English Language Learning, Ed.S.

The primary goals of the Ed.S. degree are increasing teaching expertise and acquiring professional proficiency in an area. In most education settings, the person with an Ed.S. is viewed as a content specialist who can also teach that content in various settings. The Ed.S. degree is also designed to prepare undergraduate, post-secondary teachers, especially those who will be employed in junior or community colleges as well as small private and state colleges.

In general, all advanced M.Ed. and Ed.S. programs are for candidates who have already attained a teaching license. However, candidates whose career paths do not require a teaching license may be considered for the Ed.S. and certificate programs based on their prior experience in the field of education. Examples include extensive experience in higher education, private education or educational corporations or nonprofits.

Lipscomb University’s Ed.S. programs are structured around a core of advanced classes required of all Ed.S. candidates and a concentration in a specified content area. The core of the Ed.S. programs consists of 15 hours of course work in leadership and an introduction to educational research. The remaining courses in each program follow a modified cohort model specific to each content area.

Each Ed.S. candidate is expected to complete two education specialist project courses (six hours) as part of the concentration. These courses, in conjunction with the Ed.S. components in the emphasis courses, lead to the completion of a professional learning project in one’s emphasis that will be delivered in an e-format to both an academic (internal) and professional (external) audience at the conclusion of the degree.

Ed.S. Courses for Transfer into Ed.D. at Lipscomb

The Ed.D. program at Lipscomb allows up to 15 hours of Ed.S. course work (6000 level) to transfer into the program if those hours equate to the content of 15 “transfer eligible” course hours. (See the Ed.D. program description for courses considered “transfer eligible.”) Candidates for the Ed.D. degree at Lipscomb may transfer up to 15 hours (12 hours of the Ed.S. core and up to three hours in the emphasis as indicated from these programs: Instructional Coaching, Educational Leadership, English Language Learning, and Reading Specialty). Courses that will transfer from the Lipscomb Ed.S. programs into the Ed.D. program are marked below with this notation: ^EDD.

English Language Learning (33 hours)

The Ed.S. in English Language Learning is a 33-hour program designed for licensed teachers and focuses on culture and community in the classroom for non-native speakers. The Ed.S. in English Language Learning emphasizes a targeted curriculum for second language acquisition and examines the most effective pedagogical practices for working with students whose primary language is not English. Candidates will earn an Ed.S. degree and an endorsement in English Language Learning preK-12. The candidate will also develop and implement an individual research project.

Course Requirements

All Ed.S. candidates take the following two courses as non-credit, no-charge, and pass/fail, one during their first semester and one during the semester in which they graduate:

Ed.S. Core - Required for all emphasis areas (15 hours)

EMPHASIS English Language Learning

Ed.S. CORE + 18 hours