The department offers a Specialist in Education degree with a major in teacher education. This degree is designed for those students who already possess a master’s degree in education. Exceptions may be made only by the faculty of the program to which the student is applying. The Specialist in Education with a major in teacher education encompasses concentrations in educational technology; elementary education; English education; foreign language/ESL education; mathematics education; reading education; science education; social science education; and special education.
These concentrations require completion of a minimum of 30 hours of coursework beyond the master’s, including 6 hours in core courses, 18 hours in specialized courses, and 6 hours to be determined by the student’s committee. Both thesis and non-thesis options are available.
Admission
Candidates must complete both university and departmental applications, which includes the online application submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions and the EdS teacher education application from the department. A graduate GPA of 3.20 or higher, documentation of teaching or related experience, and three rating forms with recommendations that assess a candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, leadership, and scholarly potential are required. Some concentrations have specific application deadlines while others have a rolling admissions policy. Some concentrations require a minimum of three years of teaching or related experience.
In addition, some concentrations have additional requirements such as writing samples, work samples, or interviews. The departmental EdS application, rating forms, specific program deadlines, and other requirements are available from the department.
Requirements
The total EdS program involves a minimum of four semesters of study with no fewer than 60 hours of graduate credit beyond the baccalaureate, including research/thesis hours. Education courses at the 400-level required for licensure are not eligible. At least 2/3 of the semester hours accumulated in the master’s and all of the last 30 hours of coursework must be in 500- or 600-level courses. The EdS thesis must be approved by the student’s committee prior to submission to the Graduate School for final approval and acceptance. The student must register for thesis hours during this time.
| |
Hours Credit |
| 1 Core Area |
6 |
| 2 Concentration Specialty Area |
12 |
| 3 Research |
6 |
| 4 Related Studies |
6 |
| Total (Thesis and Non-Thesis) |
30 |
1 Must include one course from two of the following areas outside the concentration – curriculum or leadership; anthropological, historical, philosophical or social foundations; human growth and development; preK-4 teaching methodology; instructional technology or assessment.
2 Selected by committee.
3 Theory and Practice in Teacher Education 503, 518 or 500 (thesis).
4 Must be related to focus of degree and must be outside specialty area education program, e.g., English, reading, speech, drama, communication, educational technology, math, science, social sciences.
