Educational Leadership Ed.S. (P-12)

PERFORMANCE-BASED ED.S. DEGREE IN P-12 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

The Ed.S. program is offered on the Macon, Atlanta, and Savannah campuses and at the Henry County Regional Academic Center. The program is designed to prepare dynamic building-level and system-level leaders for Georgia's schools who will be transformational in the professional community.

Program Eligibility

There are several different categories of eligibility for this program (note: every applicant's admission is contingent on school system written verification of performance-based internship eligibility):

1. If you hold current clear renewable L6 or L7 leadership certification, you are eligible for the non-degree, certification-only option. If accepted into this program, you would be required to complete a year-long performance-based internship by enrolling in 6 semester hours of EDEL645B (3 hours during the Fall semester, followed by 3 hours during the subsequent Spring semester). Upon successful completion, you would be eligible to apply for performance-based certification (PL-6 or PL-7).  
2. If you hold a degree at the Ed.S. (or higher) in Educational Leadership from an accredited college or university and are a certified Georgia educator, you are eligible to apply for non-degree, certification-only option. If accepted into this program, you would be required to complete a year-long performance-based internship by enrolling in 6 semester hours of EDEL645B (3 hours during the Fall semester, followed by 3 hours during the subsequent Spring semester). Upon successful completion, you would be eligible to apply for performance-based certification (PL-6 or PL-7).
3. If you hold a  master's degree in Educational Leadership from an accredited college or university and are a certified Georgia educator, you are eligible to apply for the Performance-based Ed.S. degree program. If accepted into the program, you would be required to complete the 33-hour degree program, which includes a year-long performance-based internship. Upon successful completion on the program, you would be eligible to apply for performance-based certification (PL-6). 
4. If you hold current NL-5 certification, you are eligible to apply for the Performance-based Ed.S. degree program. If accepted into the program, you would be required to complete the 33-hour core degree program, which includes a year-long performance-based internship. Upon successful completion on the program, you would be eligible to apply for performance-based certification (PL-6). 
5. If you hold current Georgia certification at the T5 (or higher) level, you are eligible to apply for the Performance-based Ed.S. degree program. If accepted into the program, you would be required to complete the 39-hour degree program, which includes two courses (6 semester hours) of pre-service coursework before beginning the 33-hour core program (which also includes a year-long performance-based internship). Upon successful completion on the program, you would be eligible to apply for performance-based certification (PL-6).
   

There is also a degree-only option for those who do not meet performance-based eligibility (or choose not to pursue performance-based certification). This option leads to an Ed.S. degree in Educational Leadership, but does not lead to certification (unless the graduate already holds current L5 certification, in which case he or she may be eligible to upgrade to L6). Upon acceptance into the non-degree Ed.S. program, candidates will be required to complete the 30-hour degree program, which does not include a performance-based internship. Upon completion, graduates of this program option would then meet performance-based eligibility (line 2 above) should they wish to pursue certification.

To be considered for admission, applicants must:

• Hold a master's (or higher) degree in an approved field from an accredited university.
• Have completed at least 3 years of certified school experience.
  
• Submit two official copies of transcripts from ALL colleges/universities previously attended. Minimum graduate GPA is 3.0.
• Submit a copy of current Georgia (level 5 or higher) teaching and/or leadership certification.
• Hold a school leadership role or position, as defined by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (this must be verified by the school system). (Performance-based applicants only.)
• Submit a target score of 900 on the verbal and quantitative sections and a target score of 4.0 on the analytical/writing section of the GRE.
• Submit a current vita or résumé.
• Submit two official copies of all transcripts of ALL college or university work. Minimum cumulative graduate GPA:  3.0.
• Submit three official letters of recommendation; one of these must be from a school system supervisor.
• Submit a $30 application fee (waived for current Mercer students).
• Participate in an applicant interview with program faculty.
• Submit a signed and dated narrative of career and academic goals.
• Complete a writing sample. (This can be completed at the same visit as the interview.

Core Degree Requirements

Performance-based Ed.S. in Educational Leadership (33 total hours)

(Note: Candidates who are admitted based on line 5 under Program Eligibility from above must complete two 3-hour pre-service courses before enrolling in any core courses. These candidates' total program hours will be 39, rather than 33, hours.)

Professional Studies (21 hours)

EDEL 605 Leadership in Curriculum (3 hours)
EDEL 615 Leadership in Today’s Schools (3 hours)
EDEL 625 Managing the School Environment (3 hours)
EDEL 635 Assessment and Evaluation (3 hours)
EDEL 645A Internship I (3 hours)
EDEL 655 School Law (3 hours)
EDEL 665 Leadership in Instructional Supervision (3 hours)

Performance-based candidates select one of two tracks: Building-level or System-Level

Building-Level Track (12 hours)

EDEL 703 The Principalship (3 hours)
EDEL 697 School, Community and Society (3 hours)
EDEL 645B Internship II (performance-based internship hours - this 3-hour course must be taken during both Fall and Spring semesters of the final year) (6 total hours)

System Level Track (12 hours)

EDEL 704 The Superintendency (3 hours)
EDEL 685 Technology for School Leaders (3 hours)
EDEL 645B Internship II (performance-based internship hours - this course must be taken during both Fall and Spring semesters of the final year) (6 total hours)

Degree-only Ed.S. in Educational Leadership(30 hours)

Professional Studies (21 hours)
EDEL 605 Leadership in Curriculum (3 hours)
EDEL 615 Leadership in Today’s Schools (3 hours)
EDEL 625 Managing the School Environment (3 hours)
EDEL 635 Assessment and Evaluation (3 hours)
EDEL 645A Internship I (3 hours)
EDEL 655 School Law (3 hours)
EDEL 665 Leadership in Instructional Supervision (3 hours)

Degree-Only Option (9 hours)
EDEL 703 The Principalship (3 hours)
EDEL 697 School, Community and Society (3 hours)
EDEL 685 Technology for School Leaders (3 hours)

Applications are accepted each semester. Priority application deadlines:

Please note: You will NOT be considered for admission into the program if your application packet is not completed by the final deadline.

Get the application.

For more information, please contact our admissions office at (678) 547- 6422 or the main switchboard at (678) 547-6100.

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