Marshall’s Ed.S degree program is for experienced, post-master’s degree candidates seeking to advance their professional knowledge and application in the area of Curriculum and Instruction.

This graduate degree program is the only one of its kind offered among graduate schools in West Virginia.

Most students in the Ed.S degree program are experienced classroom teachers; or school, county, and state-level coordinators or administrators in the K-12 system. Others come from various occupation backgrounds such as health and nursing / hospital personnel; community social and behavioral agencies; business, law, and government; and community college and adult technical education settings.

MU’s graduate program to become an Education Specialist is designed for students to accomplish these goals:

• Achieve personal and professional growth as a life-long learner
• Use current educational technologies to conduct action research
• Obtain current, in-depth knowledge in the area of Curriculum and Instruction
• Demonstrate ethical and moral standards in conducting educational research with human subjects
• Develop proficiency in technical / research writing for communicating in the specialist discipline

This graduate program in Curriculum and Instruction enables successful candidates to:

• Qualify for advancement in an existing professional career
• Meet advanced salary classifications within the K-12 education sector
• Acquire new positions with a given specialist discipline

The EdS program has two curriculum components:

The Education Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction is a virtual, distance learning program. Fifteen hours of core courses focus on the development of scholarly research and writing skills along with technology integration. Twelve hours of specialization courses focus on curriculum and instruction concepts, including theory, development, and influences. The three-hour capstone experience requires a written problem report.

The degree is not considered a career-based program to seek employment. Instead, the Ed.S. provides candidates with advanced knowledge to support classroom teaching, instructional coaching, curriculum specialists, and more. For the most part, Ed.S. program candidates are seeking to deepen their skills and advance in their current positions or organizations. The Ed.S. also further prepares candidates interested in pursuing a terminal degree such as the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction.