希望成为特殊教育老师的学生通常会寻求特殊教育学士学位（SPED），尽管有些毕业生可能会在非学校（例如住宅或职业）环境中与残障人士一起工作。攻读SPED的学生将学习基于证据的策略，以与残疾人在不同环境和跨支持系统中合作。课程内容包括特定于教学和适应残疾学生的学术内容的内容，评估和制定个性化教育计划（IEP），课堂和行为管理策略，家庭和专业合作，残疾学生的教育和辅助技术以及对残疾学生的理解残疾学生的发展。特殊教育者（有时也称为干预专家）教有多种残疾的人，包括学习障碍，情绪和行为障碍，ADHD /其他健康障碍，
A bachelor's degree in special education (SPED) is typically sought by students who want to become special education teachers, although some graduates may work with individuals with disabilities in non-school (e.g., residential or vocational) settings. Students majoring in SPED will learn about evidence-based strategies to work with individuals with disabilities in diverse settings and across systems of support. Coursework includes content specific to teaching and adapting academic content for students with disabilities, assessment and the development of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), classroom and behavior management strategies, family and professional collaboration, educational and assistive technology for students with disabilities, and understanding the development of students with disabilities. Special educators (sometimes also referred to as Intervention Specialists) 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.<br><br>The Moderate/Intensive Educational Needs concentration is designed to provide coursework and field experiences necessary to become licensed through the State of Ohio to teach students who require intensive and ongoing special education support. Most often, these will be students with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), multiple disabilities and complex health impairments. Students with moderate/intensive (MI) educational needs generally do not fully participate in the general education curriculum and instead require access to a modified curriculum and/or other extensive special education (SPED) supports. Although MI students may participate in general education classrooms for parts of their day, they are more likely to receive their special education supports within small groups or individually in settings such as resource rooms, or classrooms or programs developed specifically for students with disabilities. Moderate/intensive special educators teach a broad range of skills including academics, adaptive and life skills, self-regulation, and leisure and social skills. To ensure generalization of skills learned in the classroom, MI teachers also focus on community based instruction, especially during the middle and high school years.