Graduate Studies
You can celebrate tradition, while you brighten your future...
Since its founding in 1906, Syracuse University's School of Education has built a record of innovation and achievement, earning it a reputation among leading educational professionals as one of the top education schools in the nation. We invite you to become a part of a distinguished history.
At the School of Education, you will study with a faculty whose members are celebrated for their contributions to educational research and theory, their dedication to community service, and their extraordinary teaching abilities. They will lead you to engagement in programs that encompass the most effective traditional approaches while challenging the wisdom of conventional practices. You are assured opportunities for research, clinical practice, and internships designed to clarify relationships of theory and practice. You are assured the assistance of a mentoring faculty to help you get the most out of all these experiences.
At Syracuse University, you will have access to the resources of a world-class research university and you will enjoy the advantages of a multidisciplinary approach to learning. You will study with professors who hold dual appointments in education and disciplines across the curriculum. Expect to be challenged. You will be asked to appreciate a variety of perspectives as you develop your personal positions on salient contemporary educational issues.
Do you want to explore ideas? We offer you a place in a vibrant learning community, where graduate students have access to campus laboratories and clinics, and work side-by-side with experienced faculty.
Do you want to test ideas? We offer you the community experiences you need to become an effective professional. Our extensive network of field and internship arrangements with schools, agencies, hospitals, and businesses assures you of optimal placement opportunities. The supervision of Syracuse faculty and of the mentor-practitioners you will work with at these institutions will help you maximize these opportunities for personal and professional development.
We will experience substantial changes to our educational system during the next decade. New knowledge is creating new expectations that will fundamentally alter the work of teachers, administrators, researchers, and other education professionals. A graduate education at Syracuse University will equip you to anticipate, understand, and implement the personal transformations that will be demanded of you.
Syracuse University's School of Education pioneered the inclusion movement in the United States, making it possible for allleamers to participate in typical classrooms. It was the first to offer an inclusive elementary and special education major, and has since assisted numerous colleges and universities in the development of similar programs. We invite you to join our commitment to inclusion and diversity.
Graduate and Professional Studies Degree Options
The School of Education offers four advanced degrees: the Master of Science (M.S.), the certificate of advanced studies (C.A.S.), the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Each refers to a different level of achievement.
The M.S. is the first degree beyond the bachelor's degree and offers professional educators initial mastery of a special field.
The C.A.S. offers a greater scope, depth and thoroughness of preparation than the M.S. It is considered a final or terminal degree. Its primary purpose is to provide the additional specialization necessary for certification for many administrative and supervisory positions in public schools.
The Ed.D. is a professional degree, and students pursuing it usually seek positions as public school administrators, supervisors and consultants, teachers in junior and four-year colleges, and non-teaching educational specialists. Their programs generally reflect a broad spectrum of courses within the related fields of specialization.
The Ph.D. is an academic degree and is usually chosen by students interested in teaching at the university level or in research. Doctoral programs emphasize an area of specialization, permitting in-depth study and development of theory, as well as work in research design and appropriate tools for research.
M.S. Degree Requirements
Many Master's programs require a minimum of 30 graduate credits; however, others may require 36 credits or more. Students must maintain an overall B average.
Up to nine credits of the total master's program may be transferred from another institution. Students may elect courses in the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the College for Human Development, the College of Law and other SU colleges in addition to education courses.
Master's degree students usually complete their studies with an extensive examination or a thesis. The examination is taken during the final semester and is based on the total program. The thesis must show evidence of original scholarly work
C.A.S. Degree Requirements
In the School of Education, C.A.S. students must complete 60 graduate credits, at least half of them from Syracuse University. A minimum of 30 credits must be in the student area of specialization, and from nine to 12 credits should be taken in an outside area. Students must maintain a B average
The program of study must be approved before the student completes 45 credits. All C.A.S. students must take a six-hour qualifying examination in their field of specialization and complete a project, which usually coincides with one of more field experiences. To receive the C.A.S., students must complete at least three years of employment in their respective fields of specialization. (The Certificate of Disabilities Studies is an exception.)
Ed.D. and Ph.D. Degree Requirements
Ed.D. and Ph.D. students must complete at least 90 graduate credits with an overall B average. These credits should be distributed among major area requirements, core requirements, supporting minor areas, research tools and dissertation credits.
The student must write a report of research apprenticeship or practicum, and pass a qualifying examination in their respective fields of specialization and supporting minor areas. They must demonstrate competence in tools for research and/or other scholarly inquiry applicable to the degree and area of specialization, as well as write and defend a dissertation based on an independent investigation that adds to existing knowledge in the field.
Doctoral students must also meet appropriate residency requirements.
All doctoral requirements must be completed within five years of passing the qualifying exam.