Educational Specialist in
Curriculum and Instruction
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.
100%
Online
33
Credit Hours
Beyond Master's
63
Credit Hours
Beyond Baccalaureate
2 - 3 YRS
Estimated Time
to Complete
GRE
Required if GPA is below 3.5
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.
| 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.
- Degree Requirements
- Scholarhip / Grant
Arkansas Teacher Opportunity Program - College of Education and Health Professions
Accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
Special education has always been my love. This degree is enabling me to be able to go back and be an instructor of education and work preparing future teachers. It gives me a different perspective from the student to the professor side to the leadership side versus the teacher side."
Leanita PeltsClarksville, AR
Any administrator will tell you that they really don’t have time to go back to school and take on-campus classes. I have three kids at home, too. The online Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction program lets me pursue my career goals without putting a hindrance on my family."
Zachary PalomboCape May County, NJ
