Description

The College of Education offers a Specialist in Education (Ed.S.).

The program is designed for practicing educators who wish to gain expertise in a subfield within education. The program builds that expertise from a core of courses curriculum, instruction, learning theory, and research, and then allow students to work with an adviser to develop a program of study to gain expertise. The program is intended for educators who are interested in teaching in a college, university, or community college, or leading curriculum and instructional improvement in a school or school district, higher education, or military or business settings.

The Specialist (Ed.S.) program provides a foundation of advanced graduate course work and the ability to tailor a specialized focus on a education subfield supported within the College of Education.

The Deparment of Education also offers a Doctor of Education. For more information, please click here.

Degrees Offered

Education Specialist in Education

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants must provide:

• Official, competitive GRE combined score from a test taken within the last five years and a GPA of 3.0.
• A Goal Statement that details the specific subfield of education in which the applicant intends on specializing and explains how the degree will contribute to the applicant's career development plan.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact faculty members in the College of Education in their area of specialization before they apply to identify a potential adviser. If a faculty member agrees to advise the applicant in the program, this can be noted in the goal statement.
• A resume to support the applicant's statements about his or her career development plan.
• Three letters of recommendation. These letters should speak to the applicant's aptitude for advanced graduate course work, relative knowledge of the applicant's intended area of specialization, and ability for independent research.
• Transcripts from all previously attended institutions.
• Evidence of completion of a master's degree

All applicants:

• For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

Additional Information on Admission Policy

For the Ed.S. program, admissions will occur three times a year: fall, spring and summer. Admitted students may begin course work during the first new semester after admission.

Admission to an education specialist program is separate from admission to the doctoral program. Upon completion of the Ed.S. degree, the student may apply for admission to a doctoral program.

Application Due Dates

All application materials must be submitted by the appropriate deadline listed below.

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Education Specialist in Education	Jan 15	Jun 20	Sep 20	Feb 15

 

International Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Education Specialist in Education	Jan 15	Jan 15	Jul 1	Nov 1

 

International Transfer Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Education Specialist in Education	Jan 15	Mar 1	Sep 1	Dec 15

Educational Specialist in Education

Total Hours Required for Ed.S.—Minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the master’s degree

The Education Specialist program is designed for educators who wish to gain expertise in a subfield of education.

The Ed.S. degree program requires a course-based research study. The research study and final report will focus on reviewing and analyzing contemporary research in a student’s particular specialization within the education profession in order to help students acquire knowledge and skills pertaining to research-based best practices in that specialization area. For students already working in a school setting, this research based learning activity also typically involves action research (i.e., application and analysis of the effectiveness of research-based best practices in the classroom).

Degree Requirements

• Complete a minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the master’s degree including the selected program requirements.
• Have an overall 3.0 grade point average on all graduate work attempted.
• The completed planned program must include a minimum of 12 graduate-level hours in the specialization area and a minimum of 6 graduate-level hours in Research/Statistics.
• Pass all required examinations.

Area I: Core—9 Credit Hours

• EDF 7232 Analysis of Learning Theories in Instruction (3 credit hours)
• EDG 7221 Advanced Curriculum Theory (3 credit hours)
• EDG 7325 Models of Teaching and Instructional Theory (3 credit hours)

Notes about core classes:

1. EDF 6259 is a prerequisite to EDF 7232.
2. EDF 6223 is a prerequisite for both EDF 7221 and EDG 7325.
3. All core courses and the core examination must be completed in the first six semesters of enrollment in the specialist program.

Area II: Specialization—21 Credit Hours

Students will select an area of specialization in consultation with their advisor. Specializations may include, but are not limited to, Curriculum, Instruction, Social or Psychological Foundations, Educational Leadership, Community College, or an academic content area.

Area III: Research, Statistics, Measurement or Evaluation—6 Credit Hours Minimum

Students will select, in consultation with their adviser, 6 credit hours of Research, Statistics, Measurement or Evaluation courses to complement their specialization.

Examinations

Curriculum and instruction majors must successfully complete one 3-hour examination in curriculum and instruction and one 3-hour examination in their area of specialization.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you are interested in financial assistance, you are strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are awarded based on academic merit and are therefore not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.

Contact Info

David Boote, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-4160
dboote@mail.ucf.edu