Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) Degree with a major in Education and a Concentration in Early Childhood Education

1.   Meet minimal Grade Point Average of 3.25

2.   Be eligible for a clear renewable, level five (5) State of Georgia Certification (except Library Media)

3.   Verify two years teaching experience while holding a clear and renewable certificate (except Educational Leadership)

4.   For Educational Leadership only: if the applicant does not have a Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership, two courses must be completed for full admission: 1) Leadership in School, Society and 2) School Law and Ethical Practices.) 

Ed.S. Admission

For the admissions process applicants should complete and submit the following:

1. University Admissions Form including application fee, if applicable.
2. Two professional recommendations (pdf) using the School of Education format.
3. Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended (except GC)
4. Verification of immunization (pdf)
5. Any additional specific program requirements.
6. Pass an on-site writing assessment

Ed.S. Advisement

Each candidate for the Specialist in Education degree is assigned a graduate advisor who serves as a mentor to the Specialist Candidate and assists in proposing, scheduling and completing the Specialist in Education Program of Graduate Study.

Ed.S. Program of Study

The Specialist in Education program requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of course work beyond the Master of Education degree or the Master of Arts in Teaching degree.  Specialist programs must be completed, with the degree awarded, within four years of the initial coursework listed on the program of study. Only those courses listed on the Program of Graduate Study fulfill degree requirements. Substitutions must be approved by the advisor prior to course enrollment, and a Change of Graduate Program of Study form submitted to the office of the Department Chairperson. Grades below a B do not fulfill degree requirements.

Ed.S. Graduate Assistantships

Limited Graduate Assistantships are available. Details and an application can be found at http://www.gcsu.edu/education/assistantships.html

Ed.S. Exit Requirements

All students must pass a comprehensive departmental exit requirement and fulfill degree requirements to graduate including an electronic portfolio presentation. Students should check with their assigned program advisor for specifics.

Ed.S. Transient Credit

Six semester hours in the selected field of study may be transferred from other accredited institutions with prior approval of the advisor (no transient hours are accepted in the Educational Leadership Program). The transient permission form can be found at http://www.gcsu.edu/registrar/pdf/TransientPermissionForm.pdf

Dismissal Policy

Any course in which a student earns less than a B will not be counted for graduate credit in the educational specialist programs. A graduate student will be placed on academic probation if the student’s institutional grade point average falls below 3.0 at any point during his or her graduate studies. A graduate student will be dismissed from the program if his/her grade point average stays below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters.

As iterated in the student Honor Code, academic honesty is a critical component of the academic process in the Early Childhood Education program.  Submitting another’s work as one’s own is plagiarism; allowing another student to copy one’s own work is cheating.  Both, along with any other evidence of academic dishonesty, will be dealt with using the procedures outlined in the Graduate Catalog.