Program description
The state-approved Education Specialist (Ed.S.) program is based on the belief that effective leadership is learned by the content of the courses and the field experiences that are offered throughout the program. This program is practitioner-oriented, offering opportunities to apply theoretical learning with practical and authentic assignments. The learning laboratory for the program is the school or school district where assignments are completed and internships are conducted. The Ed.S. program utilizes a cohort program that develops a sense of community like that which is developed in a school; in this sense, the same practices that build capacity in an organization are cultivated and modeled in the program.
The Ed.S. program includes a two-year Internship in which the students work with a mentor of their choice, building practice in leadership activities that serve students, faculty, and the larger educational community. The students complete the required 240 hours for the State of Michigan and are eligible for K-12 Administrative Certification and Building Level Endorsement after satisfactory completion of the 34 credits of the program, and this Internship.
Program delivery
The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in leadership degree program requires 34 credits, all of which are taken within the 18 or 22-month, cohort-structured program. Prescribed courses are generally scheduled one night per week for fall and winter semesters, with the two-credit research courses scheduled for selected Saturdays throughout the semester. Summer semester requires class meetings twice a week for the 4-credit courses. The action research courses begin during the third semester of the program, and they culminate with group presentations of the research findings by cohort teams during the Annual Graduate Research Symposium.
The Ed.S. program is offered as a hybrid design at on-ground locations in Oakland, Macomb, and Genesee counties. The course delivery for the Ed.S. program is hybrid, with some class meetings on ground and others online. We also offer a fully online program that offers an asynchronistic schedule.
Admission terms and application deadlines
Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Admissions by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.
- Rolling admissions until the cohorts are filled to a maximum of 15 students for fall semester
- Rolling admissions until the cohorts are filled to a maximum of 15 students for winter semester
- International applicants
Application requirements
To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:
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- Additional department application requirements
Admission review and assessment
Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to the Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses, and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.
The coordinators for the Ed.S. program will screen candidates after all application materials have been received by Graduate Admissions.