The Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.)
in Educational Leadership

The Educational Specialist degree (Ed.S.) in Educational Leadership is designed for individuals who wish to achieve proficiency beyond the Master's degree level in leadership roles such as elementary or secondary administration, curriculum director, technical college director or vice president/president, assistant superintendent, or superintendent. This program is also for individuals who wish to pursue a degree higher than the Master's degree for greater competency in non-licensure roles such as department chair, curriculum committee chair, lead teacher, special project leader, administrative assistant, or positions related to policy studies and research in public agencies.

The Specialist degree satisfies requirements for administrative certification in virtually every state in the United States including entry level licensure in Minnesota.


Course and Credit Requirements

Candidates must earn a minimum of 30 semester credits beyond the M.S. to receive the Educational Specialist degree. A minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 is required to receive the degree. Only grades earned at Winona State University will be counted in determining the grade point average.

Major Field Courses (26 S.H.; required)

601 Foundations of Educational Leadership (3)
604 Curriculum Development (3)
610 School Law (3)
626 Educational Assessment (3)

635 Public Relations and Politics (3)
*780/781 Practicum/Internship (6) (see prerequisites below)
789 Writing Seminar: Educational Specialist Degree Field Study (3)
**799 Field Study (research and advising credits) (2)

*If you are seeking administrative licensure as a principal or superintendent, the field experience is required. If certification is not desired, this is an elective.
**Candidates will submit three copies of an approved field study or project to the Office of Graduate Studies. A guide for the completion of the field study/project is available from the department office and introduced in EL789.

Specialization (required - choose one specialization)

K-12 Principal
622 The Principalship (3)
627 School Business Management (3)
628 Human Resources and Collective Bargaining (3)
704 Supervision and Curriculum Development (3)

General (Superintendency)
622 The Principalship (3)
628 Human Resources and Collective Bargaining (3)
704 Supervision and Curriculum Development (3)

708 Seminar: Policy, Problems, and Trends (3)
756 Administration Decision Making - The Superintendent (3)
758 Educational Finance (3)

Elective Courses (variable)

Taken as necessary to meet interests, needs, and the minimum of 30 semester credits beyond the Master's degree.

Writing Requirement

The writing seminar (EL789) prepares you for the task of writing the field study. The class is designed to guide you in writing the research proposal and early chapters of the study. Completing the field study is an independent research project after completing the class. Candidates will submit three copies of an approved field study to the Office of Graduate Studies.

Prerequisite for the Field Experience (prerequisites: EL601 and EL604, or permission. Concurrent enrollment in EL704 acceptable.)

The internship/practicum is a capstone experience. For individuals seeking K–12 administrative licensure, the internship/practicum is completed in the capacity of an administrative aide. As a guideline for when registering for an internship/practicum, a minimum of 75% of program credits should be completed. For individuals seeking careers in other settings, an internship/practicum can be arranged specific to career aspirations. Students planning to register for an internship/practicum should secure an information packet from the department. The internship/practicum agreement should be negotiated with a cooperating administrator and returned to the internship/practicum coordinator before or during the first week of each semester.


Examinations

Each candidate must pass an oral comprehensive examination on (a) the field study (b) course work taken and (c) general comprehension of leadership practices.

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