Advance Your Career with a Specialist’s Degree

Distinguish yourself academically and professionally by earning this post-master’s degree. Build your overall curriculum and instruction skills with at least 15 hours of foundational courses and develop specialty skills with 15 hours in one of five concentrations.

Designed for Arkansas educators, this practitioner-focused program will equip you with the overall skills and knowledge needed to be an instructional leader in various educational settings. It also enables you to gain specific knowledge within your chosen concentration: Advanced School-based Speech-language Pathology, Educational Examiner, K-12 Online Teaching, Literacy/Dyslexia, or Program Administrator.

Coursework in the specialist degree can be used to earn other credentials, including graduate certificates. Students must apply for another credential(s) and work with an adviser before starting courses.  Additionally, some courses in this concentration are required by the Arkansas Department of Education for licensures/endorsements.  Consult an academic adviser prior to enrollment in classes.

Unlike graduate certificate programs or endorsement plans alone, this specialist program meets financial aid guidelines, allowing students to seek assistance in funding their studies. 

Request Information


Apply Now


Application Deadlines

  • Spring: November 1
  • Summer: May 1
  • Fall: August 1

Best Online Programs - Grad Education - U.S. News and World Report

Newsweek America's Top Online Colleges

Choose Your Specialty

Choose one of the four concentrations below – 15 credit hours each – to add to your foundational coursework. Align your concentration with your career goal.

  • Advanced School-based Speech-language Pathology - focusing on assessment and intervention needs of students with communication disorders as well as interprofessional practice in school-based settings
  • Education Examiner - involving diagnostic testing, intelligence testing, inclusive education, educational data
  • K-12 Online Teaching - centering on educational media, teaching with technology, distance education
  • Literacy/Dyslexia - focusing on literacy, language, curriculum development, teaching students with disabilities
  • Program Administrator - focusing on school organizations, administration, leadership, decision-making and school improvement

Each student is also required to complete 3 semester hours: CIED 680V Ed.S. Project, which is an investigation or inquiry that demonstrates the capacity to design, implement and evaluate an intervention independently. A grade-point average of 3.25 is required on all graduate hours completed.

 

Admission Requirements

Admission is based on the student’s profile, educational background and a variety of inputs. You must:

  • Have earned a master’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution
  • Provide transcripts and a curriculum vita that includes related experience
  • Provide GRE exam results IF your G.P.A. is below 3.5 in prior graduate work
  • Must apply for a graduate certificate, if desired, at the same time you apply for the Ed.S. in CIED
  • Meet Graduate School requirements and provide other documents required by the CIED department and listed in the catalog of studies

 

More about Licensure Endorsements

The Arkansas Department of Education provides information about teacher endorsements for becoming a teacher or school leader and to plans for additional licensure. The College of Education and Health Professions website also provides links to endorsement information on its Office of Teacher Education page.

icon, state of Arkansas with U.S. dollar sign
Online Students
Pay In-State Tuition

 

Tuition / credit hour $437.54
Fee / credit hour
Library $4.41
Network & Data Systems $12.10
Off-campus $30
Online Facilities $2

Tuition and fees per credit hour reflect fall 2023 rates for students studying completely online. If an online student takes a course on campus, tuition and fees will differ.

Financial Aid  

 



AccreditedAccredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation

The Online Learner


Take Your Career Beyond the Classroom as a Program Administrator

Any motivated educator looking to move beyond the classroom to lead as a program administrator will find an inspirational role model in Christy Smith, assistant professor of practice in the educational leadership program at the University of Arkansas.

Read More  

Take K-12 Teaching Online with an Educational Specialist Degree

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional classroom education, online teaching provided a route to education and training when traditional classes were difficult to access. As a result, online education became a popular choice for families living in remote locations ...

Read More