Educational Specialist Programs
The Ed.S. degree is offered in the following areas:
Biology
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education
History
Instructional Leadership
Library Education Media
Mathematics
School Counseling
Social Science
Teacher Leader
The curricula patterns of the AA certificate programs and the Ed.S. degree both provide a greater depth of specialization than the master’s level. Both programs require a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond the master’s degree. Students seeking admission to a sixth-year program follow the same procedures as applicants for admission to other graduate programs. To be considered for admission to a Class AA certificate program, an applicant must have a 3.00 GPA in all graduate work attempted and hold Alabama Class B and A professional certification in the proposed area of study except as prescribed below:
- An applicant with a valid bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in early childhood education and a valid master’s-level professional educator certificate in reading may be admitted to a Class AA/Ed.S. program in early childhood education.
- An applicant with a valid bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in elementary education and a valid master’s-level professional educator certificate in reading may be admitted to a Class AA/Ed.S. degree program in elementary education.
- An applicant with a valid bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in any teaching field and a valid master’s-level professional educator certificate in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) may be admitted to a Class AA/Ed.S. degree program in the same teaching field for which the teacher holds a valid bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate.
- An applicant with a valid bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in English language arts and a valid master’s-level professional educator certificate in reading may be admitted to a Class AA/Ed.S. program in English language arts.
- An applicant with a valid master’s level professional educator certificate in any teaching field may be admitted to a Class AA/Ed.S. program in special education.
The Alabama State Department of Education grants a Class AA Professional Certification to students who complete the approved graduate program of at least 30 semester hours beyond the master’s degree and pass a comprehensive examination. No courses used to satisfy a Class A master’s certificate can be used for AA credit.
Students seeking admission to the Educational Specialist Degree program must have a grade point average of 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) in their master’s degree program and a satisfactory admission test score. No applicant will be admitted, however, without the approval of the major advisor. The academic program faculty in the specific areas may use other criteria appropriate to the field of specialization. If the student’s previous work has not provided a proper base of general and specialized preparation for the sixth year of study, additional coursework will be required.
A minimum grade point average of 3.25 in the master’s degree program is required to complete the Ed.S. degree program. A maximum of nine hours of graduate credit earned in other approved graduate schools may be transferred; however, all such work must be approved by the student’s advisory committee and must carry a grade of B or better. Credit earned more than eight years prior to completion of degree work may not be used to fulfill degree requirements. No credit earned through correspondence, or workshops or used in obtaining another degree may be used to satisfy degree requirements. All courses must be taken at the 500 or 600 level, and at least two-thirds of the program must include 600-level courses. No coursework used to earn a Class A certificate may be applied to the AA or Ed.S. program.
Each program includes courses in foundation fields, the area of specialization, internship or practicum, when applicable, as well as the thesis. Six semester hours of credit are required for the Ed.S. thesis. The thesis should reflect the student’s ability to conduct systematic research.