Coastal Carolina University has established a new academic program, the Educational Specialist in Leadership degree (Ed.S.). The program, which will be offered beginning in the Fall 2014 semester, is designed to provide advanced professional studies in graduate-level coursework for educators interested in becoming school district-level leaders or in further developing their professional skills and dispositions.

Developed by CCU's Spadoni College of Education, the program focuses on the functions of high achieving school districts in areas such as curriculum, instruction, management, personnel, finance, school law and public relations, as well as the impact of these factors on student achievement.

The Ed.S. program requires completion of 33 semester hours of graduate work. It is expected that students who successfully complete the program will qualify for licensure as a school superintendent in South Carolina and will be prepared for other key leadership positions in school systems (e.g., assistant superintendents, professional development specialists, program directors).

The two and a half-year long curriculum is cohort-based and taught during the University's fall, spring and summer terms. Courses are taught in a hybrid format blending face-to-face instruction with online courses with three courses delivered entirely online.

Detailed information on the program can be found at coastal.edu/education/eds_el/ or by contacting Greg Geer at ggeer@coastal.edu or 843-349-6675. The deadline for applying for the fall cohort is June 26.