Educational Specialist

The Ed.S. degree in Educational Psychology is designed to prepare the student to be a practitioner with some research skills. The primary goal of the program is to provide a strong foundation in practice. There is a generalist approach with no specialization. The student who terminates his or her graduate education with the Ed.S. degree in Educational Psychology is most likely to be employed in public or private schools; however, teaching at 2 year and 4 year colleges is possible. In some circumstances, the Ed.S. degree in Educational Psychology may also lead to employment in business areas or research organizations.

MASTER'S DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR ED.S. STUDENTS

The University of Alabama College of Education requires completion of a master's degree for Ed.S. and doctoral students. The master's degree may be completed at the University of Alabama or may have been completed at another accredited institution before application to the University of Alabama. The master's degree may be in any field related to educational psychology.

Students who do not hold previous masters' degrees may complete their master's degrees as part of their graduate activities in the Educational Psychology Program. Students who wish to obtain Ed.S. degrees must complete their masters' degrees before they can be officially admitted to the Ed.S. program.

SUMMARY OF DEGREE AND PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Coursework Requirements

A major part of graduate training is successful participation in courses. Coursework requirements for the Ed.S. degree options in Educational Psychology are listed in the EdS handbook. Each subsequent level of graduate degree in the Educational Psychology Program builds on the preceding-level degrees. For example, the coursework requirements for the Ed.S. degrees include the M.A. degree requirements, plus additional requirements specific to the Ed.S. degree. The Ed.S. degree in Educational Psychology requires a total of 60 graduate credits, with 30 of these graduate credits beyond the M.A. degree in Educational Psychology.

Program Planning Records

Each student is expected to maintain a Program Planning Record with his or her advisor, in order to monitor completion of coursework requirements.

Faculty Advisors

Each student is appointed a temporary faculty advisor upon initial acceptance into the program. Students may select permanent advisors after beginning coursework. Advisors assist students with planning coursework, registering for courses, completing program planning records, portfolio evaluations, and other activities. Advisors for Ed.S. students also approve the "Ed.S. Program of Study" form, which is filed with the Graduate School. Doctoral students select advisors to chair their program advisory committees.

Program Outcomes

All degree requirements in the Educational Psychology Program are carefully designed and sequenced according to program outcomes. Program outcomes are the areas of knowledge and skill students are expected to demonstrate upon successful completion of the coursework and other training activities. Students provide evidence of each program outcome during the required portfolio evaluations.

Transfer of Credit and Use of Previous Graduate Work

The University of Alabama allows students to transfer equivalent courses from other accredited institutions where the student was enrolled in the graduate school. Up to one-half of the required coursework, exclusive of thesis or dissertation credit, may be transferred from another institution. Ed.S. students may transfer up to 15 of the 30 credit minimum required for the Ed.S. degree. Credits may be transferred only if they were earned during the six-year period prior to admission to the program. Transfer of courses must be approved by the student's advisor. The Dean of the Graduate School must also approve transfer of courses. The Graduate School form to request consideration of transfer of credits may be obtained from the Graduate School.

Many students who enter the Ed.S. programs with previous graduate degrees from other institutions often have had coursework which is equivalent to some of the coursework requirements of the Educational Psychology Program. Some of this coursework may be older than the minimum of six years necessary to officially transfer courses. All previous graduate coursework for a student, regardless of when a course was taken, will be carefully evaluated by a student's advisor or program advisory committee. In some cases, a student may not need to take a required course in the Educational Psychology if the course, or a satisfactory substitute approved by the student's Program Advisory Committee, has been taken in a previous master's or specialist's program and if the student can supply evidence that she or he has been actively and recently applying the content of the course. However, the student must take all other courses required by the Educational Psychology program and must meet minimum coursework requirements set by the University of Alabama Graduate School. The student need not transfer an equivalent coursework from a previous degree unless a course transfer is necessary to meet the Graduate School minimum for the Ed.S. of 30 graduate credits beyond the M.A. degree.

Limits on Coursework

Educational Psychology Program requirements exclude credit for undergraduate study, study which is remedial, or study which is designed to remove deficiencies in meeting requirements for program admission. In addition, the program limits the number of courses not open exclusively to graduate students to no more than one-third of a student's program.

Ed.S. Programs of Study

Ed.S. students are required to file official program of study forms with the Graduate School at the beginning of graduate study. These forms require students and their advisors to list the specific course requirements necessary for the student's completion of the degree. This form should be completed by the student and advisor and sent to the graduate school during the student's first semester of coursework.

Continuous Portfolio Reviews

All students in the Educational Psychology Program are required to participate in a continuous portfolio review process in order to monitor student progress and determine that program outcomes are being achieved. A general description of the portfolio review process, including a portfolio checklist and rating scale, is located in the Educational Psychology Program Student Handbook.

Research Participation

All students in the Educational Psychology Program are expected to obtain skills in research. All students are expected to join a faculty member's research team during their first semester of graduate study. Master's and Ed.S. students take a number of research courses and are encouraged to participate in research projects during courses and field experiences.

Comprehensive Examinations

All degree students in the Educational Psychology Program are required to successfully complete written comprehensive examinations before the degrees will be granted. The examinations are completed independently on a "take-home" basis, and require students to integrate knowledge and skills obtained during coursework and other training activities. Students are allowed to take comprehensive examinations only twice.

Admission to Candidacy

As noted in the Graduate Catalog, admission to the Graduate School does not imply admission to candidacy for a degree. Admission to candidacy is contingent upon the recommendation of the student's program and the approval of the graduate dean, after the student has met the formal requirements for candidacy for the degree and demonstrated sufficient preparation to pursue the graduate study and research required for the degree sought. Application forms are supplied by the Graduate School office.

The application for admission to candidacy for the Ed.S. can be filed with the Graduate School after 12 semester hours of graduate credit have been earned at the University of Alabama. It must be filed by the time of registration for the semester in which requirements for the degree are completed. Approval of admission to candidacy will depend on the quality of the student's graduate work, the removal of any special conditions, and the certification of the program that the student is well qualified to continue work toward a degree.

Application for Graduation

Each candidate for a graduate degree must apply for graduation no later than the registration period for the semester of first term of the summer session in which degree requirements are to be completed. The "Application for Degree" from must be obtained from and submitted to the Graduate School.

Deadlines to Meet Degree Requirements

Each semester, the Graduate School publishes dates by which students must meet degree requirements, submit forms, and engage in other activities necessary for awarding of the degrees. Some of the deadlines occur early in the semester in which the degree will be granted; some of the deadlines occur in the semester before the degree will be granted. Graduate School deadlines are posted every semester in the program office in 306 Carmichael Hall. It is the student's responsibility to review and meet all deadlines.

Graduation

Degrees are awarded during fall, spring, or summer semesters, and are awarded after the completion of degree requirements. The University of Alabama has only one official graduation ceremony, which is typically the second Saturday in May. All graduates from the previous summer, fall, and spring semesters are encouraged to participate in the May graduation ceremony.

OBTAINING OPTIONAL DEGREES DURING AN ED.S.
OR DOCTORAL PROGRAM

The University of Alabama does have a policy that all Ed.S. and doctoral students must also have a master's degree. However, the Educational Psychology Program does not require that this master's degree be in educational psychology. Students may enter the Ed.S. and doctoral programs with previous master's degrees in any relevant field.

However, in some circumstances, student may elect to obtain an optional degree in the course of completing the Ed.S. or doctoral degree. As noted earlier, each subsequent level of graduate degree in the Educational Psychology Program builds on the preceding-level degrees. For example, the Ed.S. degrees includes the M.A. degree requirements. The doctoral degrees include the M.A. and Ed.S. degree requirements, plus additional requirements specific to each doctoral degree.

Ed.S. students may elect to apply for the M.A. degree if they do, in effect, complete all M.A. degree requirements over the course of their program. For example, a student may enter the Ed.S. program in School Psychology with a master's degree in special education. This student will likely take most of the 66 graduate credits required for this Ed.S. degree, as very few courses from the degree in special education would likely be applied to the Ed.S. degree. The Ed.S. student will, in effect, complete all requirements for the M.A. in School Psychometry during the course of the Ed.S. program. The Ed.S. student may elect to apply for and receive the M.A. degree if the student determines that obtaining the optional degree will be beneficial in some way.

Similarly, doctoral students may elect to apply for an M.A. degree and/or Ed.S. degree if they do, in effect, complete these degree requirements during the course of their doctoral program. For example, a student may enter the Ed.D. program in Educational Psychology with a master's degree in educational administration. This student will likely take most of the 90 graduate credits required for an Ed.D. degree, as very few courses from the master's degree in educational administration would likely be applied to the Ed.D. degree in Educational Psychology. The Ed.D. student will, in effect, complete all requirements for the M.A. and Ed.S. degrees in Educational Psychology during the course of the Ed.D. program. The Ed.D. student may elect to apply for and receive the M.A. and/or Ed.S. degrees if the student determines that obtaining the optional degrees will be beneficial in some way.

In order to apply for and receive an optional degree during the course of an Ed.S. or doctoral program, the student and his or her advisor must determine that all requirements for the optional degree are met, including coursework, internship, residency, and other requirements. The student must show evidence of passing the comprehensive examinations for the optional degrees. (The program has facilitated the comprehensive examination requirement by building the comprehensive examinations for each subsequent level of graduate degree on the comprehensive examination for the preceding-level degrees. For example, the Ed.S. comprehensive examination includes examinations used for the M.A. degree plus additional examinations specific to the Ed.S. degree. The doctoral comprehensive examination includes examinations used for the M.A. and Ed.S. degrees plus additional examinations specific to the doctoral degree.) Then, the student must file all necessary forms with the graduate school for the optional degree, including program of study, admission to candidacy, and application for degree forms and must pay all necessary fees for graduation.