Program Overview 

Teachers holding a T-5 teaching certificate (or eligible for T-5, master's level certificate)  with at least two years of teaching experience while holding a valid teaching certificate may apply for admission to the Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) program. Education Specialist candidates develop content and pedagogical expertise as well as seek to influence educational decisions outside their own classrooms. They become increasingly accomplished teachers who display leadership. Our EdS program is a fully online program that can be completed in five semesters and it serves for teachers in any location of the state of Georgia. The program admits students for Summer and Fall terms only.

All educator preparation programs are approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Career Opportunities

Successful completion of the Ed.S. allows the candidate to apply to upgrade teacher certification to the T-6 level.

Program of Study

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Professional Core (15 hours)		15
EDCI 7111	Specialist Portfolio Orientation	1
EDCI 7112	Specialist Portfolio Midpoint Review	1
EDCI 7013	Specialist Portfolio Exit	0
EDUF 7115	Psychology of Teaching	3
EDUF 7116	Applied Educational Research: Assessing and Monitoring Student Achievement	3
EDTL 6156	Developing Teacher Leaders	3
EDCI 7121	Integrating Multicultural Approaches into Project-based Instruction	2
SPED 7155	Advanced Classroom Collaboration in Education	2
Concentration		6
Select one of the following concentrations:
English Concentration
EDSE 7155	Reading Research in the Discipline	3
EDCI 7115	K-12 Curriculum Studies: English Language Arts	3
An ENGL course or EDCI 6118, or EDSE 6115 as approved by the advisor.
Mathematics Concentration
EDSE 7155	Reading Research in the Discipline	3
EDCI 7125	Curriculum Studies: Mathematics Education	3
Math Education courses (EDSE, EDMG, EDCI) or MATH courses as approved by the advisor.
Science Concentration
EDSE 7155	Reading Research in the Discipline	3
EDSE 7135	Curriculum Studies in Secondary Science Education	3
ATSC, BIOL, CHEM, GEO, ENVSL courses as approved by the advisor.
Social Science Concentration
EDSE 7155	Reading Research in the Discipline	3
EDSE 7145	Curriculum Studies in Social Science Education	3
HIST, POLS, ECON, SOCI, PSYC courses as approved by the advisor
Electives (6-9 hours)		6-9
All electives must be approved by the advisor prior to registration.
Courses in the concentration area as approved by the advisor: ENGL courses (for English), MATH courses (for math); ATSC, BIOL, CHEM, GEOL, or ENVS courses (for science); HIST, POLS, ECON, PSYC, or SOCI courses (for Social Science).
SPED 7115	Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in School Settings	3
EDCI 6118	Teaching Composition in Grades 4-12	3
EDUL 6129	Supervision of the Learning Environment	3
EDUL 6128	Instructional Strategies for Student Success	3
EDTL 6157	Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning	3
EDTL 6159	Differentiating Instruction in the Content Areas	3
EDTL 6685	Teacher Leadership Internship I	3
EDTL 6686	Teacher Leadership Internship II	3
EDTL 6158	Reading and Writing in the Content Areas	3
CPSC 6103	Computer Science Principles for Teachers	3
CPSC 6105	Fundamental Principles of Computer Science	3
CPSC 6106	Fundamentals of Computer Programming and Data Structures	3
EDUT 6245	Methods of Teaching Computer Science with Lab	3
Electives Total 6-9 hours.
Additional course options for Mathematics and Science Education Concentration Areas:
EDUC 6231	Integrated Curricular Design and Equity-Focused P-12 STEM Education	4
EDUC 6232	Technology & Application with Problem Based Learning in P-12 STEM Classrooms	4
EDUC 6233	Community-Based P-12 STEM Education	4
Candidates completing EDUL 6129, EDUL 6157, EDUL 6685, and EDUL 6686; and passing the GACE examination in Teacher Leadership will be eligible for the Teacher Leadership Endorsement.
Candidates completing CPSC 6103, CPSC 6105, CPSC 6106, and EDUT 6245, will be eligible for the P-12 Computer Science Endorsement.
Candidates completing EDUC 6231, EDUC 6232, and EDUC 6233 will be eligible for the P-12 STEM Teaching Endorsement.
Total Hours 30-33

Admission Requirements

• GPA of at least 3.0 on all graduate course work at an accredited United States institution in fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree
• A Level Five (5) or a master's level teaching certificate or eligibility for such certificate in secondary education
• The successful applicant must not have a criminal record or discharge from the armed services that would prevent recommendation for related teacher certifications
• Minimum two years of teaching experience while holding a valid teaching certificate

Additional Program Requirements

• Students must earn a 3.0 GPA calculated on all graduate work attempted. "Academic Forgiveness" policy does not apply to graduate studies.
• A maximum of one course (not to exceed four semester credit hours) with a grade of "C" may apply to a specialist degree in education.
• A minimum of 24 semester hours required for the degree must be earned in residence (75%). Asynchronous (online) and distance learning courses administered through Columbus State University constitute courses taken in residence.
• A maximum of six (6) semester hours of transfer credit or courses taken at CSU prior to full admission to a specialist degree program may be applied toward the degree. Courses with earned grades of "C" or below are not accepted. Courses must be approved by the major advisor and department chair.
• Students must complete a research project.
• An active Tk20 account is a required resource for this program because selected assignments must be submitted electronically using this online platform. Tk20 (www.tk20.com) is used by the university to maintain our accreditation, to demonstrate the quality of our academic programs, and to improve teaching and learning.
• Students must be continuously enrolled in specialist project hours until completion of the specialist project.