Education Specialist, EdS

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Department of Counseling, Administration, Supervision, and Adult Learning

Rhodes Tower 1419
(216) 687-4613
http://www.csuohio.edu/cehs/departments/CASAL/casal_dept.html

Programs of Study

Counseling
School Administration

Introduction

The Educational Specialist (EdS) degree represents a year of planned advanced graduate study beyond the master’s degree. The programs build on the foundation of a master’s degree or its equivalent in the same area of specialization. The focus of the programs is the enhancement of specialized professional competence for roles in counseling and administration. Created under the conceptual framework of the Administrator/Supervisor as a Visionary Practitioner, the educational administration and supervision program enables graduates to achieve outcomes reflecting the five knowledge bases that compose this model: organizational change, relational, developmental, contextual, and ethical. These knowledge bases are applied to the programs within the environments of urban and suburban schools, which are culturally diverse and include students with disabilities.

Organizational Change refers to knowledge of the organizational framework and processes necessary to accomplish the work of the organization, as a continuous change process. Developmental refers to knowledge that transforms the organization’s basic inputs (e.g., materials, personnel) into desired goals, that use technology to access information and to record organizational progress, and that articulates underlying beliefs that link inputs, activity, and outcome.

Relational refers to partnerships, collaborations, and leadership styles that enable stakeholders to have a shared vision.

Contextual refers to understanding the present organization in relation to its past, in terms of cultural, economic, political, legal, and regulatory influences.

Ethical refers to knowledge about justice, righteousness, and meaning that assures diversity will be respected, and educational resources will be distributed in a manner that offers equal access to all participants.

Faculty Research and Publications

The faculty members of the Educational Specialist programs are experienced scholars/practitioners. Their published works include textbooks, articles, curriculum packages, and technical reports based on their professional experience, as well as planned research programs. Administration faculty members have explored legal issues in education, management styles, the supervisory process, personnel management, administrator assessment, career patterns of administrators, and adult learning. Counseling faculty members have studied counseling processes, counseling special audiences, legal and ethical issues in counseling, stress management, human development, and crisis intervention.

Current faculty information can be located on the Cleveland State University Faculty Profile page.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of full-time graduate assistantships are available in the Department of Counseling, Administration, Supervision, and Adult Learning (CASAL). Graduate assistants help with the teaching program, aid faculty in conducting research, coordinate the services of the counseling lab, and assist in department administration. Graduate assistantships provide tuition support and a stipend to qualified students. Applications for assistantships can be made through the CASAL office, Rhodes Tower, Room 1419.

Career Information

Students completing the EdS in Administration qualify for a number of administrative positions including, but not limited to, school principal, supervisor, central office, and superintendent. Students completing the EdS in Counseling qualify for positions such as school counselor or director of guidance. Due to early retirement programs recently initiated by many school districts, the employment outlook for individuals completing the EdS program is very good. The EdS program also can be used to qualify for administrative positions in non-school settings or to obtain a counseling license for non-school settings.

Counseling Program

The Educational Specialist in Counseling is a thirty-two credit-hour, post-master’s, advanced training program in counselor education. Its purpose is to help counselors in school and agency settings improve and update their professional expertise, or take course work that will qualify them to sit for the Professional Counselor Licensure Examination (PCLE) in the State of Ohio. It should be noted that students only needing a few courses to sit for the PCLE do not need to apply for the EdS degree but may apply as “Graduate Licensure only.” Requirements of the program can be met by full-time or part-time study or a combination thereof. The requirements for program admission are sufficiently flexible to encompass the needs of each applicant defined above.

Admission Information

The following requirements must be met by each candidate applying to the program:

Hold a master’s degree with a concentration in counseling with at least one course in each of the following areas:
1. Counseling Practicum/Internship, Educational Research, Group Process, Counseling Theory, Human Development or Career Development, and Testing
Fulfill College of Graduate Studies requirements for admission as described in this Catalog.
Make application to the Office of Graduate Admissions for the Educational Specialist degree in Counseling.

Apply Now: http://www.csuohio.edu/gradcollege/admissions/apply.html

Those candidates needing six semester hours or more to complete their concentration requirements must complete the necessary prerequisites prior to admission. If the deficiency is five semester hours or fewer, the candidate may be admitted to the specialist degree program, but will be required to meet the concentration deficiencies during the first eight hours of study. Courses taken to complete concentration deficiencies do not count toward degree requirements.
Admission to the program is based on the candidate’s graduate grade-point average, score on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and letters of recommendation. For further information on admission, call the CASAL Department at (216) 687-4613 or visit the Web site at http://www.csuohio.edu/cehs/departments/CASAL/casal_dept.html

Time Limit

All requirements for the Educational Specialist degree in Counseling must be completed within six years of starting course work at Cleveland State University or elsewhere. This requirement pertains to graduate work taken after receipt of a master’s degree.

Degree Requirements

1. With the help of the advisor, students establish goals for their personal and professional growth and select a series of courses to meet these goals.

2. Students must complete goal-directed courses in Clinical Counseling to gain licensure.

Clinical Counseling Courses

3. Interdisciplinary Electives —

With the approval of the advisor, the candidate selects a minimum of four credit hours and a maximum of eight credit hours of course work from any graduate program in the University.

Exit Requirements

The granting of the degree is based on the following criteria:

Satisfactory completion of course work with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0.
Satisfactory completion and evaluation of the Internship in Diagnosis and Testing experience, as determined by a committee composed of two full-time counselor educators, one full-time faculty member who is not a counselor educator, and, if the student chooses, a practicing counselor or a graduate student.

School Administration Program

The Educational Specialist in School Administration program is a thirty-two semester-hour, postmaster’s program designed to integrate theory and practice in meeting the goals of individuals currently employed in, as well as those aspiring to, positions in school administration. A participant in the Educational Specialist in School Administration program can meet the degree requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and the Department of CASAL through full-time or part-time study.

Admission Information

The following requirements must be met by each candidate applying to the program:

Hold a master’s degree.
Fulfill College of Graduate Studies requirements for admission as described in this Catalog.
Make application to the Office of Graduate Admissions for the Educational Specialist program in School Administration.

Apply Now: http://www.csuohio.edu/gradcollege/admissions/apply.html

Prerequisites

A master’s degree is required. An individual assessment of graduate transcripts is performed for each student entering the EdS program. Course work to meet prerequisites varies depending on the student’s prior graduate credits. Course work, in addition to the requirements for the EdS degree, may be necessary in order to meet state of Ohio licensure standards.

Time Limit

All Educational Specialist degree requirements must be completed within six years of starting course work at Cleveland State University or elsewhere. This requirement pertains to graduate work taken after receipt of a master’s degree.

Exit Requirements

The granting of the degree is based on the following criteria:

Satisfactory completion of course work with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0.
Satisfactory evaluation of the internship experience. If the candidate receives a grade of C for the internship, the student may be required to repeat all or part of it.
Satisfactory evaluation of the candidate’s growth, the appraisal of which is based on the student’s initial program goals and objectives. This evaluation is usually a written examination.

However, an action-research project, an oral examination by selected faculty, a field demonstration, a culminating paper that shows evidence of attainment of program objectives, or a combination of the above may be substituted for the written examination, but only if arrangements are completed when the Program of Study form is filed.

Degree Requirements

Participants plan their programs of study with an advisor.