The Department of Teacher Education, Leadership, and Counseling offers a variety of degree programs in the fields of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership, Higher Education, and Counseling. All education programs, including School Counseling, are approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).
Teacher Education programs offer the opportunity for students to prepare for exciting and rewarding careers in the field of education. Programs are designed to meet the educational needs of individuals from a variety of backgrounds who wish to obtain initial or advanced teacher certification. Prospective and in-service teachers engage in an in-depth study of teaching and learning while enriching their own knowledge in one or more content areas. Our undergraduate level programs (BSEd) use primarily traditional face-to-face instruction with some online course options. All our graduate level (MAT, MEd, EdS, and EdD) teacher certification programs are fully online programs using both synchronous and asynchronous instruction and best practices in online instruction. Candidates in teacher education programs have multiple opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills as they work in a variety of grades P-12 school settings.
Our Educational Leadership programs provide fully online Tier I and Tier II leadership certifications through master’s and specialist degrees or add-on programs. The Tier I program is designed for certified educators who wish to earn their first leadership certificate. Tier I certified educators may obtain a leadership position below principal at the building level and district level positions that do not supervise principals or other leaders. The Tier II program is designed to prepare advanced level leadership positions including school level principal, superintendent, or another type of position that supervises other leaders. Candidates in both Tier I and Tier II programs study school or district level issues as appropriate and apply theory and research-based practices to seek solutions to those issues. Leadership candidates build knowledge about the functions of high achieving schools/school districts in areas such as curriculum, instruction, management, personnel, finance, school law, and public relations, as well as how the interaction of these areas at the district level ultimately contributes to student achievement. We also offer a Higher Education track within our Educational Leadership program that is designed to develop individuals to take on administrative and leadership roles in a variety of higher education settings.
We offer two master’s level counseling degrees, School Counseling and Clinical Mental Counseling. These programs offer a combination of face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses. Candidates apply a variety of theories and counseling approaches in their practicum and internship experiences. All our counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP).
Our department is proud to offer the only doctoral level program at Columbus State University. The fully online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Leadership degree programs offers tracks in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, and Higher Education. The program prepares highly qualified and competitive candidates for leadership and service positions in P-12 schools, school districts, higher education institutions, and other educational organizations.
