School of Social Sciences & Education

The Certificate of Graduate Study in Counseling Ministry is a 19-hour curriculum that introduces students to basic knowledge about both secular and Christian perspectives on counseling and how these may be applied in a church-based setting. The intent of this program is to prepare students to apply counseling theory and practice to ministry settings. Students are prepared for work in churches, mission agencies and other settings in which informal counseling and support groups are often provided.

The child and youth development major prepares persons who want careers working with children from birth through seventeen years of age. The mission of the program is to prepare caring and reflecting professionals who integrate their Christian faith, social responsibility, and sound scholarship in order to contribute to a responsible and caring community.

Completion of the program prepares an individual for employment in a variety of settings including youth-serving organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and military youth programs and private, governmental, and nonprofit early childhood programs such as Head Start, church preschools, military child development centers, and other settings that do not require public school licensure.

If you want to teach at the PreK-3, PreK-3 Special Education, or K-5 level in public or private schools OR serve in a leadership position in a child development center or church-related preschool, consider Milligan. In 18-23 months you can complete the Child and Youth Development major, and even opt to certify to teach PreK-3 / PreK-3 Special Education, or K-5 (with an option to add ESL P-12) with an additional semester of full-time student teaching. Classes meet only one night per week and tuition is affordable and within your reach.

Certify to become a principal or school administrator with the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program. Or for those who don’t need a doctorate, the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) allows candidates to develop a specialized knowledge.

If you want to work in early childhood education, then you will major in Child & Youth Development with a concentration in early childhood education. This major prepares persons who want careers working with children from birth through seventeen years of age. With the successful completion of the early childhood concentration and additional courses, the program can lead to licensure for persons who wish to teach in PreK-3 or K-5. The child and youth development program includes general education courses, core courses for the major, and a concentration in either early childhood administration, early childhood education, or youth program administration, and elective courses.

The mission of the program is to prepare caring and reflecting professionals who integrate their Christian faith, social responsibility, and sound scholarship in order to contribute to a responsible and caring community.

Completion of the program prepares an individual for employment in a variety of settings including youth-serving organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and military youth programs and private, governmental, and nonprofit early childhood programs such as Head Start, church preschools, military child development centers, and other settings that do not require public school licensure.

Milligan has prepared outstanding teachers for over 100 years. Today, Milligan alumni are leading educators in Northeast Tennessee and throughout the nation and world. NCATE accreditation means your degree from Milligan is instantly recognized throughout the country for its quality — you can qualify for licensure in Tennessee and can be licensed in other states.

Milligan offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in teacher education.

Certify to become a principal or school administrator with the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program. Or for those who don’t need a doctorate, the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) allows candidates to develop a specialized knowledge.

The Ethnic Studies minor provides a broad initial foundation for the study of ethnicities, ethnic groups, dynamics of ethnic processes and encounters, ethnic literature, the history of specific ethnic groups, ethnic music, and legal issues which intersect with ethnicity and specific ethnic groups. Students are offered the opportunity to craft a minor which will complement their major field of study and better position them for the emerging ethnic challenges of an increasingly diverse 21st century world.

The study of geography provides students with an awareness of the physical, economic, and political features of the world, the cultures which are encountered in the world’s regions, as well as the instruments and devices used in the field of study.

Students may declare a Political Science major with a concentration in International Politics. This program prepares students to engage political realities within the context of global studies.

For further information on this major, refer to the information under the listing “Political Science.”

The international studies major provides a foundation in the study of a broad range of international phenomena, including, but not limited to, governance, economic development, humanitarian aid, non-governmental organizations, and conflict. It can equip persons desiring to work in economic development, missions, humanitarian aid, human rights organizations, diplomacy, or international education.

The Certificate in Leadership is specifically designed for students in any major who want to cultivate their skills in critical thinking and analysis within the field of leadership development, who want to understand how various leadership theories can be applied within groups and organizations, and who want to become effective leaders in their personal and professional lives.

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) program includes both initial licensure and advanced degree options.

Milligan offers a Master of Counseling degree with concentrations in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling.

The political science major is designed for those who wish to understand politics, effectively engage the world around them, and make a difference. It prepares students to study law, work in government service, research, or teach in a school setting. The political science curriculum provides a broad foundation in the study of American political history, international relations, comparative politics, and political theory.

Two concentrations are available:

• General – designed for those students who desire a broad foundation in all areas of politics
• International Politics – prepares students to engage political realities within the context of global studies

The psychology curriculum emphasizes the principles and applications of substantive psychological knowledge both as a natural science and as a social science. The major and minor provide a broad background in psychology and offer students the opportunities, if desired, to pursue specialization in an interest area.

This minor trains students to creatively solve social problems. Students research historical and contemporary social issues and then build upon that knowledge with design-oriented and practice-based courses. Students learn innovative solutions currently underway around the world and then develop their own ideas, projects, and organizations.

Upon graduating, students will be suited to industries such as: government, non-profit, health, human services, urban planning, education, sustainable energy, and more. Students will be equipped for project and program development, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, community or international development, solutions consultant, creative design director, etc.

The Social Work major is designed for the student who desires to pursue a ministry of service to the human community in work with social agencies and/or other fields of social work, or who is preparing to pursue graduate education in the field.

The sociology curriculum is designed for the student preparing for a variety of careers, including but not limited to academic sociology (research and/or teaching), and social agency and social service work.

The sociology curriculum emphasizes the principles and application of sociological knowledge. The major and minor are designed to ensure that each student receives a broad background in sociology. The sociology curriculum also contributes to the application of sociological principles to daily life.

The undergraduate teacher education program supports the following goals of Milligan College:

• Students will demonstrate sound scholarship through their ability to read and think analytically and critically, to communicate clearly and effectively, to evidence knowledge and competencies in the liberal arts and the natural and social sciences, and to understand a significant body of material in their major fields of study.
• Students will demonstrate social responsibility in numerous ways, such as serving in churches, on the mission field (domestic and foreign), and with social agencies; mentoring, nurturing, and protecting others; and displaying increased understanding of and experience with other cultures.
• Students will gain an enriched quality of life through awareness of health issues, appreciation for the arts and sciences, stewardship of resources, and preparation for graduate studies and a rewarding career or profession.

The undergraduate teacher education program is designed to serve persons who plan to obtain professional licensure for teaching in early childhood (serving children from birth through grade three), elementary (serving children kindergarten through sixth grade), middle grades (serving children from grades four through eight), secondary (serving children from grades seven through twelve), special education PreK-3, and selected K-12 specialty fields (music, physical education, theatre, and visual arts). Students interested in teaching in elementary schools may select early childhood (early elementary grades), elementary (K-6), and/or middle grades (upper elementary) programs of study. Education students may also choose to pursue careers in professional settings other than schools, e.g., child development programs, church settings, and post-secondary institutions.

The Milligan College teacher education faculty is committed to nurture and develop caring and reflective teachers, those who reflect continually on their practice in search of excellence, and who care deeply about the students and families they serve. Knowing that every child deserves a quality teacher, we are committed to developing in our teacher candidates the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to succeed in contemporary schools. Undergraduate and graduate initial licensure programs of study are available.

The women’s and gender studies minor equips students to consider how gender shapes lived experience, collective action, and human relationships in contemporary cultures and throughout history. The minor readies all students to identify the structural and historical constructions of gender that continue to shape individual and collective identity. How does gender impact the ways in which we inhabit our bodies, our environments, and our relationships? These fundamental questions will be interrogated from a variety of interdisciplinary and multicultural perspectives in an intellectually rigorous and critically informed way. Coursework can be tailored to each student’s chosen field of study.