Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) with major in Education and a Concentration in choice of Middle Grades Content Area

The Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) program offered in the Department of Early Childhood and Middle Grades Education provides advanced study for qualified master educators at the T6 certification level. The focus is Architects of Authentic Learning Communities. The programs of study include a 15 hour advanced, research-oriented, professional education core and 12 hours of advanced coursework in the content field, building upon work completed at the master’s level; strengthening and extending professional, pedagogical, and content knowledge; and preparing advanced practitioners to be architects of change and dynamic leaders in the professional community.

Ed.S. Prerequisites

Meet minimal Grade Point Average of 3.25
Be eligible for a clear renewable, level five (5) State of Georgia Certification (except Library Media)
Verify two years teaching experience while holding a clear and renewable certificate (except Educational Leadership)

Ed.S. Admission

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

University Admissions Form including application fee, if applicable.
Two professional recommendations (pdf) using the School of Education format.
Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended (except GC)
Verification of immunization (pdf)
Any additional specific program requirements.

Applicants for graduate programs in the College of Education must take the Georgia College Graduate Writing Assessment, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Applicants must pass the Georgia College Graduate Writing Assessment for admission; or present an official test score that is no more than six years old on the GRE General Test of at least 1,000 (verbal and quantitative combined) if taken before August 1, 2011, or at least 305 (verbal and quantitative combined) on the GRE if taken on or after August 1, 2011, or at least 400 on the MAT. Graduates of Georgia College may waive the graduate admissions test requirements.

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 (with the exception of Educational Leadership in which 36 semester hours are required). 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 Middle Grades programs. 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.

Program of Study

I. Professional Education (15 semester hours)

Research Sequence:

EDCI 7741	Collaborative Cultur-Educ Chng	3
EDCI 7742	Intellectual Inquiry-Edu Chnge	3
EDCI 7743	Critical Inquiry-Prof Practice	3
EDCI 7744	Educators as Change Agents	3
EDCI 7745	Architects-Authen Lrning Commu	3

II. Content Field (minimum) (15 semester hours)

Content Pedagogy courses (12 semester hours)

Middle Grades Education Content Class (3 semester hours)

Specific graduate level cognate courses are determined through advisement and the program ends with a required presentation of an electronic portfolio.

Total Credit Hours: 30

Refer to the Course Description Section of this catalog for courses and course descriptions.

Further Information

Prospective students desiring further information on graduate programs may contact Shanda Brand, Graduate Admissions Advisor, at Georgia College, Campus Box 70, Milledgeville, GA 31061.

Email: Shanda.Brand@gcsu.edu

Phone: 478-445-1383. (Toll free in Georgia at 1-800-342-0471, extension 1383.)