Ed.S. degree for business purposes

This reminds me, tangentially, of our previous discussions here and the sister board about the 'small doctorates' from Czechia and Slovakia. Someone suggested that they are almost akin to the EdS, as they are a step between the Master's and a PhD. (We'll put aside the fact that the EdS is predominantly classwork while 'small doctorates' are all thesis writing.)

Even if a fully 'legitimate' and government-recognized degree in their respective countries of origin, I fear that hiring managers, HR teams, and other associated personnel in our countries wouldn't necessarily know what do with a PhDr. Similarly, as others have already said above, the EdS will likely result in the same confusion outside of the field of education, especially outside of North America (where the EdS seems to be most commonly awarded).

 

I agree that an EdS would likely cause confusion for the general public, but to be honest, HR doesn't understand a lot of things. LOL. Sometimes, you have to be specific in a cover letter or reach out to HR after a rejection of your application to explain common titles, certifications, and majors within the field you're applying for.

HR needs to do better, though, especially when they're employed in specific industries. I expect the average person to not be aware of somewhat niche qualifications, but HR should know this stuff. If an HR specialist is in a large corporation that hires financial analysts, then they probably also hire corporate training specialists and curriculum and instructional designers. They might also be overseeing a tuition assistance or reimbursement program. Why shouldn't they be expected to know what a common education credential is?

 

I wrote an entire doctoral dissertation that agrees with this.

Credential recognition, verification, etc. isn't even among their competencies for their certifications. (I'm an SPHR and became one when that was SHRM's senior credential.)

 

An Ed.S. is a degree because the accredited institutions that award it refer to it as a degree, and it is recognized as a post graduate degree in the broader field of education with a range of specialties and applications. Regardless of what any of us think - it exists and it is recognized and utilized in the world as a degree.
Whether or not the credential has any utility to a specific person, is always up for debate, but it seems a bit ludicrous to assert that it isn't a "real" degree. As for my own use, an Ed.S. might have utility. I have an MS in Instructional Design, and I design instructional media for adult learners. Any credential I work toward at this stage in my life and career is a "bonus" credential in my opinion, and would really only be reenforcing my value with regard to leadership positions. I'm looking at M.Ed. , MBA, M.A., and Ed. S credentials and evaluating cost/time/value and personal fulfillment goals. An Ed.S. in Leadership is an advanced degree in Education, which falls into the broader description of the focus of my work (training, development, etc.) and courses in Leadership like the ones in this particular program are certainly applicable to the corporate environment and my later career goals of moving back into consultant/freelance work. As others have noted, my MS might have more "value" than the Ed.S. in that regard anyway, but a wholesale disregard for the potential value of a degree program like this is unwarranted, in my opinion of course. ;-) Also, I want to point out again that this is a rather unique offering in that this Ed.S. is NOT focused solely on professional educators, it is a general program that is applicable to business and corporate environments, which is something rather rare.

 

It's not as ludicrous as you may think. Consider the fact that the National Center for Education Statistics (a fairly authoritative source for classification of credentials in the U.S.) provides the following definition of this credential (EdS) in its current glossary. Notice how the word degree is absent from the definition.

"Education specialist/professional diploma A certificate of advanced graduate studies that further educators in their instructional and leadership skills beyond a master’s degree level of competence." (Link: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/glossary). It looks like there is a mistake here with the "further educators" part though. In their older material, NCES talks about "Education specialist degrees or certificates", but it does not seem to refer to them in this manner (as degrees) in the recent material.

Also, notice how the U.S. doctor's degree (or Master's) category leaves little space for the EdS as a degree. A Post-Master's certificate seems more plausible. I've also recently asked NCES staff about the DMin and they told me that it is usually classified as Doctor's degree - professional practice by the issuing institution. But are you arguing that EdS fits into any of these categories below?

Doctor’s degree (also referred to as doctoral degree) The highest award a student can earn for graduate study. Includes such degrees as the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.); the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.); the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.); and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in any field, such as agronomy, food technology, education, engineering, public administration, ophthalmology, or radiology. The doctor’s degree classification encompasses three main subcategories—research/scholarship degrees, professional practice degrees, and other degrees—which are described below.

Doctor’s degree—research/scholarship A Ph.D. or other doctor’s degree that requires advanced work beyond the master’s level, including the preparation and defense of a dissertation based on original research, or the planning and execution of an original project demonstrating substantial artistic or scholarly achievement. Examples of this type of degree may include the following and others, as designated by the awarding institution: the Ed.D. (in education), D.M.A. (in musical arts), D.B.A. (in business administration), D.Sc. (in science), D.A. (in arts), or D.M (in medicine).

Doctor’s degree—professional practice A doctor’s degree that is conferred upon completion of a program providing the knowledge and skills for the recognition, credential, or license required for professional practice. The degree is typically awarded after a period of study such that the total time to the degree, including both preprofessional and professional preparation, equals at least 6 full-time-equivalent academic years. Some doctor’s degrees of this type were formerly classified as first-professional degrees. Examples of this type of degree may include the following and others, as designated by the awarding institution: the D.C. or D.C.M. (in chiropractic); D.D.S. or D.M.D. (in dentistry); L.L.B. or J.D. (in law); M.D. (in medicine); O.D. (in optometry); D.O. (in osteopathic medicine); Pharm.D. (in pharmacy); D.P.M., Pod.D., or D.P. (in podiatry); or D.V.M. (in veterinary medicine).

Doctor’s degree—other A doctor’s degree that does not meet the definition of either a research/scholarship doctor’s degree or a professional practice doctor’s degree.

 

Master’s degree A degree awarded for successful completion of a program generally requiring 1 or 2 years of full-time college-level study beyond the bachelor’s degree. One type of master’s degree, including the Master of Arts degree, or M.A., and the Master of Science degree, or M.S., is awarded in the liberal arts and sciences for advanced scholarship in a subject field or discipline and demonstrated ability to perform scholarly research. A second type of master’s degree is awarded for the completion of a professionally oriented program, for example, an M.Ed. in education, an M.B.A. in business administration, an M.F.A. in fine arts, an M.M. in music, an M.S.W. in social work, and an M.P.A. in public administration. Some master’s degrees—such as divinity degrees (M.Div. or M.H.L./Rav), which were formerly classified as “first-professional”—may require more than 2 years of full-time study beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Where is the space for the EdS in terms of degrees?

 

NCES categorizes the Ed.S as a specialist or intermediate degree. Just about every school that offers an Ed.S calls it a degree. University of Bridgeport calls it a postgraduate degree.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://nces.ed.gov/pubs79/79409.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjRwrqz2N2EAxXzwskDHUzMB4kQFnoECBIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0sdtx4lFCt-DjpnLEJSiQB

 

Did you look at the year in which this was published?

 

Many things have changed at NCES since that time.

 

Also, a degree could be a loose (non-official) category in which case the university classification is meaningless. Global evaluators look at official classification, not how each university defines it.

 

NCES has multiple publications and webpages that call the Ed.S a degree. Below is from their 2005 glossary. Are you suggesting that time has made the Ed.S not a degree? A 2022 publication from the New Jersey government also refers to the Ed.S as a specialist degree.

"Education specialist degree: A post-master’s
degree that focuses on the study of applied instruction, administration, counseling, and curriculum development. Some Ed.S. degrees offer specialization in areas such as early childhood education, health and physical education, educational leadership, and special education."

This NCES page discussing the 2020-2021 school year mentions the specialist degree or certificate. So, NCES still recognizes "specialist degree" as a category.

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=58

 

The referenced page only states this: Education specialist degrees or certificates (So this is not giving us any type of classification, just naming) are generally awarded for 1 year’s work beyond the master’s level. Includes certificate of advanced graduate studies.
Where is the proof that it is CURRENTLY classified as an intermediate degree in the U.S.? Where does NCES state that in their current documents?

 

Texas government referring to the specialist degree in 2023.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/reports/data/glossary-of-data-terms/&ved=2ahUKEwjX69jH292EAxUOGtAFHZo-C4g4ChAWegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw0d3AKdD4Jce8i6L1gSMMoX

The U.S. Department of Education has a code for the specialist degree.

https://ceds.ed.gov/element/000343


https://ceds.ed.gov/element/000141

State governments have codes for the specialist degree. I'm not going to link to all 50, though.

 

https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/report-your-data/data-tip-sheet-reporting-graduate-awards

How would you report the EdS based on this sheet of ALL U.S. graduate award categories based on the post-2010 classification, which eliminated first-professional degrees? I would report it as aa Post-Master's certificate? And you?

 

I am saying that you can still find references to specialist degrees, or even EdS being referred to as "degrees or certificates" in the U.S. (I agree with you), but in terms of official classification, the door to their recognition as degrees appears to have been shut by NCES. There is no separate intermediate (between Master's and Doctor's) degree category. They should be reported as post-Master's certificates now. And the university degree label means nothing in the grand scheme of things (this reference may have as much value as the "high school degree" label). International evaluators are concerned with U.S. classification, not how frequently the word 'degree' appears beside the EdS.

 

Based on IPEDS and guidance given to various states and universities, the post-master’s certificate award level includes degrees and certificates that are beyond the master's degree but do not meet the definition of a doctoral degree.

Interestingly, IPEDS states that the L.L.B. is considered a doctorate. I have a hard time believing that other countries would follow that guidance, but I could be wrong.

 

If you're in the U.S., it does not matter what the CIP code is. The federal government, itself, does not consider the LLB to be a doctorate for employment purposes. The LLB is considered a master's degree, and EDS will check the box for three years toward a doctorate. The LLM is considered the equivalent of a doctorate. The IPEDS award levels are irrelevant. If you need to check the graduate degree box for a license in education, the Ed.S will check the box. Once again, the IPEDS award level is irrelevant. Is it considered a degree in the real world? Yes.

 

It is certainly relevant to evaluators. I am not disputing its value in the U.S., but it is still a Post-Master's Certificate award, regardless of whether it is called a degree or certificate by universities. And that's how it should be treated. As for the real world, if you are speaking about the United States or the profession of education in that country, you are right. But where else is it recognized? Can you name any other country?

 

A couple of other countries have specialist degrees. As for the countries that don't have specialist degrees, they often have diplomas and other types of credentials that don't have direct equivalents in the U.S. or Canada.