General Degree Information
The primary emphasis in an Ed.S. program is placed on the development of the competencies needed for a specific type of professional specialization. All credits in the program must contribute to the unity and the stated objective of the total program.
All work for the degree, including transferred credit, must be completed duringthe seven years immediately preceding the date on which the degree is awarded.
Transfer of Credit: All courses transferred in to any specialist program must directly relate to the degree being sought. Acceptance of transfer of credit requires approval of the student’s supervisory committee and the Dean of the Graduate School.
Courses and Credits: No courses numbered 1000-2999 may be used as any part of the graduate degree requirements. Courses numbers 3000-4999 MAY be used for MINOR credit when taken as part of an approved graduate program. A minor cannot be in the same department as a student’s major. Full-time students not on a graduate assistantship must register for a minimum of 12 credits. The maximum credits is 18 but is not recommended.
Program Areas
The School of Teaching & Learning offers the Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with specializations in the following areas:
Admission Information for Educational Specialist (Ed.S.)
General Requirements
Admission standards are set by the Graduate School of the University of Florida, the College of Education, the School of Teaching & Learning, and the program area to which you are applying. This web page provides you with the Graduate School, College of Education, and School of Teaching & Learning minimums. You need to carefully check your program area web page to see the specific admission requirements for that area.
- GPA: A minimum grade point average of 3.0 for all upper-division (the last 60 credits) undergraduate work
- Recommendations: Three letters of recommendation from university faculty
- Statement of Purpose: Explain why this degree would enable you to meet your career goals and how this specific specialist program in the School of Teaching & Learning at UF enables you to best reach these goals. Your statement of purpose is considered as your writing sample and why you are not required to take the essay component of the GRE.
- Resume: Submit a resume in which you indicate your current professional employment and career goals.
Every program areas’ admissions review committee evaluates applicants’ folders holistically. Each piece of data included in your admissions folder is considered one data point and we carefully look at all of the evidence before making an admissions decision.
Again, please note that the requirements here are the minimal requirements. You should explore your program area for additional admission requirements for the specialist degree.
Admission Procedure
Please review our Admissions Directions Document and reach out to GradAdmissions@coe.ufl.edu with application questions.
- Apply Online to the University of Florida Graduate School and pay the application fee. When you are instructed to enter your specialist program, all of the specialist programs in the School of Teaching & Learning are in the Curriculum and Instruction category. As part of the online application, you also are required to provide a statement of purpose. You can copy and paste up to two pages of a single spaced document into this space. Your statement of purpose should address the following areas:
- Why you want an Educational Specialist degree
- How this degree will enable you to reach personal and professional goals
The Graduate School also requires three letters of recommendation from professors who know the applicant as a student and can evaluate academic abilities and potential for success in a graduate program. The online application process allows you to enter the names and email addresses of 3 people. This will trigger an electronic system to send electronic forms to these individuals. All the person providing your recommendation has to do is complete the form and hit the submit button.
- Submit all transcripts from institutions of higher education to the UF Office of Admissions (P.O.Box 114000, 201 Criser Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-4000, USA). These must be official copies from the institutions of higher education. If the original transcripts are not in English, you also need to send an English translation.
- Submit an example of your academic writing.
- Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
- Explore financial aid options and apply for any appropriate for your situation.
For international students:
- You may submit either TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB scores. Here are the minimum scores considered for admissions: IELTS: 6, MELAB: 77, TOEFL (computer):213, TOEFL (Internet): 80, and TOEFL (paper based): 550.
