Admission Requirements

Students must apply for and gain entrance to the University of Arkansas Graduate School before being considered for admission to the Education Specialist program in Curriculum and Instruction. The criterion for admission to the Graduate School includes an earned master's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or better on a 4.0 scale.

Admission Criteria

The Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction will use a variety of inputs to determine the qualifications of applicants including:

  1. Prior undergraduate and graduate work
  2. Curriculum vita that includes related experiences
  3. Writing sample from prior educational or work setting
  4. Statement of purpose that addresses the fit between the applicant’s educational needs and the program’s learning outcomes
  5. Two letters of recommendation that address the applicant’s potential for graduate study

The GRE exam will be required for applicants with an G.P.A. below 3.5 in their prior graduate work.

After admission to the Graduate School, the application is reviewed by the Curriculum and Instruction Ed.S. Admissions Committee for admission into the CIED Ed.S. Program. Admission is based on the profile of applicant educational background and career objectives.

Departmental Application

In addition to the materials required for the Graduate School online application, all applicants for the Ed.S. program in CIED will need to upload each of the following to their application:

  1. Resume or CV: Please provide a current resume or curriculum vitae including details of you as a professional and a scholar.
  1. Writing sample: Upload an original writing sample (fewer than 20 pages, please) that illustrates your ability to communicate in a clear and creative fashion. This might be a paper that you have written for a recent class, a position paper, an action plan that you may have written for your employer or a published work. The purpose of this is to give us an idea of your communication skills and who you are as a communicator. Keep in mind that quality, not quantity, is the key. Please respect the length requirement; you may need to edit something you have already written.
  2. Statement of purpose: Tell us about yourself by providing a brief personal narrative account linked to a statement of purpose regarding your future career plans. Are you interested in curriculum leadership? Special Education leadership? In other words, tell us why you why want to earn an Ed.S.