Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Education Administration

The Education Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in Education Administration is a logical extension of the UMSL M.Ed. in Education Administration and is designed to prepare administrators to serve in school settings from Kindergarten to grade twelve and central office administration. The Ed.S. in Education Administration requires at least sixty (60) graduate credit hours of a planned program and may include no more than thirty-six (36) credit hours of an approved NCATE accredited master’s degree. One-half (15 credit hours) must be completed within the COE after being admitted to the Ed.S. program. As constituted, the minimum course requirements for the Ed.S. in Education Administration collaterally meets the academic standards for both Elementary and Secondary career continuous school administrator certification in Missouri. To be recommended for the Missouri School Superintendent certificate, students must complete at least a minimum of six (6) additional hours, depending on the courses taken for the Ed.S., for a total of sixty-six (66) hours above the baccalaureate.

Admission Standards

To be admitted to the Ed.S. in Education Administration program students must meet the following criteria:

1. Be admitted without qualification to the UMSL Graduate School;

3. Have a graduate grade point average of at least 3.25 on a scale of 4.00.

4. Have on file at least three (3) recommendations including the following: one (1) from an educator presently occupying a position equal or similar to that which the applicant aspires upon completing the Ed.S., one (1) from a university professors with direct knowledge of the applicant's graduate degree work, and one (1) from someone other than a member of the applicant's family who can comment on the applicant's character.

5. Students already possessing a master's degree from an NCATE accredited institution may transfer those credit hours into the Ed.S. degree program; however, at least twenty-four (24) credit hours must be completed after acceptance into the program.

Degree Program

There are three (3) phases to this degree program. Phase 1.00 must be completed by students not possessing a UMSL M.Ed. in Education Administration and those wanting to transfer appropriate grade courses from other NCATE institutions. Phase 2.00 applies to those students meeting all of the requirements in Phase 1.00. There are two (2) sections to Phase 2.00--- Section 2.10 Technical Aspects of Education Administration and Section 2.20 Human Aspects of Education Administration. Courses in these two sections may be taken simultaneously. There are two (2) sections to Phase 3.00--- Section 3.10 Writing Exit Requirements and Section 3.20 Examination Exit Requirements. Both sections must be completed no sooner than one (1) semester before completing all degree requirements. Students seeking the superintendent certification must complete ten (10 specifically required courses.

Phase 1.00  Elementary and Secondary School Education Emphases

Phase 2.00

TOTAL Education Specialist Degree in Education Administration................ 60 (inclusive of a maximum of 36 credit hours from an M.Ed. in education administration.)

Phase 3.00 Writing Exit Requirements

Section 3.10 Writing Requirements

At least two (2) months before the completion of all course work for the degree, each student must present to the ELAPS Department K-12 Regular faculty Ed.S. Writing Committee a scholarly paper on a topic approved by the student’s academic advisor. The paper submitted may be original in that it has been written especially for this requirement or it may be a more comprehensive version of a paper written for a class taken after being admitted to the Ed.S. program. The paper must conform to the writing standards found in the booklet PS K-12 Writing Requirements-Form and Style.