EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST (EdS) DEGREE

Program Overview

It is not unusual for professionals in Adult Education and Human Resource Development to have earned graduate degrees in other areas, such as teaching, business and nursing. The education specialist's degree in Adult Education with a specialization in Human Resource Development (HRD) is a post-master's degree program for experienced professionals who currently hold a graduate degree in a particular professional area but are seeking advanced competence in the management, design, delivery and evaluation of training. The EdS is not intended to constitute a second master's degree. Rather it is designed to offer practicing professionals an advanced degree option that conveys a broader understanding of technical, evaluation, and research issues affecting adult and organizational learning, perfects their skills in human resource planning and policy-making and upgrades their capacity to evaluate HRD programs and to determine learning and performance outcomes. In this program, learning and development are treated as an integral part of the larger human resource management function.

Students may complete the majority of the degree requirements either as distance learners or on a traditional resident basis, and they may also combine the two formats. Although full-time students will be accommodated, the EdS program is structured to assist the part-time student who takes no more than two classes per semester and generally requires two years to complete the course requirements. Students are encouraged to take advantage of face-to-face courses offered during the summer semester.

Students learning at a distance reap the following benefits:

• Those enrolled at a distance learn while they earn! There is no need to interrupt work or disrupt family to move to a college or university campus. You incur no loss of pay or benefits while you earn graduate credits.
• FSU is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and all distance learning degree programs enjoy the same validation. No distinction is made on the diploma or transcript between programs completed partially or fully online and those taken as a resident student.
• Each course is taught by a fully qualified and experienced instructor who has earned his or her doctoral degree in HRD, adult education or a related field. Students in online courses are also supported by at least one Course Mentor - with a Master's degree or higher qualification -- who is very familiar with the technology of the online learning system used by FSU (Blackboard 6).
• Students control their own time commitments in meeting course requirements. There are no classes to attend on a fixed schedule. The material may be studied and assignments completed at any time within the timeframe for the unit in question. Study is self-paced and based on a learning module format.
• Degree candidates begin at the same time as part of a cohort with other students. You will get to know your colleagues and create a true online learning community.
• Students learn how to collaborate in an online learning community, much as they might in a true "learning organization".
• Courses are designed with a theory-to-practice emphasis and all degree candidates are challenged to become genuine "scholar-practitioners."

The online EdS program of courses is characterized by a high level of interactivity and collaboration. You can preview a List of Courses that may be taken online.

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Program Costs

Costs for the degree program are very competitive and most non-Florida students may qualify for a partial out-of-state tuition waiver. Applicants who reside in the sixteen states comprising the Southern Regional Education Board region should check to see if this degree is part of the Academic Common Market (ACM). Students from participating states are allowed to complete the MS degree in HRD by paying Florida in-state tuition plus any associated auxiliary fees. Note that tuition costs increase each fall.

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Admission Requirements

There are five minimum requirements to be considered as an applicant to the EdS degree program in Adult Education/HRD:

• Three to five years of policy or managerial experience in the field of adult education or human resource development.
• An advanced degree from an accredited college or university.
• A minimum score of 1000 (combined 500-verbal and 500-quantitative) on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 on a 4-point scale for previous graduate degree.
• International applicants must score at least 550 on the Test of English as A Foreign Language (TOEFL).
• The Department Admissions Committee will only evaluate the quality of each candidate's application for admission when all required materials have been received.

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Program Requirements

Students completing the Educational Specialist degree are required to complete thirty semester hours of relevant coursework and complete a six semester hour action learning project or thesis. Up to six semester hours may be transferred from an accredited college or university with permission of the students advising committee. Students are expected to complete a comprehensive examination near the end of his or her coursework.

Required Foundations Courses (12 semester hours)

• ADE 5080 Foundations of Adult Education & HRD Policy (3 semester hours)
  Exploration of social, historical, and philosophical foundations underpinning adult education and human resource development as a field of study and professional practice.
• ADE 5083 Human Resource Development (3 semester hours)
  Comprehensive survey of the structure and function of human resource development in organizations. Focus is on alternative perspectives, professional roles and competencies, and organizational features affecting Human Resource Development operations and programs.
• ADE 5385 Adult Learning and Development (3 semester hours)
  A critical examination of major problems in adult learning. Emphasis given to psychological and sociocultural factors affecting learning ability, achievement, and motivation through the adult life-cycle.
• ADE 6920 Capstone Colloquium (2 semester hours)
  This course should be taken near the end of a student's degree program. Focus is on integrating theories of practice, identifying trends and issues, and preparing students for the comprehensive examination or submission of a professional portfolio. Students in the EdS program will sit for a comprehensive examination.

HRD Electives (9 semester hours)

• ADE 5084 Analytical Applications Human Resource Management, Training and Development (3 semester hours)
  Focus is on case studies and analytical skills necessary to evaluate the need for and effectiveness of adult learning and education interventions in business and industry, public and community agencies, and not-for profit organizations. Students should have a basic a understanding statistics and will practice calculating efficiency, effectiveness and return on investment formulas as well as business case analysis.
• ADE 5186 Program Development (3 semester hours)
  Principles and theory of program development and evaluation applied to selected adult education and human resource development enterprises.
• ADE 5189 Staff Training and Development (3 semester hours)
  Theory and practice of training and staff development based on the design and use of experiential instructional interventions to enhance individual, group, and organizational efforts.
• ADE 5380 Processes of Human Resource and Organization Development (3 semester hours)
  Focus is on the processes of planned change through formal and informal programs in a variety of organizational contexts. Includes topics such as the learning organizations, practice and problem based learning, methods of organization development and change management, and continuing professional education.
• ADE 5385 Adult Learning and Development (3 semester hours)
  A critical examination of major problems in adult learning. Emphasis given to psychological and sociocultural factors affecting learning ability, achievement, and motivation through the adult life-cycle.
• ADE 5932r Public Policy and HRD (3 semester hours)
  A comprehensive review of the various legislative and political influences on training and development programs.
• EDF 5461 Program Evaluation (3 semester hours)
  Overview of current evaluation theory and models; emphasis on role of evaluation in needs assessment and planning phase of program development.
• EME 5941 Designs for In-Service Personnel Development (3 semester hours)
  Systematic procedures for the design and staff development programs for educational, noneducational institutions.

Required Research Methods and Statistics Courses (9 semester hours)

Students in the EdS. program are expected to complete nine semester hours of coursework in some combination of research methods, statistics, and evaluation. These courses, with the exception of ADE 5084 Analytical Applications, are not available in a distance learning format. Students may be allowed to complete up to six hours of coursework by transferring equivalent graduate level courses from other colleges or universities.

Some combination of the following is acceptable. The selection of these courses should coincide with the students' plans for an action learning project or thesis.

• ADE 5084 Analytical Applications Human Resource Management, Training and Development (3 semester hours)
  Focus is on case studies and analytical skills necessary to evaluate the need for and effectiveness of adult learning and education interventions in business and industry, public and community agencies, and not-for profit organizations. Students should have a basic a understanding statistics and will practice calculating efficiency, effectiveness and return on investment formulas as well as business
  • A graduate level research methods course such as EDF 5481 Methods of Educational research. May substitute previous graduate methods course if completed within last five years.
  • An advanced statistics course beyond a basic descriptive and inferential statistics. May substitute previous advanced statistics course if completed within last five years. Examples include EDF 5410 Nonparametric Analysis and EDF 5401 General Linear Model.
  • An advanced applied evaluation course, such as EDF 5626 Economic Evaluation of Education Programs, EDF 5464 Qualitative Methods, EDF 5445 Assessment of Learning Outcomes.

Students are expected to submit a draft copy of a Progarm of Study from prior to starting a thesis or action learning project. Faculty will review with the student to determine if necessary courses have been completed.

Action Learning Project or Thesis (6 semester hours)

Students are expected to complete an action learning project. The project can be conducted where the student works or in some other context, such as a faith based organization, a community based human service or community action organization, or a governmental agency, etc. The scope of the project will be determined in concert with a supervising committee. Examples of a project include developing a comprehensive evaluation process for an organization, conducting a community or organization wide needs assessment or performance analysis, designing a large scale training and development program, etc.

Students who anticipate applying for the doctoral degree (PhD or EdD) are encouraged to substitute a thesis for the action learning project.

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Adult Education and Human Resource Development Program
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
114 Stone Building - Tallahassee, FL 32306-4452
Phone: (850) 644-2791 ♦ Fax: (850) 644-1258
E-mail: hrd@coe.fsu.edu