Get Your Education Specialist Degree

Lear about the advantages of an educational specialist degree to advance your career.

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Advanced Teaching Degrees: Educational Specialist Degree

An education specialist degree is an advanced degree option for people who already have a master's degree with a teaching or educational focus.

Like other six-year specialty degrees, this is an intermediate degree between a master's degree and a doctorate. It is designed for people seeking advanced teacher certification or career advancement beyond that normally attained with a master's degree. Educational specialist degrees require 30 to 45 credit hours of work and can often be completed in one year after earning your master's degree.

However, classes offered in Educational Specialist programs may not always transfer toward a future doctoral degree. Contact your State Department of Education for information about teaching requirements in your state, and see "How to Become a Teacher" for more information.

Using Your Educational Specialist Degree

If you want to become a school psychologist or counselor, an Educational Specialist degree is your minimum preparation requirement in many states. Or if educational leadership is your calling, an educational specialist degree will help you become a school principal, program director or senior level educator.

Many EdS degree holders become professors at junior colleges, or small private or state colleges. For more information on school management careers and degrees, see our school leadership resource center. Here are some of the most common educational specialist degree specialties:

As the intermediate degree for many professionals who supervise master's level personnel, the educational specialist degree is an easy choice for teachers who aspire to leadership roles but who don't want the theoretical or researched-based advanced education provided in doctoral level degree programs.

Many schools offer online teaching degree options for your convenience. See our extensive directory of teaching schools to find a degree that best meets your needs.