The primary goals of the Ed.S. degree are increasing teaching and leading expertise and acquiring professional excellence in a selected area of concentration. 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 nonprofit organizations.
Each Ed.S. candidate is expected to complete two capstone research courses (six credit hours) in a specified content area. Each candidate self-selects the research topic, but it should align with the identified area of concentration of the Ed.S. program. The capstone research courses lead to the development and implementation of a professional learning project that will be delivered to a professional audience at the conclusion of the research progression.
Lipscomb University’s Ed.S. programs are structured around a core of advanced classes required of all Ed.S. candidates and a selected concentration in a specified content area. The core of the Ed.S. program consists 21 hours of course work to provide a broad perspective of important educational issues facing all educators. All Ed.S. candidates, with the exception of School Counseling, will participate in the Ed.S. core and select a specific area of concentration to earn a certificate, endorsement, or license. The issuance of a certificate, endorsement, or license is dependent upon the area of concentration selected and noted in the concentration descriptions below.
Ed.S. Courses for Transfer into the Ed.D. and Ph.D. at Lipscomb
The Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs at Lipscomb allow up to 15 credit hours of Ed.S. 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. and Ph.D. degree at Lipscomb may transfer up to 15 hours. Courses that will transfer from the Lipscomb Ed.S. program into the Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs are indicated below with this notation: EDD PHD.
Ed.S. Concentrations
*Note: EG 5000 Orientation to Graduate Education and EG 6000 Graduation Seminar are zero-cost, zero-credit courses required for all concentrations.