WKU News

A new Specialist Degree in Gifted Education and Talent Development will expand upon the graduate school offerings in gifted education at WKU.

The specialist degree recently approved by the Council on Postsecondary Education adds to WKU’s MAE in Gifted Education and Talent Development offered since 2015 and the gifted endorsement offered since 1983.

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Dean Sam Evans is pleased that the new degree will further WKU’s prominence in the field of gifted education while making an impact throughout Kentucky and beyond.

“As a national leader in providing educational opportunities for professionals in the field of gifted education, we are pleased to offer the Ed.S. in Gifted Education and Talent Development,” Dr. Evans said. “This advanced degree will build the capacity of educational leaders to enhance instructional practices, influence policy and improve education for gifted students.”

The research-focused specialist degree will prepare students for a variety of careers in higher education, government policy work or other organizations.

WKU offers 24 graduate hours in gifted education taught by nationally and internationally recognized graduate faculty with specialties in gifted education and talent development. The faculty includes Dr. Julia Link Roberts (pictured above), the Mahurin Professor of Gifted Studies, Dr. Antonia Szymanski and Dr. Janet Tassell.

The new degree ultimately means an increase in the quality and quantity of services educators are able to offer to gifted young people, Dr. Roberts said.

“WKU is the only university in Kentucky to offer a Master’s Degree or a Specialist Degree in Gifted Education and Talent Development,” Dr. Roberts said. “Graduate work in gifted education prepares educators to plan and implement curriculum and services for children and young people with gifts and talents.”

A distinguished professor at WKU, Dr. Roberts is president-elect of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, past-president of The Association for the Gifted (a division of the Council for Exceptional Children), a member of the board of the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education, and a governor-appointed member of the Kentucky Advisory Council on Gifted and Talented Education.

WKU is also home to The Center for Gifted Studies, The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education and the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. The Center for Gifted Studies is celebrating 35 years of providing opportunities for gifted students, their parents and educators while The Gatton Academy is preparing to celebrate its 10^th anniversary as a residential high school for gifted juniors and seniors.

Contact: Sam Oldenburg, (270) 745-3014 or samual.oldenburg@wku.edu