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From the Desk of the Dean…
The College of Education (COE) equips Christian
educators to think, teach, and lead biblically in
educational settings throughout the world. This mission
encompasses the preparation of teachers to enter early
childhood and elementary classrooms with a five-year,
two-degree program including: an undergraduate
double major in Bible and Teacher Education and a
graduate master’s degree (B.A./B.S. and M.A.T.) or a stand-alone M.A. in Teaching
(M.A.T.) for those already completing a bachelor’s degree.
Additionally, at the master’s level, the COE provides training of K-12
th
grade Bible
teachers (M.A. in Bible Teac
hing)and the equipping of practicing teachers and
administrators for Christian s
choolleadership positions through advanced graduate
studies (Master of Education
(M.Ed.), with tracks in Curriculum and Instruction and
Educational Administration, a
nd Education Specialist (Ed.S.)).
At the doctoral level (Doct
or ofEducation (Ed.D.)), three concentrations are
available: Christian Higher Education Leadership, Christian School Leadership, and
Curricular and Instructional Leadership.
In order to fulfill the mission of the College of Education, the courses of study are
based upon a philosophy of education that approaches both the means and the ends
of education by thinking biblically about the nature of students, instructional
strategies, and curricular content (knowledge, skills, and dispositions). Preparation
includes training that equips students to think in culturally responsive ways within
classrooms that are increasingly diverse.
Currently more than 100 graduate students are working during summers to become
or to enhance their positions as K-12
th
grade Christian school principals and
headmasters, curriculum supervisors, and administrators in Christian higher
education. These students, drawn to Columbia International University through the
reputation of our faculty and graduates, currently come to study not only from
schools across the United States, but also from Australia, Ethiopia, Mozambique,
Indonesia, Korea, Bolivia, China, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the
Philippines. There is no question that the COE reflects CIU’s middle name –
International.
Regardless of where our students are – beginning as college freshmen or completing
their doctoral degrees – COE students believe they can and will impact the Kingdom
through education. The COE strives to equip students to be discerning and wise
educators whose lives exemplify the thinking and dispositions of a Christian
educator as they create effective learning communities.
In Christ,
Connie Mitchell, Ed.D.
Dean of the College of Education
66 | Columbia International University
College of Education