Educational Specialist Graduate Program
The following minimal requirements will satisfy the Educational Specialist Certificate in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. The student's program is to be developed in consultation with an advisor whom the student selects as early in the program as is practicable.
The Educational Specialist Certificate Program is a two-year program of professional study and preparation beyond the Bachelor's degree. The first year permits the completion of the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis.
The student must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis Courses 48 credits
- Research Methods and Statistics Courses 6 credits
- Supporting Courses 6 credits
Total 60 credits
The student must complete the minimum number of graduate courses and credit distribution as set forth below.
Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis Courses
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Category I.
- 702 Introduction to Educational Leadership
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Category II.
- 785 Staff Personnel Systems
- 846 The Superintendency
- 860 Organizational Theory and Behavior in Education
- 870 The Politics of Education
- 875 Theory and Practice of Educational Planning
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Category III. At least ten (10) additional courses including at least thirty (30) graduate credits selected from any courses in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. (A maximum of three (3) graduate credits of 990, or 999 may be included in the 30 credits.) Students seeking Superintendent Certification need to incorporate required coursework into Category III. In addition to the Category II course work, superintendent certification requires:
- 830 School Finance and Resource Allocation
- 840 Public School Law
- 890 Educational Specialist Research Paper (not a class)
Research Methods and Statistics Courses
At least two (2) courses including six (6) graduate credits of research courses distributed as follows:
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An introductory statistics course which includes descriptive statistics, central tendency, probability, inference, and variance.
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The research requirement for the Educational Specialist Certificate shall be satisfied by completing Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis 824, Field Research Designs and Methodologies in Educational Administration.
Supporting Courses
At least two (2) courses including six (6) graduate credits of supporting coursework in teaching and learning (typically one course in curriculum and instruction and one additional course). Additional courses in teaching and learning are recommended.
Program Approval
The Education Specialist Certificate Program plan (as well as any subsequent amendments and changes) must be submitted and approved by the Department as soon as is practicable following admission to the program.
Satisfactory completion of the approved Specialist program plan shall be certified by the Department Chairperson prior to completing the specialist paper.
Occasional exceptions to the minimum specialist program requirements may be made by the Department on request by the student and major professor through the Department Chairperson.