Bachelor of Science in Education in Special Education

Kent State University

A Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Special Education prepares students to become special education teachers (also referred to as intervention specialists) or to 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 often will work with adolescents and adults with disabilities in community, residential and/or vocational settings.

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.

The Disability Services concentration prepares students to work with individuals with disabilities who have a wide variety of support needs in a broad array of settings (e.g., vocational, residential, community). Students in this concentration progress through highly-structured coursework and field experiences to learn evidence-based practices to teach leisure, social, adaptive and life skills to individuals with disabling conditions.

Students in the Disability Services concentration may apply early to the M.Ed. degree in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling and double count 9 credit hours of graduate courses toward both degree programs. See the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program Policy in the University Catalog for more information.

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).

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the program will be able to:

Engage in professional learning and practice within ethical guidelines.

Understand and address individual developmental and learning needs.

Demonstrate subject matter content and specialized knowledge.

Use assessment to understand the learning and the learning environment for data-based decision making.

Support learning using effective instruction.

Support social, emotional and behavioral growth.

Collaborate with team members.

In addition, graduates of the program will demonstrate:

the dispositions necessary to be successful special educational teachers/professionals

preparation for the profession by successfully completing the Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) Special Education Assessments required for

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries

Special education teachers, preschool

Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school

Special education teachers, secondary school

Special education teachers, all other

Substitute teachers, short-term

Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

Rehabilitation counselors

Community and social service specialists, all other

Social and community service managers

Social and human service assistants

Accreditation

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (Deaf Education and Mild to Intensive Dual License concentrations only)