervention Specialist licenses, K-12.

An intervention specialist is another term for describing an inclusive special education teacher.

The role of an intervention specialist can vary greatly. The role is largely determined by the needs, policy and philosophy of the hiring school district. An intervention specialist may have his/her own classroom where, during parts of the school day, children come to receive special instruction in a needed subject area, take a test in a modified presentation or receive assistance in a needed area of development or skill.

An intervention specialist also travels to general education classrooms to collaborate with teachers in modifying instruction and providing in-class assistance and instruction to children. Some school districts utilize a co-teaching model, pairing a general education teacher with an intervention specialist. An intervention specialist could participate in all three of these models.

Intervention specialists are collaborators, working with the team of people needed to meet the needs of individual students. The special education major at Miami prepares our students to work effectively in all of these settings.

Yes, the Department of Teaching, Curriculum, and Educational Inquiry offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in early childhood education, middle childhood education, and adolescent/ young adult education. Other Miami departments offer licensure programs in art, music, and foreign language.

• Our program prepares students for two Ohio teaching licenses.
• Our program has a strong focus on social justice.
• Our program philosophy acknowledges disability as a marker of diversity.

A cohort is simply a group of students who take certain courses together. Typically, it is the group of students who are admitted during the same year. Cohort students often become close personally and professionally, even after graduation.

The Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) tests are required for licensure in Ohio. The current required OAE tests for mild/moderate and moderate/intensive licensure are: 004: Multi-Age Assessment and Knowledge, 043: Special Education Professional Knowledge, 090: and Foundations of Reading. For more information, visit Ohio Assessments for Educators.

Absolutely. That’s an advantage to majoring in Inclusive Special Education at a university where the department is focused on undergraduates. As a small program, you will know the Program Advisor well and have close access to the faculty in the program.

No. The majority of your major classes will be in educational psychology, but you will also take classes with general education majors from the Department of Teaching, Curriculum, and Educational Inquiry (TCE.)

You will take one block of classes in the middle childhood content area including several reading methods classes in TCE. This provides a necessary understanding of general education curriculum and Ohio content standards and establishes the groundwork for collaboration between general education and special education.

Our graduates are highly regarded. This, paired with the high demand for qualified special educators today, makes the transition from student to teacher an easy one. Our graduates have enjoyed a near 100% placement rate for some time. 

Miami has developed a website that contains our determination of whether or not each of our programs that are intended to lead to licensure or certification satisfy the curricular requirements in each state. Please see Miami’s State Authorization and Professional Licensure website for additional information about state requirements for licensure or certification. You should also meet with your academic advisor on an ongoing basis to make sure you are following a plan of study that allows you to meet your academic goals. 

Although we have reciprocity with many states, teacher/professional licensure requirements are subject to change. Please check the appropriate Department of Education website in your state of interest for the most up-to-date license requirements.