Instructional Leadership P-12 (Education Specialist)

Application Deadlines

Deadline dates for applications and receipt of all required application materials are:

Date Event
July 1 Fall Admission
November 1 Spring Admission
April 1 Summer Admission

Application Materials Required for the EdS in Instructional Leadership P-12

Applicants for an Education Specialist (EdS) program must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Studies to be considered for admission:

Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, Alabama 36265-1602

Applicants will not be considered for admission until all required documents are received by Graduate Studies.

  1. Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
  2. Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
  3. Official transcripts from all colleges/universities with degrees posted. To be considered for admission, applicants must hold a degree from an institutionally accredited institution or its foreign equivalent. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not to request a transcript from the university.)
  4. Valid Alabama Class A professional leadership certificate or a valid Alabama Class A professional educator certificate in Instructional Leadership or one of the other Alabama Class A leadership designations [Instructional Leader, Principal, Superintendent, Superintendent-Principal, Educational Administrator, Supervisor (any subject and/or grade level), Administrator of Career and Technical Education]. ALL certificate(s) must be valid throughout the program and at graduation.
  5. Applicants must have completed a minimum of three full years of full-time, acceptable P-12 professional educational experience, which must include at least one full year of full-time P-12 teaching experience prior to admission to the program and will document their educational experience on the state-approved Supplemental EXP Form. Applicants should contact their superintendent’s office/central office for completion of this form.
  6. Applicants must meet ONE of the following criteria:
    1. Be currently serving as a superintendent, assistant or associate superintendent, assistant to the superintendent, principal, assistant principal, supervisor (any subject and/or grade level), administrator of career and technical education, coordinator, or evaluator. Or
    2. Document three years of employment in an instructional leadership position for which one of the certificates is proper certification according to the current edition of the Subject and Personnel Codes of the Alabama State Department of Education. Or
    3. Demonstrate each of the abilities in the Class A Instructional Leadership standards prior to admission to the Class AA Instructional Leadership program or prior to completion of the Class AA Instructional Leadership program.
  7. Professional resume.
  8. Three Graduate Reference Forms. One of the references must be from the applicant’s principal or district supervisor. The other two references must be from individuals who can provide qualitative assessment of an applicant’s potential for success in graduate coursework. Reference forms will be submitted electronically. Instructions for submission will be sent through email to the applicant upon submission of the online graduate application.
  9. Statement of Goals (reasons for pursuing Class AA certification in Instructional Leadership). Minimum: typed, one page, double-spaced.
  10. Most recent performance appraisals.
  11. International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.
  12. Applicants whose packages are complete will be contacted to schedule an appointment for a writing sample and an interview with faculty members of the program.
  13. Through the professional resume, graduate reference forms, statement of goals, performance appraisals, writing sample, and/or interview portfolio, applicants must present a.) evidence of ability to lead student achievement and b.) evidence of leadership and management potential.

Admission Requirements for the EdS in Instructional Leadership P-12

Applicants are admitted on a selective basis by the faculty members of the program, upon review of the completed application package.

Individuals must be unconditionally admitted to the Class AA Instructional Leadership program before enrolling in any Instructional Leadership (IL) courses in the Class AA Instructional Leadership program.

Minimum Requirements for the EdS in Instructional Leadership P-12

An overall GPA of 3.50 is required on all coursework attempted for the education specialist degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.50.

Any course completed for the master’s degree or for master’s level professional educator certification may not be repeated or counted for the EdS degree. Graduate courses at the 400 level will not count as credit towards the EdS degree.

Course Title Credits
Core Requirements
EFD 615Leadership in Education3
EFD 620Measurement and Evaluation in Education3
EFD 645Contemporary Challenges in Multicultural Education3
IL 612Planning and Managing Facilities and Programs3
IL 614Internship in Personnel Development I3
IL 620Internship in Personnel Development II3
IL 632Research in Instructional Leadership3
IL 650Seminar in Curriculum Development3
IL 691Problems in Instructional Leadership I and Internship3
IL 692Problems in Instructional Leadership II and Internship3
Special Education Requirement0-3
SPE 500
Survey Course in Special Education 1
Total Hours30-33

 30-33 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree

Graduation and Comprehensive Exam

A comprehensive exam is required for this degree; please see the graduate advisor for full details. All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.

Completion of this program leads to eligibility for Education Specialist professional leadership certification in Instructional Leadership P-12.

Please Note: Teacher education programs are approved by the Alabama State Board of Education and are, therefore, subject to periodic revision resulting from changes in State certification requirements. Subsequently, modifications in students’ programs may become necessary. Students in all graduate level teacher education programs must schedule their coursework each semester with approval of their faculty advisors.

Alabama Class AA Professional Educator Certification Requirements

Issuance of Alabama professional educator certificates is the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Universities cannot issue a professional certificate. To be eligible to apply for certification, a student must meet all required admission criteria and complete a program of study at a college or university that has been approved by the State Board of Education to offer a program leading to the desired certificate. When a student completes the program of study, the institution recommends to the State Department of Education that the appropriate certificate be issued.

  1. Alabama State Department of Education regulations are subject to change; therefore, it is recommended that students apply for certification upon graduation. During their last semester of coursework, students should contact Teacher Education Services, 207 Ramona Wood Hall, for information about this process. The university cannot recommend any student for certification who has not satisfied all state and university requirements for admission to and completion of an approved program. Please see the Alabama Certification Instructions on the Teacher Education Services website.
  2. Recommendation for certification must be made within 60 months of program completion. Recommendation after 60 months requires completion of a current program.