Educational Leadership - Education Specialist (Ed.S.)

The Education Specialist degree (Ed.S.) provides a planned program of graduate studies beyond the master’s degree. It is designed to enhance the academic knowledge and skills of a cadre of educational leaders prepared to meet the increasingly complex challenges of the 21st century. The degree plan requires the completion of 30 semester credits beyond a master’s degree from an accredited graduate institution.

The Ed.S. degree serves the following three specialty areas:

1. Principalship
2. Central Office Personnel
3. Directorship of Special Education

 Admission Requirements

Applicants must submit an application packet which includes the following materials to be considered by the Education Specialist degree admission council.

1. Application
2. Official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate work with a master’s degree in education from an accredited institution. A minimum GPA of 3.30 in the graduate work is required. Transcripts from every college or university where college credit was earned must accompany the application. Transcripts must be issued by the college or university in a sealed envelope. Applicants who have completed credit at SVSU do not need to submit a copy of their SVSU transcript. However, they will be required to request a new set of transcripts from other colleges/universities where they earned credit to ensure that the College of Education has the complete academic history on file for admissions and state certification purposes.
3. Two letters of recommendation from professional educators or supervisors familiar with candidate’s career achievements
4. One letter of recommendation from a faculty member of the candidate’s graduate level work
5. A statement of personal goals, career aspirations, educational philosophy, and a current resumé.
6. A current professional vita
7. A written commitment to complete the program in a maximum of three academic years from the date of admission to the first semester.

Candidates may be interviewed by the Ed.S. admission council. Admission to the program will be made only for the Fall and Winter semesters. Application materials must be submitted to the Admissions and Certification Office in the College of Education by July 1 (for Fall admission) and by November 1 (for Winter admission).