University of North Georgia is a public university in Dahlonega, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1873 as the North Georgia Agricultural College, and was renamed to its current name in 1970. The university has 5 colleges and offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. It is a member of the University System of Georgia.

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The University of North Georgia offers the Tier II Education Specialist in Educational Leadership​ (Ed.S.) program for school leaders who have a Tier I certificate, currently serve in a leadership position in a P-12 setting (requiring Tier I certification) and already hold a master’s degree or higher in educational leadership. An add-on program is also available for you if you already have a specialist or higher degree. The Ed.S. program is delivered fully online. The program runs for four consecutive semesters​ including course work and a performance-based residency. Each semester consists of two courses and a clinical component. Request Information Apply Attend a Virtual Information Session Applicants certified in Georgia should verify with their employer or the GaPSC whether the advanced degree leads to a certificate upgrade or pay increase. The GaPSC provides the Certificate Upgrade Advisor to assist with this process. Out-of-state applicants should also verify with their employer or certification body to verify certificate upgrades. Show less

The University of North Georgia (UNG) offers a 27-semester hour Educational Specialist in Performance-Based School/District Leadership with Tier II Certification (EDS) degree. The EDS is a four-semester program designed for educators who are preparing for leadership positions in public schools who evaluate other leaders. The program qualifies candidates for a Tier II credential in Educational Leadership at the Georgia PL-6 certification as a School Building Leader or School District Leader. Candidates entering this program must have Tier I certification at Level 5 and in a current leadership role requiring the Tier I certification.

This program aims to develop school leaders who will have a lasting, positive impact on teaching and student achievement. A review of research reports (Wallace Foundation & Southern Regional Educational Board) on leadership training emphasizes that “when learning becomes the preoccupation of the school, when all the school’s educators examine the efforts and initiatives of the school through the lens of their impact on learning, the structure and culture of the school begin to change in substantive ways.” According to Richard DuFour, “principals foster this structural and cultural transformation when they shift their emphasis from helping individual teachers improve instruction to helping teams of teachers ensure that students achieve the intended outcomes of their schooling. More succinctly, teachers and students benefit when principals function as learning leaders rather than instructional leaders.”

The Tier II Program is an approved program by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. The program is reviewed and part of the UNG College of Education accreditation process through the Council for the Accreditation of Educators Preparation (CAEP). The program of study aligns with the national leadership standards, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSELS) formally the ISLC Standards, as well as the Georgia Educational Leaders Standards (GELS) and the Leadership Keys Educational Standards (LKES).

The goal of the program is to prepare creative, flexible, visionary, and reflective leaders with the skills necessary to facilitate and improve the quality of learning for all students. Towards this end, students complete a sequence of courses as a learning community and engage in class and field-based experiential learning projects designed to develop important leadership skills. In addition to course work, leadership candidates complete 9 semester hours of supervised internships tailored to individual career objectives.

University of North Georgia (UNG) accepts applications for the EDS program for Fall Semester only. As an initial step, applicants must meet requirements for admission to UNG as described below. The application packet is then forwarded to the College of Education Graduate Office for further review. For additional program information, review the Graduate Studies website at www.ung.edu/Graduate.

The Ed.S degree in Performance-Based School/District Leadership offers an innovative and research-based educational leadership program designed to build the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of candidates by expanding their capacities to lead continuous school improvement in both high and low-performing schools.

This is achieved through a process of:

Acquired Knowledge (i.e. Readings and assignments from online modules, observations and interactions with principals/district office leaders at internship schools/districts, follow up sessions with course instructors and cohort members, and quarterly seminars with course instructors, site mentors, coaches, and presenters)
Application in the Field (i.e. Major key assignments and follow-up activities, module assignments, classroom walk-throughs, and other practicum/internship requirements)
Systematic Coaching and Feedback (i.e. Module facilitators, cohort colleagues, site mentors/supervisors, and university clinical coaches)
Graduate Studies’ Admission Procedures
Application materials may be obtained from Graduate Studies or the Graduate Studies website, www.ung.edu/graduate/EDS. Applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee. When all application materials have been received by Graduate Studies, notification will be sent to the applicant and a copy of all materials will be forwarded to the program. Upon review, notification will be sent from the College of Education Graduate Office to the applicant verifying acceptance or denial.

Students who are admitted, but do not enroll within three semesters following acceptance must reapply through Graduate Studies. Students who were previously enrolled but have not been in attendance for three semesters must also reapply. All documents and materials submitted to fulfill the application requirements for entry to a program at UNG become the property of the university and will not be returned. Materials are kept for one year for incomplete application files and three years for complete application files.

EDS Admission Requirements
The following documents must be received before admission:

Graduate Studies application.
Non-refundable application fee.
Official transcripts from an accredited institution (as defined under Accredited Institutions in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog) where a master’s degree in a teaching field was earned. Official international transcripts must have a foreign course-by-course credential evaluation by an independent evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE). Evaluations must include certification that the applicant has received a master’s degree from an accredited institution (as defined under Accredited Institutions in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog) and state a cumulative grade point average.
Recommendation from the principal which includes a brief description of leadership role/position.
Current Resume highlighting Leadership Experiences.
Three years of teaching experience. Not required of those with service certificates (Media Specialist, Counselor, etc).
Tier 1 Georgia Leadership Certification OR hold a valid GaPSC-issued Standard Professional L or PL certificate in Educational Leadership.
If applying for in-state tuition, proof of lawful presence in the United States.
Regular Admission
To qualify for regular admission, individuals must have:

Master’s degree in a teaching field from an accredited institution (as defined under Accredited Institutions in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog) with a grade point average of at least 3.25.
Tier 1 Georgia Leadership Certification or hold a valid GaPSC-issued Standard Professional L or PL certificate in Educational Leadership.
Three years of teaching experience. Not required of those with service certificates (Media Specialist, Counselor, etc).
Employment in a leadership position that requires Tier 1 certification or that the system designates as a leadership position (subject to change based on PSC rules).
Recommendation from the principal which includes a brief description of leadership role/position.
Current Resume highlighting Leadership Experiences.
A new cohort of approximately 20 students begins each fall. Cohort campus location alternates among Dahlonega, Gainesville, and Cumming.

Provisional Admission
Students who do not meet regular admission requirements for item number(s) 1 or 3 above may be granted provisional admission pending a successful admission appeal (see Appeal of Graduate Admission). Provisionally admitted students are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Non-Degree Admission
A student may not enroll in EDS courses as a non-degree-seeking student.

Transient Student Admission
A student may not enroll in EDS courses as a transient student.

Appeal of Graduate Admission
A candidate whose application is denied has the right to appeal the decision. An appeal must be made in written form and emailed as a pdf attachment to [email protected]. The letter should clearly state the grounds for appeal. A student whose appeal is accepted will be admitted as a provisional student and must complete at least six semester hours with no grade of C or lower to be considered for regular admission. Provisional students are not eligible for financial aid. Applicants may not appeal for regular admission status.

EDS Transfer Residency Requirement
To be awarded an Education Specialist in School Leadership degree, students must earn a minimum of 21 semester hours of graduate degree requirements in residence. The College of Education Graduate Office must approve all transfer credit. A maximum of six hours of transfer credit may be approved. Transfer credit will not be given for any course in which a grade of C or lower was earned.

EDS Academic Policies
Incomplete Grades
The EDS program adheres to the uniform grading system in the Academic Information section of the Graduate Catalog. Non-academic Incompletes must be finished by the beginning of the second semester after which the Incomplete was awarded. No degree will be conferred on a student who has an unresolved incomplete grade remaining on his/her transcript.

Academic Standing Policy
An EDS student whose academic performance is unsatisfactory will be subject to the following:

Probation – The student will be placed on probation for any of the following reasons:
The student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0.
The student earns any grade of C or lower.
No student may be a candidate for the degree while on probation due to a grade point average below 3.0. Probation will be removed when the student’s grade point average reaches 3.0 or higher. In cases where the student is placed on probation due to grade(s), probation will be removed when the course(s) is/are repeated and the grade is B or higher, and the overall grade point average is 3.0 or greater. Students who are on probation may not register until advised.

Suspension – The student will be placed on suspension for any of the following reasons:
The student earns two grades of C or lower.
The student has already served three consecutive semesters on academic probation.
No student may enroll in graduate courses at UNG while on suspension. Courses taken at another institution during the period of suspension will not be recognized for transfer credit. After serving a suspension period of three semesters, a student seeking to reapply must submit a new application to Graduate Studies and a letter written to the Dean of the College of Education presenting a rationale for readmission. A student will be readmitted only upon approval of the Dean of the College of Education and the College of Education Graduate Office.

Academic and Professional Integrity Policy
At the end of each semester, the program faculty or the College of Education Graduate Office may intervene to establish a plan of action for any student in the program whose competency is in question, for reasons including unprofessional, disruptive, or unethical behavior in the classroom or applied setting. The student and the program advisor should sign the plan with copies forwarded to the College of Education Graduate Office.

Academic Integrity
The University of North Georgia recognizes honesty and integrity as necessary to the university’s academic functioning. UNG graduate students are expected to uphold the university regulations addressed in the Student Code of Conduct, Article 3, Rule 2.

Professional Integrity
The Education Specialist program adheres to the university’s definition of professional integrity as described in the Academic Information sections of the Graduate Catalog.

EDS Degree Requirements
Graduation requirements for the Education Specialist in School Leadership degree include:

Completion of 18 designated semester hours of study with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher with no grade below a B.
Completion of 9 designated performance-based internship hours with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher with no grade below a B.
Completion of all degree-related course requirements, including any transfer credit, within a six-year period. The final demonstration of competence is the E-Portfolio which is comprised of the Performance Leader Development Growth Plans including site-based feedback on the Georgia Leadership Standards, internship field experiences, and Key Assessments across the coursework, modules, and seminars.
The final checklist to be eligible for the Tier2 Leadership Performance also includes demonstrated mastery of the leadership standards through course/module assignments, instructor and supervisor assessments, internship performances, and a passing score on the Georgia Leadership Examination (PASL) and Ethics Assessment Tests.
Program of Study
Summer Semester
EDL 8201 - Developing a Culture of High-Performance Learning Expectations
EDL 8202 - Analyzing the Context of High and Low Performing Schools
Fall Semester
EDL 8203 - Building Leadership Structures to Impact Student Learning and Effective Professional Development
EDL 8204 - Meeting the Standards: Looking at Teacher Assignments & Student Work in an Inclusive Setting
EDL 8301 - Performance-Based School/District Leadership
Spring Semester
EDL 8205 - Building a Productive and Safe School Environment
EDL 8302 - Performance-Based School/District Leadership
Summer Semester 2
EDL 8206 - Leading Change for School/Student Improvement
EDL 8303 - Performance-Based School/District Leadership
Required PSC Testing
GACE in School Leadership/ETS in Performance Assessment for School Leaders & Ethics Assessment for Leaders
Internship
The EDS in School Leadership is a four-semester program that requires a 12-month internship. Each semester candidates meet with both university and site-base supervisors to plan, monitor, and make program adjustments as needed to the year-long internship. A minimum of four conferences is outlined on the Internship Supervisor Acceptance form. The Leadership Portfolio requires a detailed induction/action plan that is aligned to the ELCC Six Standards. This plan is designed during the first semester of the Internship and must be completed and approved by the Leader Support Team and University Supervisor before beginning any experiences.

Both the university and site supervisor are required to review the Leadership Performance Portfolio and provide feedback. Portfolio assessment occurs each semester and reported formally to the university. Each sited supervisor is required to sign an agreement outlining the internship requirements and support needed to the candidate. Each candidate and site supervisor develops a schedule to project planned meetings, coaching sessions, and conferences. Each semester the site supervisor provides feedback on performance. At the end of the spring semester, each candidate prepares a 30-45 minute oral review/audit of work completed in each of the six standards and any leadership experiences that have been added to the internship. This presentation is reviewed by the Leader Support Team.

The exit portfolio is completed during the last semester of internship and submitted for final review to the Leader Support Team and University Supervisor.

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You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.

You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.

How to book:

• Make a booking online after you have been accepted (in this case please let us know your choice when you apply).
• Register when you arrive - its not possible to reserve a room before arriving. You can arrive a few days before and book it

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