1. Meet minimal Grade Point Average of 3.25
2. Be eligible for a clear renewable, level five (5) State of Georgia Certification (except Library Media)
3. Verify two years teaching experience while holding a clear and renewable certificate
Ed.S. Admission
For the admissions process applicants should complete and submit the following:
- University Admissions Form including application fee, if applicable.
- Two professional recommendations (pdf) using the College of Education form.
- Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended (except Georgia College)
- Verification of immunization (pdf)
- Any additional specific program requirements.
- Pass or qualify for waiver of the Georgia College writing assessment; or applicants for graduate programs in the College of Education must take the Georgia College Graduate Writing Assessment, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Applicants must pass the Georgia College Graduate Writing Assessment for admission or present an official test score that is no more than six years old on the GRE General Test of at least 1,000 (verbal and quantitative combined) if taken before August 1, 2011, or at least 305 (verbal and quantitative combined) on the GRE if taken on or after August 1, 2011, or at least 400 on the MAT. Graduates of Georgia College may waive the graduate admissions test requirements.
Ed.S. Advisement
Each candidate for the Specialist in Education degree is assigned a graduate advisor who serves as a mentor to the Specialist Candidate and assists in proposing, scheduling and completing the Specialist in Education Program of Graduate Study.
Ed.S. Program of Study
The Specialist in Education program requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of course work beyond the Master of Education degree or the Master of Arts in Teaching degree. Specialist programs must be completed, with the degree awarded, within four years of the initial coursework listed on the program of study. Only those courses listed on the Program of Graduate Study fulfill degree requirements. Substitutions must be approved by the advisor prior to course enrollment, and a Course Substitution form submitted to the office of the Department Chairperson. Grades below a B do not fulfill degree requirements.
Ed.S. Graduate Assistantships
Limited Graduate Assistantships are available. Details and an application can be found at http://www.gcsu.edu/education/assistantships.html
Ed.S. Exit Requirements
All students must pass a comprehensive departmental exit requirement and fulfill degree requirements to graduate including an electronic portfolio presentation. Students should check with their assigned program advisor for specifics.
Ed.S. Transient Credit
Six semester hours in the selected field of study may be transferred from other accredited institutions with prior approval of the advisor.
Dismissal Policy
Any course in which a student earns less than a B will not be counted for graduate credit in the educational specialist programs. A graduate student will be placed on academic probation if the student’s institutional grade point average falls below 3.0 at any point during his or her graduate studies. A graduate student will be dismissed from the program if his/her grade point average stays below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters.
As iterated in the student Honor Code, academic honesty is a critical component of the academic process in the Early Childhood Education program. Submitting another’s work as one’s own is plagiarism; allowing another student to copy one’s own work is cheating. Both, along with any other evidence of academic dishonesty, will be dealt with using the procedures outlined in the Graduate Catalog.