The Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in Curriculum and Instruction is offered for teachers and other professional educators who are seeking an advanced graduate degree. The program introduces professional educators to the theoretical basis of curriculum and instruction and provides opportunities for students to connect theory with practice. The following areas of specialization are offered: Art Education, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, English Education, Instructional Leadership, Learning Technologies, Mathematics Education, Modern Language Education, Reading Education, Science Education, and Social Studies Education. The program requires a minimum of 36 semester hours beyond the masters. Ed.S. coursework may not necessarily be applicable to the doctoral program.

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Admission requirements

Admission to the specialist program will be based on the following criteria:

1. A master's degree in Education from an accredited institution.

2. A satisfactory grade point average (at least 3.25) in all prior graduate work and a satisfactory grade point average (at least 3.0) in the last 60 semester-hours of undergraduate work

or

A combined score of 1000 (verbal and quantitative) on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). In any case, the GRE score must be submitted.

3. Two (2) letters of recommendation to support the application.

4. A Statement of career goals in professional education consistent with the objectives of an advanced graduate program.

5. A personal interview with a committee of program faculty.

6. In the case of international students or students whose native language is other than English, a TOEFL score of at least 550 is required.

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PROGRAM OF STUDY

Curriculum and Instruction Core (12 Hours)

EDG 6250 Curriculum Development 3
EDG 6286 Curriculum Evaluation and Improvement in Urban School Systems 3
EDG 7222 Curriculum: Theory and Research 3
EDG 7362 Instruction: Theory and Research 3

Content Specialization (12 Hours)

Art Education Early Childhood Education Elementary Education English Education Instructional Leadership Learning Technologies
Mathematics Education Modern Language Education/Bilingual Education Reading Education Science Education Social Studies Education

Research (6 hours)

EDF 6485* Research Methods in Education 3
EDF 6475* Qualitative Foundations of Educational Research 3

*Prerequisite: EDF 5481

Action Research Option (3 Hours)
EDF 5482 Field Research for Educators 3

Student identifies, designs, and conducts, and defends a classroom action research project.

or

Thesis Option (6 Hours)

EDG 6XXX Thesis 6

Student identifies, designs, conducts, and defends an original research in an appropriate area of curriculum and instruction. This option is strongly recommended for students who plan to enroll in a doctoral program in the future.

For more information:

Dr. Gail Gregg, Chairperson

Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction