Earn your EdS degree in Educational Leadership

The Educational Leadership Specialist (EdS) program provides you with an area of educational specialization — with an emphasis on practice — to prepare you for administrative positions within a school system, such as elementary, middle and high school principal or superintendent.

Through our Educational Leadership (EdS) program, you’ll learn how to:

• effectively run urban schools
• design and implement curriculum
• develop critical and creative thinking skills
• positively impact school culture by meeting the needs of diverse student populations

The Educational Leadership (EdS) program offers advanced study beyond a master’s if you’re not interested in pursuing a doctoral degree that requires a culminating dissertation or capstone. And by earning your EdS in Educational Leadership you'll increase your skills for advanced licensure requirements or to meet state or professional requirements that can often be beneficial for your own career advancement and development in the field.

All in-person classes meet in the evenings on the Lincoln Park Campus. The program can be completed in just over three years.

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Lead yourself — and your students — to success

DePaul is partnered with Chicago Public Schools, the fourth-largest public school district in the country, the Archdiocese of Chicago, the nation’s largest private school system and suburban public, independent and charter schools throughout the Chicago area. You’ll have access to leaders in the field who can help guide your career.

Application Deadlines

• Fall: August 15
• Winter: December 1
• Spring: March 1
• Summer: May 1

Admission Requirements

Submit an online application, official transcripts, résumé, letters of recommendation, a personal statement and a writing sample.

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Required Courses

You’ll take six core courses, five research courses, an elective, five concentration courses and choose between a capstone or a dissertation. An internship is required for superintendent licensure.

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96%

of Educational Leadership graduates were employed, continuing their education or pursuing other goals within six months of graduation.

 

$53k

The average reported salary for Educational Leadership graduates was $53,000.

Alumni Network

You’ll join a community of like-minded educators and administrators in schools of all shapes and sizes. With alumni serving in leadership roles in public and private grade schools, high schools, colleges and universities, you’ll be connected to the expertise and support necessary to become a transformational leader.

Scholarships

Graduate school is an investment in your future. Learn more about the financial aid and scholarship opportunities available to you.

Admission Requirements

Admission Eligibility

To be eligible for the Education Specialist program, students must hold a both a bachelor's and master's degree from an accredited college or university and have a previous GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale.

Application Requirements

A complete application to the EdS program will include the following materials:

• Graduate admission application
• $40 application fee
• Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended
• Résumé or curriulum vitae
• Three letters of recommendation, at least two of which should be from faculty in your master's program or from faculty for master's level coursework taken at other institutions
• A personal statement in which you discuss your interest in further study and articulating an issue or problem of interest or concern (approximately 3 pages)
• Writing sample from a master's-level class; alternatively, you can write a 3-5 page response to readings provided by the Educational Leadership program - Alternative Writing Prompt

Applicants may be invited to attend an interview with EdS program faculty as part of the application process. Interviews are held either at the Lincoln Park campus or by phone, depending on an applicant's availability. The Office of Graduate Admission contacts applicants to schedule the interview if one will be required.

Current EdD students in the Educational Leadership program who would like to transfer to the EdS program will be required to be in good standing within their program, meeting an overall GPA requirement of 3.0 prior to the completion of 36 quarter hours, and/or meeting an overall GPA requirement of 3.3 after the completion of 36 quarter hours. Although students who wish to transfer from the EdD program to the EdS program may use the admission materials that are on file with the doctoral program office, they will also need to produce 2 letters of support from doctoral program faculty and provide a 1-2 page rationale that outlines their reason(s) for seeking transfer admission into the EdS program.

Applicants who have earned a degree outside of the U.S. or who will be considered international students must submit additional materials. Visit our International Students page for more information.

Applicants can upload supplemental application materials, send requests for letters of recommendation, and pay the application fee through our online application system.

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to program and admission requirements for the educational specialist program, students choosing to apply to one of the additional endorsement options are required to fulfill the following requirements.

Teacher Leader Endorsement

• A copy of a valid Illinois teaching license
• Proof of at least two years of full-time teaching experience
• Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
• Statement of purpose indicating professional development goals and related experience (750 words)

Principal Endorsement

• A copy of a valid Illinois teaching license
• Proof of at least two years of full-time teaching experience within the last five
• One letter from district office recommending entrance into the principal preparation program
• Four letters of recommendation (two from supervisors and two from colleagues) - These take the place of the three letters of recommendation required for admission to the EdS program
• Statement of purpose indicating why you want to be a principal
• Upon initial review, the process will include a required interview. Candidates will be expected to complete on on-site writing sample during the interview and submit a teaching portfolio.

Superintendent Endorsement

• Proof of at least two years of teaching experience on a valid Illinois teaching license
• Proof of at least two years of full-time administrative experience on a valid administrative license with the general administrative endorsement
• Upon initial review, the process will include a required interview. Candidates will be expected to complete on on-site writing sample during the interview and submit a teaching portfolio.

Application Deadlines

The EdS program admits new students every quarter: fall, winter, spring and summer. It offers rolling admission, but regular deadlines are set for each term to assure students full consideration for admission and financial aid. The program will continue to accept and process applications after the regular deadline if space is available.

Term	Deadline
Fall	August 15
Winter	December 1
Spring	March 1
Summer*	May 1

*The EdS program admits students all year on a rolling basis; however, most students admitted for the summer term will begin classes the following fall quarter.

Applicants typically receive an admission decision 4-6 weeks after submitting a complete application.

Information Sessions

Learn more about the Educational Leadership EdS program and meet with program faculty at an upcoming information session.

Degree Requirements

Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 prior to the completion of 36 credit hours and 3.3 after the completion of 36 credit hours. Students are allowed no more than two grades of “C.” Upon receiving a third grade of “C,” students must retake the class in which the grade was received. Grades of “D” and “F” require that the course be retaken.

Course Requirements

Core Courses: 24 quarter hours required

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
A&S 801	LEADERSHIP: THEORY AND PRACTICE	4
CS 704	CURRICULUM DISCOURSES/PERSPECTIVES OVER TIME	4
CS 751	CURRICULUM FOR HUMAN AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT	4
SCG 701	SEMINAR: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION	4
SCG 711	CULTURE, POWER AND EDUCATION	4
SCG 721	HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS	4

Research Courses: 12 quarter hours required

These courses are sequenced and must be taken in the following order:

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
SCG 775	FOUNDATIONS OF INQUIRY AND EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH	4
Select two subsequent research courses from the following:		8
SCG 735	QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS I
SCG 745	QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS I
SCG 755	QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS II
SCG 765	QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS II

Elective Requirement: 4 quarter hours required

One elective (4 quarter hours) from the following list:

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
Any doctoral course (700 or above) for which the student qualifies
SCG 527	GLOBAL STUDIES IN EDUCATION SEMINAR
SCG 611	PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES IN EDUCATION, CULTURE AND ETHICS SEMINAR
CS 470	TEACHERS AS LEADERS
CS 472	ETHICS, CURRICULUM AND SOCIAL CHANGE
CS 473	ASSESSMENT
CS 481	THE STUDY OF TEACHERS AND TEACHING
CS 482	THE HISTORY OF CURRICULUM PRACTICE
CS 485	CURRICULUM/PROGRAM EVALUATION
CS 488	CURRICULUM DESIGN
CS 489	CREATIVITY AND CRITICAL THINKING - VYGOTSKY, BAKHTIN, MAKIGUCHI, IKEDA
CS 588	INDEPENDENT STUDY IN CURRICULUM STUDIES
CS 591	CURRICULUM THEORIZING: MULTIPLE LENSES
A&S 598	INDEPENDENT STUDY IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
BBE 404	LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND CULTURE
BBE 466	FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
BBE 406	SOCIOCULTURAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION
BBE 510	SPECIAL TOPICS IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION AND CULTURE
BBE 526	THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING ESL AND WLE
BBE 530	LATINOS AND EDUCATION
Other options need to be approved by the EdS Program

Concentration Courses: 20 quarter hours required

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
A&S 803	THE SUPERINTENDENCY: PROGRAMS, SYSTEMS, AND STRUCTURES	4
A&S 823	COMMUNITY AND CONSENSUS BUILDING FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT	4
A&S 843	THE POLITICS OF SCHOOLING	4
A&S 873	CURRENT TRENDS IN BUDGETING AND FINANCE	4
A&S 883	SCHOOL LAW	4

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