Educational Specialist (EdS)

What is A Educational Specialist (EdS) Degree?

People in the Education field are involved in the process of teaching and learning; they help people of all ages develop new skills, learn new facts, develop attitudes, and refine their beliefs to make their lives better.  Those who go beyond the Bachelor’s degree level of training to complete a Master’s degree or higher are usually preparing to be involved in some specialized educational work, either as an advanced teacher in a particular field, a counselor or trainer, or as an administrator.  The educators who already have Master’s degrees may decide to earn an Educational Specialist (EdS) degree.  They may do this to climb the next step on the education ladder, on their way to earning a doctorate, to make more money in their current job, or to prepare for new higher-level job.

Considering that most EdS students already have Master’s degrees in Education and that most EdS programs have numerous specialized tracks (school psychologist, leadership, higher ed, special ed, etc.), about half of the coursework in the program will include more general advanced experiences including seminars on current research findings, organizational theory and practice, and the quantitative analysis of data.  It may also include a 2-course completion of an original research study related to the track of choice.  The second half of the program may be spent in a custom-designed program of courses related to the track being pursued, and it may involve independent study options.  The EdS degree may lead to a higher-level position in education, like that of school psychologist, school principal, or dean of a community college, or it may be a stopping point on the way to an education doctorate of some kind.