Master of Arts in Disability Studies

• 100% Online
• Accelerated - Three Trimesters per Year - Finish your degree in 24 months
• Global - Interactive community of peers from around the globe
• Flexible - Complete course work around your schedule
• Financial Assistance - Special Scholarships available
• Respected Partnerships - Joni and Friends International Disability Center

Joni Eareckson Tada at CBU Graduate Commencement

 

The Master of Arts in Disability Studies at California Baptist University is a distance learning degree program designed to develop expertise in human differences. Beyond preparing professionals to lead, establish and shape disability programs, ministries and policies, the Disability Studies program prepares graduates to challenge and change the way society and organizations relate to people with disabilities.

Students have the opportunity to pursue a concentration in two distinct areas of the field:

The Disability Policy Concentration is designed for professionals interested in shaping policies that impact persons with disabilities. Specialized coursework prepares students to take a proactive role in defining and enacting policies at the government, corporate, or organizational level that reflect and recognize the needs and value of people with disabilities. As policy shapers and makers, graduates are ideally positioned to become agents of positive change within their organization and beyond.

The Disability Ministry Concentration recognizes and responds to the growing presence of people with disabilities within the church. Students in this concentration complete specialized coursework that prepares them to establish, build and lead disability ministries within a congregational setting. Graduates will be agents for change within the Christian church around the world.

The Disability Studies program offers a highly reflective curriculum that challenges students to reexamine, reevaluate, and redefine perceptions of what it means to be disabled—as well as what it means to be human. Practicum components within coursework enable candidates to gain valuable hands-on experience, working with and for people with disabilities, in a setting of their choice that best reflects their professional goals.

Interdisciplinary courses illuminate the intersections between a broad range of academic fields—health, education, sociology, law, politics, philosophy, and theology—as they apply to persons with disabilities. Combining theory, evaluation, and experiential learning, the M.A. in Disability Studies prepares leaders and thinkers to challenge and change the way communities, organizations, government agencies, and religious institutions interact and engage with people experiencing disabilities.