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A teacher prepares to read to students: Pursue an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership – Special Education degree at Regent University.

Ed.S. in Educational Leadership – Special Education

Lead the Charge to Improve Special Education

Are you a special education teacher seeking leadership positions in special education research, practice and policy? Regent’s Education Specialist in Educational Leadership – Special Education provides career development for special education teachers for leadership positions in special education research, practice and policy to best serve children, youth and adults with high-incidence disabilities. You’ll gain advanced knowledge in areas such as learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disturbance, and mental retardation, and be better equipped to improve learning outcomes for those who need it most.

Online
31
June 19, 2023
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INCREASE YOUR EARNING POTENTIAL

Capitalize on a higher salary with your Ed.S. degree.

EXPAND YOUR CAREER PATH

Take your career to the next level with exciting leadership opportunities.

MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE

Become a champion in special education while making a big impact on the lives of students.

ALIGN YOURSELF WITH EXCELLENCE

Regent has been ranked among Top National Universities by the U.S. News & World Report for four years (2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023). Our programs have also been ranked among the Top 10 Best Online Graduate Education Programs in Virginia for 11 years in a row (2013-2023). Experience the Regent difference through the Ed.S. in Educational Leadership – Special Education program.

Presented from a Christian worldview, this specialty degree is supported by award-winning faculty in Virginia Beach.

Please complete the Request Information form on this page to learn more about this program.

On completing this Ed.S. concentration, the graduate can:

  • Interpret data so that you can draw sound conclusions and understand ramifications.
  • Develop empirical, research-based interventions and develop tools to deter empirically unsupported yet perennially popular interventions.
  • Understand the history of special education as well as current issues and best practices.

Career Opportunities

  • Education Researcher
  • Education Policy Maker
  • Education Advocate/Consultant
  • Central Office Executive Leader
  • Higher Education Administrator
  • Teacher/Professor
$97Thousand
Mean annual wage for education administrators, postsecondary U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021
Advanced study of empirically based interventions for children with mild disabilities for academic, emotional, and social deficits. Emphasis on current best practices and practices often used but empirically unsupported as well as legal and ethical issues surrounding intervention implementation.
An advanced historical survey of the origins of special education. Focus on historical figures in special education, their theories of and interventions with people with disabilities; on the evolution of the social construction of disability; on broad legal and ethical issues related to people with disabilities; and on some current issues facing the field.
Advanced study of special education high-incidence disability categories: Learning Disabilities, Emotional and Behavioral Disturbance, and Intellectual Disabilities. Focus on the historical development of identification, including distinguishing characteristics and definitions, as well as empirically based interventions that address characteristic issues of each group.
Advanced study of empirically unsupported yet perennially popular interventions for children with disabilities.
Advanced review of international special education; UN Charter, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to the Salamanca Statement and the Rights of Persons with Disability, and attention to special education in the developing world.
Advanced study of the modern origins of bioethics and its relation to persons with disabilities with particular attention to genetic fetal anomalies, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

2022-23 Semester Check-In Deadlines

All new students are expected to check-in for the semester two weeks before the session start date. Students should apply, be accepted, enroll in their first courses, and confirm a plan to pay for their courses prior to this date.

SessionSemester Check-InSession Start Date
Session AFriday, August 12Monday, August 22
Session MFriday, September 9Monday, September 19
Session BFriday, October 14Monday, October 24
Session CWednesday, January 4Monday, January 9
Session TFriday, January 27Monday, February 6
Session DFriday, March 3Monday, March 13
Session EFriday, April 28Monday, May 8
Session FFriday, June 9Monday, June 19

Admissions Requirements

Step 1: Apply to Regent University

Step 2: Submit Your Unofficial College Transcripts

  • Email your unofficial college transcripts to apply@regent.edu using the subject line: Unofficial Transcripts.
  • Upon conditional acceptance, Regent University will attempt to obtain your official transcripts from your U.S. degree-granting institution.
  • International transcripts must be evaluated by an NACES-approved company.

Step 3: Submit Your Government-Issued ID

  • Email a photo of your government-issued ID to apply@regent.edu using the subject line: Government ID.
  • Please note that all items submitted as part of the application process become the property of Regent University and cannot be returned.

Part-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Career Switcher$2506$1,500
Master of Education (M.Ed.)$5656$3,390
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.)$8006$4,800
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)$8003$2,400
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)$8003$2,400

Full-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Career Switcher$2509$2,250
Master of Education (M.Ed.)$5659$5,085
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.)$8009$7,200
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)$8006$4,800
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)$8006$4,800

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (On-Campus Students)$850
University Services Fee (Online Students)$700

PART-TIME STUDENTS

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Career Switcher$2506$1,500
Master of Education (M.Ed.)$5656$3,390
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.)$8006$4,800
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)$8003$2,400
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)$8003$2,400

Full-Time Students

DegreeTuition Cost Per Credit HourAverage Credit Hours Per SemesterAverage Tuition Per Semester
Career Switcher$2509$2,250
Master of Education (M.Ed.)$5659$5,085
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.)$8009$7,200
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)$8006$4,800
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)$8006$4,800

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (On-Campus Students)$800 (Fall & Spring)
$650 (Summer)
University Services Fee (Online Students)$650

*Rates are subject to change at any time.

Estimated Cost of Attendance: View the estimated cost of attendance to see an example of the total cost of tuition and fees.

“Regent University taught me how to be a servant leader when it comes to reaching children. I've learned to not just teach students, but to serve them according to what they need.”

Anthony Swann, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, 2014 5th Grade Teacher, Rocky Mount Elementary

“I looked at other institutions, but I understood the importance of a Christ-centered focus, and I wanted that to be a part of my graduate experience.”

Cheryl C. Askew, Ed.D., 2012 Principal, Landstown High School

“Regent has played an instrumental role in equipping thousands of graduates. We have the power to use the knowledge gained and the credentials earned to serve, to advocate for, and ultimately to bring change and hope to the hurting world around us.”

Cindi Spaulding, Ph.D., 2009 Teacher

“I was eager to fulfill a lifelong dream and make a career change to education. Regent's Career Switcher program allowed me to complete most of the training while still on active duty. I was hired immediately upon my retirement from the Air Force.”

Joe Sexton, M.Ed., 2012 Career Switcher

“Just four years after receiving my degree from Regent, I had the honor of being named one of the nation's top educators. My Regent professors honed my focus on leadership, quality and innovation in education, which I use in my classroom every day.”

Lakeshia Ames, M. Ed., 2008 Educational Leadership