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Education Specialist
Further your educational leadership skills in order to pursue a career as a school superintendent or postsecondary education administration, as well as gain advanced knowledge of pedagogy and organizational theory.
Education Specialist – Educational Specialist (Ed.S)
The Education Specialist degree at Montana State is a professional degree designed for school leaders with a master’s degree who are seeking advanced knowledge of educational theory, either in the realm of K-12 or higher education. Regardless of track, students have the opportunity to prepare for specialized administrative positions, such as school superintendent licensure or leadership within higher education. The program blends educational and organizational theory with opportunities for authentic practice. Program courses are taught by highly skilled and experienced educational leaders recognized for their commitment to school improvement, community engagement, and student success and well-being.
The Education Specialist degree has two tracks: Adult and Higher Education and Educational Leadership.
Education Specialist students work with researchers such as professor Dr. Bryce Hughes, whose study Coming Out in STEM: factors affecting retention of sexual minority STEM students was one of the first studies to provide quantative evidence that lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer students were 7% less likely to complete their STEM degree than their heterosexual peers.
Work-Life Balance
Livability has previously ranked Bozeman as one of its Best Places to Live four years
in a row, including the #1 best place to live in Montana, calling the city a "tech-savvy,
economically vibrant, highly educated city on the grow" with year-round natural attractions.
CPED Member
The College of Education, Health and Human Development is a proud member of the Carnegie
Project on the Education Doctorate.
Adventure Awaits
LendEDU has ranked MSU #1 in Outdoor Recreation, due to its proximity to world-class
skiing, blue-ribbon rivers for fishing and seemingly endless hiking opportunities,
as well as access to rental equipment from the ASMSU Outdoor Recreation Program.
Fund Your Education
The Graduate School at Montana State is dedicated to helping students secure funding during their time at MSU. Some resources the certificate program and Graduate School offer include:
Distance Learning
For students focusing on the Educational Leadership track for the Education Specialist degree, the program is designed to grant students a blended graduate student experience, of which combines the networking strength of face-to-face delivery with the convenience of distance delivery. As the goal of the Educational Leadership program is to create strong networks within each cohort as well as enhance students’ skills and knowledge in the workplace, a combination of field experience, on-campus learning (including the Superintendent Core offered every summer on the MSU Bozeman campus) and other opportunities are core to the program.
Admissions Requirements
Note: no GRE Required.
Each program within the Graduate School at Montana State has its own particular requirements for admission, and the Education Specialist program is not different. To ensure that you start your application on the right foot, please review the admissions requirements for the Education Specialist program. This includes any additional deadlines that the Department of Education may have aside from the Graduate School, which does practice rolling admissions.