The Department of Educational Leadership empowers individuals to challenge the future by preparing professionals for leadership based on research of best practices, helping individuals to see a better future, developing a future focused role for leaders, preparing leaders to invent their future and the future of others, influencing individuals to realize what could be, preparing people for an uncertain world, preparing leaders to realize a better future, and applying theory to practice. The Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in Educational Leadership is a post master's degree designed to prepare individuals for senior leadership positions. The degree requires a minimum of 30 hours of coursework (excluding Comprehensive Exam and Professional Paper credits) beyond the master's degree, taken from 500 and 600 level EDLD courses. Upon completion of coursework, or in the final semester of coursework, Ed.S. candidates are required to complete the Comprehensive Exam (EDLD 594). The Comprehensive Exam will consist of 4 take-home questions, which the student must answer in essay format with a maximum of 4 double spaced pages with size 12 font per question. Completed Comprehensive Exams must be returned to the department office one week prior to the end of the semester. Per Graduate School policy D3.400, one retake of the Comprehensive Exam is permitted.