Education Specialist in Administration and Supervision
The Education Specialist in Administration and Supervision (Ed.S.) degree program affords candidates advanced preparation in educational leadership for school or system level leadership positions. Whereas the master’s program emphasizes entry-level knowledge and skills, the specialist program requires students to practice, learn, and demonstrate leadership competencies through a one year field-based residency that is supplemented with formal coursework. As required by the Georgia PSC, the student enrolled in the Ed.S. program must hold a current Georgia Educational Leadership certificate and be employed in a leadership position in a PK-12 school.
The program typically consists of 27 semester hours. Eighteen hours comprise the field-based residency component, and remaining hours are fulfilled through formal coursework. The degree program is designed to be delivered within one year – summer, fall, and spring – with Ed.S. students beginning their course of study in the summer semester. Upon graduation, students qualify for a clear renewable Performance-Based Educational Leadership Certificate (PL-6) for the school or system level.
Ed.S. classes and/or seminars are normally offered at a site within the school district for single district cohorts or in a location as convenient as possible in multi-district cohorts.
| Semester 1 (Summer) | ||
| EDLE 8301 | Residency I : Class | 3 hours |
| EDLE 8301 | Residency I: Field Experience | 3 hours |
| EDLE 8324 | Ethics in Educational Leadership | 3 hours |
| Semester 2 (Fall) | ||
| EDLE 8302 | Residency II: Class | 3 hours |
| EDLE 8302 | Residency II: Field Experience | 3 hours |
| EDLE 8328 | Educational Diversity in a Pluralistic / Diversified Society |
3 hours |
| Semester 3 (Spring) | ||
| EDLE 8303 | Residency III: Class | 3 hours |
| EDLE 8303 | Residency III: Field Experience | 3 hours |
| EDLE 7385 | Special Topics | 3 hours |
Ed.S. cohorts will start only in the summer semester. Students finishing the program will qualify for a Performance Based Leadership Certificate (PL-6) with either a school endorsement or a central office endorsement. Admission requirements include the following:
- Master’s degree from a nationally or regionally accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA in all graduate course work completed
- Current Georgia certificate in Educational Leadership
- GRE combined score of at least 900 (minimum 450 Verbal score)
- Employment in a leadership position in a local education agency (LEA)
- Recommendation by the employing Superintendent or Headmaster
- Three letters of recommendation from employers, supervisors, or professional colleagues (The letter of recommendation form developed by the department for this program must be used and can be obtained from the Graduate School).
A total of 27-33 semester hours of graduate credit must be completed for this degree program. If after an initial assessment of the candidates past graduate studies it is determined that there is a deficiency, candidates may be required to take up to six (6) additional hours of graduate classes to compensate for this deficiency.
