ssm undergraduate majors
SSM undergraduate professional majors include Biblical Languages, Family and Church Education, Pastoral Ministries, and Youth Ministry, Family, and Culture. All undergraduate students earn a major in Bible as well as a professional ministry major. Students who have taken at least 30 semester hours of Bible, Theology and Church History as part of their undergraduate studies qualify for a shortened program of studies at the graduate level (Program 2). They may pursue advanced standing with credit for up to one-sixth of any degree (except the Program 2 Master of Arts [Theological Studies]), thereby further short- ening the length of time needed to complete their studies. Students who earn their undergraduate degree from CIU have the opportunity to earn the B.A. and the M.A. in five years (4 +1) or the B.A. and the M.Div. in six years (4 + 2).
college of arts & sciences
CIU’s College of Arts & Sciences offers collegiate programs leading to a one-year Bible certificate, two-year Associate of Arts degree and four-year bachelor’s degrees. All bachelor’s degree pro- grams feature a Bible major with a professional major and/or minor. This college provides the core curriculum for all undergraduate students in Bible, general education and the leadership core. Professional majors and minors include Applied English, Business & Organizational Leadership,
Bible Teaching, Biblical Languages, Family and Church Education, Intercultural Studies, Pastoral Ministries, Teacher Education (via an M.A.T. pro- gram), Teaching English as a Foreign Language (minor only), and Youth Ministry, Family, and Culture. The College of Arts & Sciences is large enough to offer a complete range of academic studies and extracurricular activities, yet small enough for a family atmosphere. An exceptional faculty ministers to motivated students in an atmosphere of discipline, dedication and joy. college of counseling
The College of Counseling (COC) has designed the M.A. in Counseling program to facilitate the growth of Christian students into well-qualified, healthy, clinical mental health counselors. The training model focuses on the heart (personal and spiritual development), the head (research and professional knowledge) and the hands (effective interpersonal and clinical skills).
Graduates of the COC are awarded the M.A. degree in Counseling and are eligible to apply for national certification through the National Board for Certified Counselors as well as South Carolina State Licensed Professional Counselor Intern (LPC/I) certification. Within this graduate degree program students can focus on individual, group, marriage and family counseling. Students are prepared to work with clients facing a broad range of mental, emotional, relational and spiritual challenges. As clinical mental health counselors, graduates are biblically informed and profession- ally knowledgeable in the conceptualization and practice of diagnosis, treatment, referral and pre- vention. Graduates of this program work in set- tings such as: private practice, community-based mental health centers, hospitals and other treat- ment facilities, as well as in church and missions related ministries.
The COC also offers a Postgraduate Certificate in Marriage and Family Counseling. A separate application process is required to be accepted into this program. This advanced training and
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college of education
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 both early childhood and elementary classrooms with a five-year, two-degree program including an undergraduate Bible major and grad- uate M.A. in Teaching (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 degree.
Additionally at the master’s level, the COE pro- vides training of K-12 Bible teachers (M.A. in Bible Teaching), TESOL teachers (M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and the equipping of practicing teachers and administrators for Christian school leadership positions through advanced graduate studies (Master of Education-M.Ed.) with tracks in Curriculum & Instruction and Educational Administration. At the doctoral level (Doctor of Education-Ed.D.) four concentrations are available in Christian School Leadership, Curricular and Instructional Leadership, Christian Higher Education Leadership and Leadership in International Theological Education.
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 bib- lically about the nature of students, instructional strategies and curricular content (knowledge, skills and dispositions). Upon graduation, ele- mentary and early childhood teachers (M.A.T.) receive certification through the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and South Carolina Department of Education and are thus qualified as classroom teachers within Christian and public schools both in the United States and in International Schools around the world. Bible Teachers (M.A. in Bible Teaching) and ESOL teachers (M.A. in TESOL) receive ACSI K-12 certi- fication. Their preparation includes training that equips them to think in culturally responsive ways within classrooms that are increasingly diverse. It is the vision of the College of Education that we not only prepare highly qualified classroom teach-
ers but also instructional leaders and administra- tors (M.Ed. and Ed.D.) who reflect the educational philosophy and values of CIU and receive appro- priate ACSI certification. Currently more than 100 graduate students are working to become
Christian school principals and headmasters, cur- riculum supervisors and administrators in
Christian higher education or international theo- logical institutions. These students, drawn to CIU through the reputation of our faculty and gradu- ates, currently come to study at CIU not only from schools across the United States, but from
Australia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Indonesia, Korea, Bolivia, China, Taiwan, Mexico, the
Dominican Republic and The Philippines. There is no question that the College of Education reflects CIU’s middle name: International.
Regardless of where our students are, beginning college freshmen or completing their doctoral degrees, COE students believe that they can and will impact the kingdom through education. The College of Education strives to equip them to be discerning and wise educators whose lives will exemplify the thinking and dispositions of a Christian educator.
college of intercultural studies (cics)
The CICS faculty and staff members are Dr. Mike Barnett, Dr. Dave Cashin, Dr. Lindsay Hislop, Dr. Warren Larson, Joe LeTexier, Dr. Chris Little, Trevor Castor, Carol Larson and Danise Stokeld. They have over 130 years of combined cross-cul- tural ministry and work experience from around the globe. Their experience adds a fresh, practical perspective to the rich theoretical texts of our courses. Students also benefit from a vast matrix of strategic relationships with international com- panies and organizations across the globe. The mission of the CICS faculty and staff is to equip students for effective life and work in a culturally diverse world.
CICS also offers the Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (M.A.TEFL) degree. The M.A. TEFL prepares professional teachers of English as a foreign language with the knowledge and skills needed to teach in an effec- tive, culturally sensitive way and to prepare gradu- ates to take up leadership roles in the field of
teaching English to speakers of other languages. The program specifically prepares graduates to teach English in both non-English and English- speaking cultures. Bible co-requisites are given in the Graduate Academic Catalog.
Ben Lippen school
Ben Lippen, a Scottish phrase meaning “Mountain of Trust,” is an evangelical Christian school for grades PreK-12, founded in 1940 by Robert C. McQuilkin, first president of Columbia International University. Ben Lippen School con- tinues to strive toward McQuilkin’s goal of teach- ing young people that there is “life in abundance” (John 10:10) for those who follow Jesus Christ as Lord. The school is college preparatory, coeduca- tional and receives both resident and day stu- dents.
The Ben Lippen School family consists of stu- dents from a wide range of cultures and back- grounds. As many as 30 foreign countries and 25 states have been represented in a single year. Some students come from homes of missionaries, pastors and other full-time Christian workers. Others come from families representing all areas of professional and educational careers. This “melting pot” of young men and women offers an educational experience in itself.
The proximity of Ben Lippen School to Columbia International University provides an opportunity for convenient Christian schooling for children of CIU students.