The primary goals of the program are (1) to involve successful, experienced teachers in advanced study of educational theory and practice to improve their professional mastery of teaching; (2) to provide leadership training that will stimulate teachers' professional and personal growth and advancement; and (3) to foster dissemination and understanding of new developments in education among fellow professionals. This degree is designed for an individual who has classroom experience in a preschool, elementary, middle, high school, or a post-secondary setting and has an earned master's degree. The Ed.S. degree will meet the master's plus thirty hour requirement of the South Carolina Department of Education for certificate advancement. However, courses used to meet the 30 hour certificate requirement of the South Carolina Department of Education may not be applicable to your Ed.S. in Teaching Program. It is imperative that you work with an advisor in the Ed.S. in Teaching Program to determine appropriate courses for meeting both program requirements.

*Completed application (including application fee) to the graduate school.

*Official transcripts of all previous college credit on file in the graduate school.

*Two letters of recommendation.

*Official record of GRE or MAT scores.

*Supplementary Ed.S. in Teaching application form.

*Evidence of a master's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution.

*Applicant must be either currently teaching or have taught 3 years.

*Evidence of satisfactory completion of one appropriate graduate basic research methods course such as EDRM 725 or other appropriate research methods courses that are approved by your advisor.

After the applicant has met all requirements outlined above, the Admissions Committee for the Department of Instruction and Teacher Education will act on the application. Students are responsible for making sure their file is complete and ready to forward to the committee. Applicants recommended for full admission should contact their assigned advisor as soon as possible to outline and file a formal program of studies.

Applications to the Education Specialist in Teaching Degree program must be submitted by the following deadlines:

*October 30 - for attendance during the following spring or summer term.

*March 30 - for attendance during the following summer or fall term.

The following requirements must be met for successful completion of the Education Specialist in Teaching degree.

*Submission of an official program of study approved by your assigned advisor, the Graduate Director of the College of Education, and the Dean of the Graduate School. This should be done immediately after you are fully admitted to the program.

*Successful completion of the courses listed on your Specialist Degree in Teaching Program with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on all courses and on 700-800 level courses, and no grade below "C."

*All courses in the program must be completed no more than 6 years prior to graduation.

*Apply for graduation by the published date.

A maximum of twelve (12) semester hours of graduate credit earned at a regionally or nationally accredited institution with a grade of "B" or better may be applied to degree requirements for the Education Specialist in Teaching degree provided that the work is appropriate to the program of study and meets all regulations for the specialist degree. Transfer credit courses must be completed within six (6) years of the date on which the Education Specialist in Teaching degree is awarded.

The Education Specialist in Teaching is not an initial teacher certification program.  It is open only to career teachers with experience as classroom teachers in preschool to twelfth grade or in post-secondary settings.

The program of studies for the Education Specialist in Teaching degree is listed below.  Also, there is a listing of program faculty in the various teaching area concentrations and telephone numbers.

This section of the booklet includes answers to questions that students typically ask regarding different aspects of the Ed.S. in Teaching degree. Hopefully, these suggestions will help you in planning for your involvement in this program.

How Does the Admission Process Work? The admission process begins when you submit your completed application to the Graduate School of the University of South Carolina. Actually, you may submit the application to the Office of Student Affairs in the College of Education in Wardlaw 113.

When you have a completed application on file (all required materials are in your file) your file will be forwarded to the Department's Admissions Committee. This Committee will review your file in a comprehensive manner. They will make the recommendation on your admission status to the Program Faculty of the "Teaching Area Concentration" for which you are applying. The Program Faculty will then make a final recommendation on your admission status.

What Often Holds up the Admission Process and How Can the Problem be Solved?  The most common "hold-up" is when a student's application file is incomplete. An application is not forwarded to the Program Admissions Committee until it is complete. Review the items noted in this document that are needed for admission to the program. If you need to check your file, go to the College of Education's Office of Student Affairs (Wardlaw 113) and they will assist you with this process.

How Do I Get an Advisor? You are assigned an advisor when you are admitted to degree candidacy. Your advisor is a faculty member in the Language and Litereacy program.

Is There a Time Limit on the Degree?  Yes! Degree courses and requirements must be completed within six (6) years. A student may request to "Revalidate" a USC course that is older than 6 years.

What are the Core Courses? There are three 3 core courses: EDTE 777-Analysis of Effective Instructional Practice, EDTE 778-The Teacher as Instructional and Professional Leader, and EDTE 779-Multicultural Issues in Education. These courses are designed to provide career teachers with the most current knowledge and skills in the areas of instruction, professional leadership, and multicultural education.

What is the Supervised Field Study?  It is the part of the degree program where the student plans and implements a field study project in their classroom/school/community setting. Students take EDTE 780 (Field Study Preparation Seminar) to carry out the planning of their field study and EDTE 781 (Advanced Field Study of Teaching) to implement their field study plan.

What is the Elective Study? It is the part of the program where the student, in consultation with their advisor, selects courses that enrich the student's professional growth.

For more information on the Ed.S. in Teaching degree you can contact faculty within the Language and Literacy program in the Department of Instruction and Teacher Education.

To acquire an application form contact the Office of Student Affairs on the first floor of the College of Education in Wardlaw 113. Fill out the application form (noting that you want to pursue the Ed.S. in Teaching degree), attach a check for the application fee payment, and return the completed forms to the Graduate School, University of South Carolina, Columbia, 29208.

**See Below

II.

Teaching Area Concentration

12-15 semester hours

		Language and Literacy/Reading
		EDRD 600: Foundations of Literacy Instruction
		EDRD 650: Teaching Reading Through a Literature Emphasis
		EDRD 715: Instructional Strategies for Reading
		EDRD 716: Foundations of Reading Assessment (1 on 1)
		EDRD 718: Seminar in Classroom Reading Assessment (small group)
		EDRD 719: Developing and Guiding the Reading Program
		EDRD 720: Capstone Seminar in Language & Literacy
		Other courses by prior approval of advisor
III.		Supervised Field Study 9 Semester Hours
		EDTE 780: Field Study Preparation Seminar (3)
		EDTE 781: Advanced Field Study of Teaching (6)

IV. Elective Study 3-6 Semester Hours

*Professional education courses as approved by the student's advisor.  (3-6)

*Subject area courses approved by the student's advisor. (variable credits, 3-6 semester hours)

TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS = 36*

*No more than 6 hours of workshop/institute or field courses may be used in a degree program.

**Student may take courses in Master's Degree Program and apply to Ed.S. degree with prior approval from academic advisor.

MASTER SCHEDULE of Ed.S Course Offerings

LANGUAGE AND LITERACY (803-777-8185)

Dr. Diane DeFord
Dr. Pamela Jewett
Dr. Heidi Mills
Dr. Victoria Oglan
Dr. Diane Stephens
Dr. Jennifer Wilson

OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS (803-777-6732)