Educational Specialist: Degree Requirements

The Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree is a intermediate degree that is more advanced than a master's degree, but does not constitute doctoral-level study. It is generally taken up by those who intend to pursue advanced practice in a specialized field of education, such as school administration or curriculum design. In the UW College of Education, only students in our School Psychology program can pursue the Educational Specialist degree.

In accordance with the UW Graduate School, you must satisfy the following requirements to earn an Ed.S. degree:

  • At least 54 credits must be completed. All courses numbered 400–799 that are numerically graded 2.7 and above, or have a grade of Satisfactory or Credit (S or CR), count toward the 54-credit total. 499-level courses and courses graded less than 2.7 do not count.
  • At least 18 credits must be in courses numbered 500 and above. 
  • At least 18 credits must be numerically graded in department-approved, 400-level courses accepted as part of the major and/or in 500-level courses. This excludes 499-level courses and transfer credits.
  • No more than six graduate-level quarter credits can be transferred from other academic institutions.
  • No more than 12 UW graduate non-matriculated credits can be applied to the 54-credit total.
  • No more than 12 credits derived from any combination of UW graduate non-matriculated credits and transfer credits can be applied to the 54-credit total.
  • If a student repeats a non-repeatable class, only one set of credits counts.
  • At least six credits of capstone experience (course number 750) must be included in the 54-credit total.
  • A minimum cumulative GPA (grade point average) of 3.0 is required for a graduate degree.
  • All degree requirements must be completed within six years.
  • The timeframe/clock begins on the first day of the first quarter that the graduate student takes a course to satisfy degree requirements when he/she is coded as either a graduate non-matriculated student (department code with class 6) or as a graduate student (department code with class 8) in the department to which he/she is admitted.
  • UW graduate non-matriculated credits used toward the 54-credit total are counted in the six-year deadline.
  • Quarters spent on leave and out of status are counted in the six-year deadline.
  • Students must submit their EdS request for degree completion and maintain registration through the end of the quarter in which the degree is conferred. If the degree is not requested in the quarter of graduation, the student must pay the graduate registration waiver fee. Graduation is then for the following quarter with the fee.