AoC (Area of Concentration)
The Area of Concentration (or AoC) in the School Improvement program provides a specialized, thematic concentration to the student's studies. Made up of 12 credit hours of electives and the student's dissertation, the AoC comprises a student's focus within the program. Specific AoC's are developed in conjunction with various departments within the College of Education at the University of West Georgia. Currently, the available AoC's include:
- School Counseling
- Educational Leadership
- K-12 Online Learning
- Instructional Technology
- Reading
- Media Specialist
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL's)
- Special Education (General Curriculum)
Additional Areas of Concentration may be developed. Please check this page often.
Another option available to students is to develop a customized AoC. At a minimum, an individualized AoC must meet the following criteria:
- It must have a thematic, cohesive foundation.
- It must consist of a minimum of 12 semester hours of credit.
- The coursework must be post-Masters level.
- It must be approved by the Director of the Ed.D. Program in School Improvement.
- It must have been completed within ten years of the date of admission to the Ed.D. degree program.
- A grade of B or higher must have been earned in the coursework.
A customized AoC does not have to be taken only at our University. If you want a specialized, unique Area of Concentration, you can "assemble" one from another institution (either online or face-to-face), provided it meets the minimum criteria listed above AND that the hours were completed at an accredited institution. These hours could then be transferred into the program.
Please note that any customized AoC must be pre-approved by the Program Director. Please contact the Director with any questions about this policy.