Teacher Leadership Ed.S. (Online)

Program Description

Georgia College offers a fully online Education Specialist in Teacher Leadership degree. This program is 30 hours and takes four semesters to complete. The program of study consists of 6 four-credit-hour core courses and 6 hours of content courses. Content courses are also online and will be chosen in consultation with the candidate’s advisor. The program is administered using a cohort model in that students all begin the program as a group in the summer and finish the next summer. Despite being a fully online program, candidates will still develop positive relationships with their professors and fellow candidates through group work and online discussion forums. The program is devised to equip experienced educators with the knowledge, skills and dispositions in the high needs areas of developing job-embedded professional development based on identified student and teacher needs, through coaching, and building collaborative learning communities. The EDS in Teacher Leadership is considered a new field K-12 certification, and candidates must pass a GACE test to become certified. This degree program equips candidates as teacher leadership specialists and also fulfills one of the requirements to move up within Georgia’s new Tiered Certification for educators.

Ed. S. Admission

Educators interested in applying to the program must submit:

• a letter of support from his or her administrator

• application for admission to Georgia College and State University Graduate School
• valid Georgia teaching certificate at level T5 or higher, Professional, Advanced Professional, or Lead Professional teaching certificate, or leadership certificate, service field certificate, or Life certificate
• two letters of recommendation
• evidence of an undergraduate or graduate GPA of 3.0

Special Program Prerequisites

All degree candidates must be accepted into the graduate program at Georgia College. Candidates must have a master’s degree in an education field and employed at a level 4 for 3 or more years. This degree is not content specific; for example, educators with degrees in Art, Early Childhood, Mathematics, Physical Education or Special Education, to name a few, are all welcome in the program.

Ed. S. Advisement

The Ed.S. with major in Teacher Leadership begins in summer semester of each year and ends with the following summer semester.  Each candidate admitted to the cohort has a program of study listing the timeline for all courses.  There are no substitutes or electives and all courses are taken at the same time during the program with other members of the cohort.  Candidates are assigned to the cohort professor for advisement and are encouraged to initiate communication on a regular basis with the professor who will also serve as facilitator and performance coach.

Ed. S. Program of Study

The Specialist in Education with major in Teacher Leadership requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of course work. Only those courses listed on the Program of Graduate Study fulfill degree requirements. 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 and submit formal application for graduation. Students should check with their assigned program advisor for specifics.

Ed. S. Transient Credit

No transient hours are accepted in the Teacher Leadership Program.  Candidates must enroll in all courses in the program of study at Georgia College.

Dismissal Policy

Students are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA during the program.  Students must earn a grade of B or higher in each class for it to count toward graduation requirements.  For any course in the program of study with earned grade of "C", the candidate may file a formal petition to continue in the program. 
Any student who plagiarizes work will fail that course (receive an F) and be referred to the Judicial Council for a violation of Georgia College's Honor Code.

Certification

Successful completion of the Ed.S. program and passing the GACE Ethics and GACE content exams enable the graduate to be recommended for certification with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Total Credit Hours: 30

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.)