Education Specialist Educational Leadership with a Concentration in Administration and Supervision (Non-Licensure) (EdS)

4100 Education Building
757-683-4305
http://www.odu.edu/efl

Karen Sanzo, Graduate Program Director

The Education Specialist (EdS) with a concentration in Educational Leadership program is designed to provide further opportunities for holders of master’s degrees to develop expertise at a higher professional level. Emphasis is on continued development for leadership in policy formulation, planning, and executive action related to educational and training institutions and human service organizations. Individuals who aspire to advance in educational leadership will find in this program a meaningful base for building toward their professional objectives. The EdS program in educational leadership includes emphasis areas in administration and supervision and in higher education.

Admission

Students must:

1. meet all University requirements;
2. provide two letters of recommendation;
3. hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution (minimum 3.25 graduate grade point average on a 4.00 scale); and,
4. provide a one-page essay explaining why he/she should be admitted into the program.
5. Applicants whose admission credentials are slightly below the required minimum will be considered for provisional admission. Performance in classes as a non-degree student will not be taken into consideration in the admission process.

Curriculum Requirements

Program Requirements

The EdS requires the completion of a minimum of 30 approved semester credit hours consisting of at least 18 hours at the 800 level.

Curriculum

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
ELS 835	Organizational Theory and Behavior in Education	3
ELS 853	Educational Finance and Budgeting	3
ELS 871	Educational Systems Planning and Futures	3
ELS 876	Leadership for Social Justice	3
ELS 878	Leadership for Teaching and Learning	3
ELS 879	Field Research in School Administration and Supervision	3
FOUN 722	Introduction to Applied Statistics and Data Analysis	3
Select three Electives from the following:		9
ELS 811	Leadership Theory for Educational Improvement
ELS 880	Multicultural Curriculum Leadership and Globalization
ELS 883	Contemporary Issues in Education
Total Credit Hours		30

Additional Requirements

Continuance

Students must meet all department, college, and university policy requirements for continuation in their academic program. See department policy above.

Continuance Policy and Procedures for the Educational Leadership Program

The following policy has been established for continuance in Educational Leadership Program.

At the end of each semester – fall, spring, and summer – the graduate program directors (GPD) will review student records.  As per university policy, students who do not maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.0 in their ELS program will be placed on probation.  Students placed on probation have one semester to bring their overall GPA back to a minimum of 3.0.  A student may be placed on probation only one time in their EFL program and will not be eligible for a second probationary period.  Should a student’s GPA fall below 3.0 twice, he/she will be dismissed from the program. 

Students who receive a grade of F in any ELS required or elective program course or who receive a final grade of lower than B- in more than one class in their program will be dismissed from their program by the Graduate Program Director and Department Chair.  A failing grade in dissertation credits for one semester places the student in warning status and does not automatically dismiss the student from the program.  However, two failing grades in dissertation credits will result in dismissal from the program.  Students may follow the Grade Appeal Procedure in the ODU Graduate Catalog.  In the event a grade is appealed such that the student comes into compliance with the EFL Continuance Policy, he/she will be reinstated.  In accord with University policy, ODU email is considered official communication.

Exit

Students must successfully complete:

1. a written comprehensive examination;
2. the required course of study; and,
3. have a 3.00 grade point average or above.