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2012-2013 Graduate Programs Academic Catalog
Overview
The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) program is
designed to meet your professional development
needs as a Christian educational leader. Birthed
from CIU’s long-standing commitment to
Christian school and Christian higher education,
the Education Specialist program aims to develop
you to lead, model, think, communicate and
research with biblical excellence. In short, you will
grow in your ability to enhance God’s kingdom
work in Christian educational institutions and to
represent Christian education perspectives in the
broader society. Students are admitted in cohort
groups which meet each summer. Ed.S. gradu-
ates complete a concentration in Educational
Leadership.
Objectives
• Candidates will understand biblical perspec-
tives, foundational theories, research findings,
cultural/sociological dynamics and alternative
models for educating diverse learners in con-
temporary Christian educational institutions,
and they will analyze, synthesize and evaluate
these elements so as to enhance Christian
education.
• Candidates will understand biblical perspec-
tives, theoretical approaches, research find-
ings and alternative models of effective
leadership and functioning of organizations,
groups and individuals within organizations;
and they will analyze, synthesize and evaluate
these elements so as to enhance their under-
standing of quality Christian education leader-
ship.
• Candidates will understand the components
and process of quantitative and qualitative
research which produce new theory, knowl-
edge of effective practices, and solutions to
educational questions/problems within an edu-
cational institution.
The applicant is likely, through CIU’s Education
Specialist program, to enhance personal calling
and ministry and to contribute to the quality of
Christian education through leadership, research,
presentation and publication.
Admission Requirements
Students must fulfill specific admission and expe-
rience criteria (see Ed.S. Admissions for detailed
information).
Transfer Credit and Residency
A maximum of 15 credit hours of appropriate
graduate coursework in education may be
applied toward the Education Specialist program,
as determined by the program director. Transfer
credit must be from an accredited institution with
a grade of B- or higher. The total credits applied
to the student’s master’s degree and CIU Ed.S.
program, combined, must total no less than 66
semester hours.
Not more than 49 percent of the Education
Specialist degree may be earned at the Korntal
campus; not more than 49 percent of the degree
may be earned online.
The following courses must be taken at the post-
graduate level (EDU 9xxx) at CIU (Columbia or
Korntal) and cannot be completed by transfer.
Substitutions may be permitted with advisor
approval, if the equivalent graduate-level course
has been completed at CIU:
EDU 9019 Seminar in Core Values
EDU 9300 Biblical Foundations for Curriculum
and Pedagogy*
EDU 9310 Curriculum Theory and Design
EDU 9510 Biblical Leadership
EDU 9515 Leadership and Organizational
Behavior
* EDU 9209 Theological and Pedagogical Foundations for
Theological Education may be substituted for EDU 9300.
EDUCATION SPECIALIST