
Educational Studies
Bachelor of Science
Our program offers three great concentrations that will prepare you for your career.
Overview
Are you passionate about teaching and helping people—but in settings other than a traditional classroom? Our educational studies program lets you explore the education field and gives you flexibility as you choose a career.
Through the educational studies program, you’ll gain a solid foundation in educational theories—and then you’ll learn how to apply them to real life. As the capstone to your program, you’ll complete a service learning project where you’ll work to come up with solutions to issues in your community.
There are four parts to the educational studies program: the BJU Core, foundational education courses, the concentration you choose and general electives. That means that your experience can be as broad or as focused as you want!
Program
In addition to the foundational courses in education that you’ll take, you’ll also choose a concentration, depending on your interests and career goals.
Social Services
Through this concentration, you’ll gain a broad overview of the impact of education, health care, criminal justice and social services on society. If you want to obtain licensure in social services/social work, you’ll have the foundation you need for graduate work in the field.
Community Arts
If you’re passionate about the arts and want to share that passion with others, this concentration is a great fit. You’ll study how valuable the arts are from a Christian worldview, and how arts integration helps students learn better and achieve more. Finally, you’ll design and deliver arts-based learning experiences both in the classroom and in the community.
Global Education
With this concentration, you’ll study everything from linguistics to ESOL teaching methods to cross-cultural issues. You’ll be prepared to teach English to non-native speakers in the United States or abroad, primarily in a ministry setting.
Teaching and Learning
With this concentration, you’ll gain an understanding of the theories of teaching and learning and the assessment of learning. You’ll be prepared to work in an educational setting with other educators specializing in education principles, theories and practices.
BJU Core
You’ll also benefit from the BJU Core, a unique combination of Bible and liberal arts courses taken by every BJU student. Bible courses, as well as daily chapel services and godly professors, will nurture your growth in Christlikeness. The liberal arts courses, ranging from economics to speech to science, give you an amazing glimpse of the world God created—and help you connect with people you meet in different fields. You’ll also develop skills that employers look for, like critical thinking, problem solving and clear communication.
Electives
The educational studies program includes 30 credits of general electives. You’ll enjoy the opportunity to focus your program of study even further or to cover a broad variety of subjects you’re interested in. You may also choose to use those elective credits for a minor, whether something that complements your concentration, or something totally different that you just enjoy studying.
Your Future
Your career options will include working with children, youth and adults in settings such as:
- Non-profit organizations
- Schools
- Community organizations
- Businesses
- Government-related organizations
Career Support
Our Career Services staff members are here to help you prepare for your future through career advising and planning. You’ll be able to attend special recruiting events to meet and network with potential employers. You can also attend resume and interview workshops for tips and best practices as you start your job search. In addition, Career Services provides an online job board with a multitude of job opportunities posted each year.
Learning Experience
Washington Center Challenge Day
Every fall BJU hosts a Special Olympics event for students from Washington Center, a local school for children and teens with severe intellectual disabilities. Education students from BJU assist the student athletes in activities and games as the athletes’ families and teachers cheer them on.
Community Service Council
Through the Community Service Council, education students at BJU are able to help with many community events for children, including Enchanted Tracks and field days at various local elementary schools.
Criminal Justice Association
The Criminal Justice Association exposes interested students of all majors to the American criminal justice system. Active career professionals present their perspectives and discuss items of current interest, emerging trends and other topics. Contact with the forum speakers also provides greater insight into the possibilities for ministry offered by the various jobs in law enforcement, the courts and corrections.
University Educators Association
The University Educators Association provides programs and activities that complement BJU’s teacher preparation program.
- Professional development through speakers who are expert practitioners in their field
- Opportunities to attend Christian school teachers’ conventions and other professional meetings
- Provision of professional materials
- Interaction with other future teachers
- Opportunities to serve in BJES Field Day activities and other educational functions
Student Legislature
Each fall BJU’s Student Legislature team travels to the state capital to join students from 10 to 15 other colleges and universities from South Carolina. Together they form a house and senate, presided over by officers elected from among their members. Students use their extemporaneous speaking abilities, persuasive powers and knowledge of current events to pass legislation they’ve written.
Faculty
Program Coordinator

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No matter which subject area you choose to focus on, you will find your teachers experienced in and passionate about their field. Many of your faculty have a terminal degree in their field and all have years of teaching experience.
Even more importantly, all of your faculty approach their subject from a biblical worldview, whether it is teaching a recent six-day creation, tracing God’s sovereignty in history, evaluating literature in light of God’s Word or believing that mathematical truth depends on and comes from God.
Courses & Objectives
Sample Course Outline
1st Year
2nd Year
- Hermeneutics: Interpreting the Bible for Life
- Theories of Teaching & Learning
- English or Writing Elective
(3 credits) - Electives
(6 credits)
- The Making of the Modern World
- Ideas & Their Consequences
- Foundations in Educational Technology-EXP
- Art/Music/Theatre History Elective
(3 credits) - Electives
(3 credits)
3rd Year
- Bible Doctrines
- Oral Communication for the Professions
- Creative Pedagogies
- Electives
(6 credits)
- Essential Science
- Bible Doctrines
- Museum Professions
- Service-Learning Field Experience
- Electives
(3 credits)
4th Year
- Foundations of Economics
- Worldview & Apologetics
- Crafting the Experience: Experience Design-EXP
- Readings & Research in Education & Social Services
- Fine Arts/Hum Elective (300/400)
(3 credits)
- Family & Community Engagement
- Service-Learning Capstone-EXP
- Fine Arts/Hum Elective (300/400)
(3 credits) - Electives
(5 credits)
- Program
- BJU Core
- Elective
Program Objectives
The Educational Studies program prepares students who are seeking a non-licensure-based career in an educational or service-related context outside traditional classroom settings. The program prepares students to work w/children, youth,/adults in a variety of settings ranging from ministry, community-based,/other types of nonprofit organizations to preschools, para-educational, businesses,/government-related agencies. Coursework consists of a 24-credit educational core connected to an 18 credit interdisciplinary concentration of the student's choosing. The concentrations include: Community Arts, Global Eudcation, Social Services,/Teaching/Learning. Students gain/document real-world experience as they complete a 60-hour service learning experience/a 120-hour final capstone experience in a program/organization related to their interdisciplinary concentration. Educational Studies supports the mission andgoals of the School of Education intnt effective workforce skills.
- Collaborate with diverse groups of people and make a positive difference on their campus and communities.