Educational Administration

Educational Specialist (Ed.S.),
Educational Administration

The Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in Educational Administration program is designed to be an applied program, intertwining theory and practice.

Students in this education administration degree program will learn foundational knowledge of the various aspects of school leadership to synthesize their learning into practice at the building and/or district level administration, and use critical thinking skills to solve day-to-day issues and problems facing today’s schools and districts.

Missouri Certification

Ed.S. degree program graduates will be eligible to apply for certification as a superintendent or K-12 school leader (depending on which track you choose) in the state of Missouri after successful completion of required assessments.

The Educational Administration Ed.S. degree is designed to fulfill the state of Missouri’s requirements for Superintendent certificate in a 30-credit hour program OR a K-12 School Leader Initial Administrator certificate in a 30-credit hour program. There are two components to complete certification:

1. Completion of the program of study earns the Educational Specialist in Educational Administration degree, and
2. Passing the current DESE state assessment(s) for either the superintendent certificate OR the K-12 School Leader certificate.

Course Delivery

The coursework for this 30-credit hour education specialist degree program is offered in an 8-week format, classes meet totally online (with the exception of a 16-week field experience semester). Full-time enrollment is one course per 8-week term.

Program Competencies

The education specialist degree online program is designed to prepare graduates to:

• Create quality educational experiences for all students through the development and implementation of a vision, mission and goals to promote a positive district culture.
• Provide effective curriculum planning and design, and educational research-based instructional practice, using assessments to make data-based decisions, and identifying effective learning supports.
• Promote effective management strategies and practices in data analysis, fiscal resources, human resources and legal compliance for the well-being of students and staff.
• Collaborate and communicate with families, school boards and community members, to respond to their needs and interests in order to foster engagement, partnership and advocacy to activate community resources and enhance community relations to ensure the success and well-being of students and strive for ongoing district-led and individual school improvement.
• Exhibit personal and professional ethical behavior and responsibility, including knowledge of current best practices in educational administration and more specialized areas of oversight such as supervision of instruction, curriculum design, etc.
• Ensure success for all students by understanding, responding to and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural context in a school district.

Locations & Learning Options

• Online

See the Curriculum section for program requirements from the academic catalog for this program.

Admission Requirements

1. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
2. Minimum 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.
3. A felony background check and FBI fingerprint check must be completed for admission. Admission is dependent upon clearance.
4. Students with a GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may be considered for provisional admission.

Graduation Requirements

• Starting with Fall 2023 enrollment, all candidates must successfully complete the required 30-credit hours with a 3.0 grade point average, with no more than two ‘C’s and no grade lower than a ‘C’. Refer to Academic Standards section in the catalog for more information.
• An application for graduation is required before a completion statement is posted to the transcript. The application for graduation is available in MyPark,  my.park.edu. Candidates must return the completed form with the appropriate fee. See Graduation Requirements section in the catalog for more information.