About the Specialist in Education

The Specialist in Education (EdS) degree is a self-contained degree program intermediate between the master’s degree and the doctor’s degree both in time and depth. It provides advanced study for those preparing for positions which call for a higher level of competence and specialization than that of the master’s degree but without the heavy emphasis on research of the doctor’s degree.

The degree is offered in the following fields: adult education, art education, communication sciences and disorders, early childhood education, educational administration and policy, educational psychology, language and literacy education, learning, design & technology, mathematics education, middle school education, music education, professional school counseling, school psychology, science education, social studies education, special education, and workforce education.

Requirements

  1. Admission. An applicant may be admitted as a prospective candidate for the Specialist in Education degree upon recommendation of the appropriate department / division in the College of Education and approval of the dean of the Graduate School. To be admitted to this degree program, an applicant must hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
  2. Time Limit. All requirements for the Specialist in Education degree must be completed within six years, beginning with the first registration for courses on the student’s program of study. An extension of time may be granted only on conditions beyond the control of the student. A student may petition for an exception to this policy by writing a letter to the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School. This request for an extension of time must include the specific reasons that the student did not complete the requirements in the time allotted. The student must include a specific timeline for the completion of degree requirements. The student’s major professor must review the student’s request and write a letter to the Vice Provost and Dean stating approval or disapproval of the petition. The graduate coordinator and department head must review the major professor’s recommendation and indicate their concurrence by writing an additional letter. If they do not concur with the recommendation, further information should be provided by them in the letter. An extension of time may be granted only on conditions beyond the control of the student.
  3. Program of Study. A program of study should be prepared by the student and the major professor during the first semester in residence. The program for the degree shall consist of a minimum of 30 semester hours of study at the graduate level beyond the master’s degree. The program shall be planned as a logically organized whole, in light of the student’s record in previous undergraduate and graduate courses, performance on standardized and non-standardized examinations, and the entire professional experience. The program of study, approved by the major professor and the graduate coordinator, is submitted to the Graduate School by Friday of the second full week of classes of the semester in which degree requirements are completed. If degree requirements are completed during summer term, the program of study is due by Friday of the first full week of classes. A maximum of 15 hours of non-resident in-service credit is allowed on the program of study.
  4. Language Requirement. All candidates for graduate degrees are required to show correctness and good taste in their use of both written and spoken English.
  5. Accepting Credit by Transfer. A student fully accepted into a Specialist in Education degree program at an accredited institution may transfer six semester hours of graduate course work provided that the courses to be transferred constitute a logical part of the student’s program of study and are approved by the student’s major professor, the graduate coordinator, and the dean of the Graduate School. Such transfer of credit cannot exceed six semester hours, cannot reduce the residence requirement to fewer than 15 hours, and must fall within the time limit of the degree. The courses to be transferred may not have been used as part of the requirements for another degree. No grade below B (3.0) may be transferred. Transfer grades are not used in calculating semester and cumulative averages. All requests for transfer credit, with accompanying official transcripts, must be in the Graduate School at least 30 days prior to the time the student plans to graduate.
  6. In-Service Credit. A maximum of 15 semester hours of graduate in-service credit taken at non-resident centers may be included in a program of study for the degree. This maximum will be reduced by any credit transferred from another institution.
  7. Grade Average. To be eligible for graduation, a student must maintain a 3.0 (B) average on the graduate transcript and a 3.0 (B) average on the program of study.
  8. Final Examination. The candidate must pass a written and/or oral comprehensive examination administered by the department. The results of the examination must be reported to the Graduate School.
  9. Registration Requirement. A student must be registered at the University of Georgia for a minimum of three hours of credit the semester in which all degree requirements are completed.
  10. Final Clearance. All requirements for the degree must be completed and reported to the Graduate School no later than one week prior to graduation.
 
 
 

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