2007-09 - Graduate School - The University of Alabama

Graduate Catalog: Section 4.9http://graduate.ua.edu/catalog/14800.htmlrequirements for a second master's degree, but only if the department of the second master’s agrees to the coursesin the plan of study. Any hours from the previous master’s degree must have been earned during the six years (18fall, spring, and summer semesters) immediately preceding the date on which the second degree is to be awarded.4.9.2 EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST DEGREESThe educational specialist degree (Ed.S.) is offered in some departments of the College of Education that offerdoctoral degrees. Students interested in the Ed.S. degree should contact the department involved regardingavailability of the degree.The Ed.S. degree normally is granted at the end of the sixth year of collegiate study and falls in time between themaster's degree and the doctorate. However, it is not necessarily viewed as intermediate between the master's anddoctoral degrees. In the College of Education, some Ed.S. degrees lead to a teaching certification for P–12 educationfields. In some teaching fields, the purpose of the degree is to prepare undergraduate-college teachers, especiallythose who will be employed in junior colleges, small private and state colleges, and the group of colleges labeled as"developing" institutions. The primary goals of the Ed.S. degree are teaching and acquiring professional proficiency.Because the purposes of the Ed.S. degree may differ from those of either the Ed.D. or Ph.D., credit earned in anEd.S. program is not automatically transferable to a doctoral program. Instead, if a holder of an Ed.S. degree entersa doctoral program at a later date, the doctoral advisory committee will decide how much of the credit earned in theEd.S. program will be counted toward the doctorate.Program RequirementsThe Ed.S. degree requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of study beyond the master's degree. (Studentscompleting an Ed.S. program who also expect to receive an Alabama Class AA certificate for service in the publicschools must complete a minimum of 33 semester hours and achieve a minimum 3.25 grade point average on allwork attempted.) Generally, the following requirements will hold for the degree:1. If a student enters a program with a master's degree in the same field, a minimum of 12 additionalsemester hours in the field must be taken. (A minimum total of 36 graduate semester hours in thefield is required for graduation.) Some departments may require more than these minimums.2. If a student enters a program with a master's degree in a field different from the one in which he orshe plans to study, sufficient work in the Ed.S. major field must be taken so that the total graduatesemester hours in the field is at least 36. Some departments require more than this minimum.3. Since one of the goals of the Ed.S. degree is to prepare undergraduate-college teachers, certaincourses in higher education may be necessary, if required by the major department. A faculty advisorin the program in higher education administration will advise students on the appropriate courses tocomplete this requirement.4. Candidates for the Ed.S. degree will be required to complete all coursework at the 500 and 600 levels.Residency RequirementA student's program at the Ed.S. level must provide sufficient association with the resident faculty to permitindividual evaluation of the student's capabilities and achievements.Transfer of CreditThe greater of 9 semester hours or 25 percent of appropriate post-master's-degree credit, earned through aregionally accredited institution approved to offer graduate programs beyond the master's level in the field of studywhere the credits were earned, may be transferred to apply toward an Ed.S. degree.Previous and appropriate post-master's-degree credit earned at The University of Alabama before a student appliesfor admission to the Ed.S. program can be applied toward the Ed.S. degree, provided it meets the programrequirements of the particular department and the time limitation stated below.A student in his or her last semester of work toward the master's degree who does not need a full load to completethe course requirements of his or her master's program may register for work toward the Ed.S. degree, in the