The International Schools Review Forum

So it has come up twice on this forum that specialist degrees are not recognized outside of the US. Is this right?

My husband was considering getting his Ed. S. (in administration) instead of a doctorate mainly because it would be 20 grand less and yet it would hopefully make him more competitive in our search for jobs overseas. However, if they're not really recognized then it seems it'd be kind of pointless.
What do you say, should he splurge on the doctorate or is a specialist OK?

Thanks for any input!

A degree isnt a doctorate unless it has the word "Doctorate" in its name. Outside the USA, an Ed.S. is considered a masters level degree, and thats after convincing and explaining that a lot (if at all). The issue isnt the K-12 schools, its the universities, which ultimately decide what degrees are acceptable and comparable to local degrees (its part of the Bologna process). Basically, the process stipulates that if a degree title is not granted by the host university then the next question is: 1) Is the degree an advance degree? If yes, is the degree a doctorate? If No then the degree is a Masters level degree.

Unless your staying in the USA, and Ed.S. would be an expensive (both financially and in effort) Masters level degree. I wouldnt do it.