The programs leading to the Specialist in Education degree are designed to provide a further specialization for instructional service and leadership personnel in fields of professional education and professional counseling. The degree requires completion of 27 semester hours after completion of the Master’s degree. The programs of study are planned to achieve a distribution for the student’s entire graduate program among the teaching field or area of competence, educational foundations, behavioral sciences, and electives.
The Specialist in Education degree is offered with majors in educational leadership, early childhood education, media (instructional technology and media specialist), professional counseling, and special education.
Students seeking an Ed.S. degree in early childhood education, media (instructional technology and media specialist), professional counseling, and special education should have previously completed requirements for a master’s degree in the same field. Typically, eligibility for the level-5 certificate, based on master’s-level work in the same field, must be established before admission to the Ed.S. program. Applicants must check with each program advisor to determine prerequisites needed for admission to the Ed.S. program. Courses taken prior to admission to an Ed.S. program will not count towards the hourly requirements of an Ed.S. degree program.
Only regular admission is used for the Education Specialist degree with the following minimum University System admission requirements being established: a master’s degree from an accredited graduate institution, a 3.0 grade point average on all graduate work attempted, and satisfactory test scores. Contact the Graduate Studies Office for information concerning the graduate program to which you are applying for more information. MAT scores are not accepted for admission into the Ed.D. programs in School Improvement and Professional Counseling and Supervision. Scores from the ETS PRAXIS series or Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) tests are not accepted for admission into Ed.S. degree programs. However, they may be required for certification. Each department offering the Ed.S. degree may set higher standards.