Education Specialist Degrees

Education Specialist (EdS) degree candidates must fulfill the requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies, which are listed below. Students must also complete the additional requirements set by the school or department in which the degree is to be awarded. These are described in the departmental sections of this catalog. 

Summary of Division of Graduate Studies Requirements

The following outline lists minimum Division of Graduate Studies requirements for EdS degrees. Specific departmental requirements must also be met before the student is awarded a graduate degree. Credit requirements listed below must be met with graduate credits.

Minimum GPA 3.00
Time limit for program completion Seven years
Total credit minimum 45 credits
Registration minimum per term 3 credits
Minimum graded credits taken in residence 27 credits
Minimum 600 level credits in residence 30 credits
Minimum credits in major 30 credits
Minimum credits taken at UO 30 credits

Language Requirement

There is no language requirement for the Education Specialist degree unless the department offering the degree so specifies. 

Time Limit

Students must complete all work for the EdS degree within seven years, including transferred credits and all other requirements. On-leave status does not extend the seven-year deadline except when the leave is for the student’s serious health or medical condition or for parenting needs during the 12 months immediately following a child’s birth or placement in the home. 

Residency and Enrollment Requirements

For an EdS degree, the Division of Graduate Studies requires that a minimum of 30 credits (applicable to degree requirements) be taken at the University of Oregon during at least two terms of study. Individual schools or departments may have additional residence requirements.

Students enrolled in a graduate degree program must attend the university continuously, except for summers, until all the program’s requirements have been completed, unless on-leave status has been approved. For more information, see Course Registration Requirements and Limits, Continuous Enrollment, Graduate Residency, and On-Leave Status under General Requirements and Policies.

Transferred Credit

Graduate Credit from Other Institutions

Graduate credit earned while enrolled as a graduate student at another accredited college or university may be counted toward the EdS degree under the following conditions:

  1. Total transferred credits may not exceed 15 credits
  2. Courses must be relevant to the degree program as a whole
  3. The student’s home department and the Division of Graduate Studies must approve the transfer
  4. Grades earned must be A+, A, A-, B+, B, or P
  5. The courses may not have been used to satisfy the requirements for another degree
  6. Transfer courses are subject to the seven-year limit for degree completion

Transferred credit may not be used to meet the requirement of 27 credits in University of Oregon graded graduate courses, nor are they used in computing the UO cumulative GPA.

Transfer of Reserved Graduate Credit

Undergraduates who completed graduate-level courses at the University of Oregon under the Reservation of Graduate Credit petition process and who reserve the courses by choosing Option 2 on the petition form may apply up to 12 credits toward an EdS degree. 

Course work taken for letter grades (B or better) and P/N courses, if accompanied by the instructor's statement that the passing grade was equal to a B or better, is eligible for consideration. If approved, these courses can be used to satisfy relevant university EdS degree requirements. A Request for Transfer of Graduate Credit form (available on the Division of Graduate Studies website) must be filed within two terms of acceptance into an EdS degree program and within two years of earning the bachelor's degree. Any credits transferred under this option fall within the 15-credit transfer maximum. 

Other University of Oregon Transferred Credit

A maximum of 15 graduate credits earned at the University of Oregon while classified as a graduate postbaccalaureate student, a non-admitted non-degree seeking graduate student, or a student earning a graduate certificate may later be counted toward the EdS degree (see Graduate Student Types under Division of Graduate Studies), pending school or department endorsement and Division of Graduate Studies approval. This is within the overall 15-credit maximum for transfer. Grades earned must be A+, A, A–, B+, B, or P. A Request for Transfer of Graduate Credit form (available on the Division of Graduate Studies website) must be approved for credits completed under these classifications to be applied to degree requirements.

Research Compliance

See Research Compliance in the General Requirements and Policies section of this catalog.