Educational Specialist Program (Ed.S.)
Executive Leadership Studies
Program Highlights & Benefits
Earn Superintendent licensure
2 year completion time
Affordable tuition
Completion time includes holiday breaks
What You Learn
This program is for potential and practicing educational leaders who aspire to develop and refine their leadership skills in complex organizations especially at the district office level.
The Educational Specialist Degree program aims to equip candidates with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and beliefs that will enable them to function effectively as leaders in fluctuating, complex, and dynamic educational environments. The Gardner-Webb University Executive Leadership Program utilizes a non-traditional approach to curriculum design and implementation with the incorporation of integrated modules as opposed to individual courses. The program’s vision is to provide a response to the ever-changing economic, political, social, and technological environments present in today’s schools that are not isolated entities.
How You Learn
A six-semester Educational Specialist Degree program with an integrated curriculum will be offered. Each semester students will take one module, consisting of six integrated semester hours as well as a 1-semester hour internship.
Fully Online: You will log into Blackboard to complete assignments, participate in online discussions, and complete group activities. While there are no face-to-face meetings, some of the activities may include chats, discussion boards, recorded and/or live webinars, and various web links for viewing. While your classes will operate in Blackboard, your final project will be stored as an electronic portfolio using TaskStream. The electronic portfolio is required for North Carolina licensure. Upon full acceptance to the online program you will be required to complete online certification to verify your proficiency in an online environment.
Career Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, students will have earned an Ed. Specialist in Executive Leadership Studies and will be subject to state licensure requirements in order to receive North Carolina state licensure as a Superintendent. At the writing of this document, the licensure requirement is the satisfactory completion of an electronic portfolio.
Prerequisites
Students in the Ed.S. in Executive Leadership Studies program must hold at least a Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 grade point average on all graduate-level work. A minimum of 3 years of experience, administration is preferred. A license in School Administration- Principal is required.
Degree Requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
| First Semester | ||
ESEL 611 | Executive Leadership at the District Level | 6 |
ESEL 697 | Executive Leadership Internship | 1 |
| Second Semester | ||
ESEL 612 | Fiscal Management and Leadership | 6 |
ESEL 697 | Executive Leadership Internship | 1 |
| Third Semester | ||
ESEL 613 | Research Methods and Program Evaluation | 6 |
ESEL 697 | Executive Leadership Internship | 1 |
| Fourth Semester | ||
ESEL 614 | Policy Analysis in Executive Leadership | 6 |
ESEL 697 | Executive Leadership Internship | 1 |
| Fifth Semester | ||
ESEL 615 | Leading Change for Educational Transformation | 6 |
ESEL 697 | Executive Leadership Internship | 1 |
| Sixth Semester | ||
ESEL 616 | Organizational Communications and Technology | 6 |
ESEL 697 | Executive Leadership Internship | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 42 | |
Please Note:
This is not an official schedule and your cohort may take these courses in a different order.
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