Disability Advocates and Agents of Change
One of the few programs of its kind offered by a Christian university, the Master of Arts in Disability Studies at California Baptist University is a online degree program designed to develop expertise in human differences. Beyond preparing professionals to lead, establish and shape disability programs, ministries and policies, CBU’s M.A. in Disability Studies prepares graduates to challenge and change the way society and organizations relate to people with disabilities.
What can I do with this degree?
Candidates of the program have the opportunity to pursue a concentration in three distinct areas of the field: Disability Ministry, Disability Leadership, and Disability Policy.
Disability Ministry Concentration: An Innovative Program and Partnership
Through an innovative partnership with Joni and Friends, one of the world’s leading Christian-based organizations advocating people with disabilities, the program offers students a unique opportunity to pursue a concentration in Disability Ministry. Aligned with the mission of Joni and Friends, the Disability Ministry emphasis recognizes and responds to the growing presence of people with disabilities within the church. Graduates with 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.
Disability Leadership Concentration: Leading Change
Students pursuing the Disability Leadership concentration gain the knowledge, skills and experience to evaluate, establish, build and lead successful disability programs within a range of organizational settings in the public, private and religious sectors. This concentration additionally prepares graduates to provide their expertise in the development of effective organizational leaders with disabilities.
Disability Policy Concentration: Shaping Policies
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.
Flexible Online Format
One of CBU’s first graduate programs to be conducted entirely online, the M.A. in Disability Studies combines the advantages of distance learning with a rigorous curriculum designed to prepare exceptional leaders. The format allows students from virtually any location to join a dynamic community of distance learners, and participate in one of only a handful of master’s programs of this kind.
As distance learners, students have the flexibility to attend faculty lectures streaming live, or view archived lectures in their entirety at a later and more convenient time. Students also benefit from joining an interactive community of peers from around the globe, while accommodating other professional and personal obligations.
A Curriculum that Challenges Perceptions
CBU’s MA in Disability Studies 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. Interdisciplinary courses illuminate the intersections between a broad range of academic fields — from education to philosophy to sociology to legal and political issues to health and to 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 disability.
Experience in the Field
Supplementing online coursework, students have the opportunity to put theory into practice in the real world. The practicum component of the degree allows 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. For those students interested in leading disability ministries, our unique partnership with Joni and Friends opens a range of practicum opportunities at home and around the world.
Leading Change from a Christian Perspective
Aligned with CBU’s faith-based mission, the M.A. in Disability Studies emphasizes an understanding of disability from a Christian perspective. One of the only Christian universities to offer a master’s degree in this field, the theological nature of the program recognizes the value of all people. Graduates are prepared to enact change within communities and organizations, including those with religious affiliations, as compassionate, ethical as well as expert leaders.
Multidisciplinary Faculty
Online courses are directed by members of CBU’s outstanding faculty, including deans and professors from a cross-spectrum of academic disciplines: Education, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Christian Studies, Sociology, Kinesiology, and Nursing. Representing the top of their fields, faculty bring their diverse perspectives and experiences to the program, allowing students to examine and understand disability through multiple lenses. While diverse in their expertise, all faculty share a personal commitment to progressing the field of disability studies.
The M.A. in Disability Studies maintains CBU’s excellent student/faculty ratio and interaction. Through virtual office hours, interactive online classrooms, discussions, streaming video and voice conversation, text messaging and email, faculty remain accessible and available to students throughout the course of the program.
Take the Next Step
View information about career opportunities and answers to frequently asked questions.
Apply online by clicking here.
For more information about the Disability Studies program, contact professor Jeff McNair at jmcnair@calbaptist.edu or by calling (951) 343-4489.
For information related to admissions requirements, financial aid and enrollment deadlines, contact CBU’s Graduate Admissions office by e-mail or by calling (951) 343-4249 to toll-free at (877) 228-8877.
We look forward to helping you reach your professional and personal goals.