Welcome
Reinhard Lindner, Ph.D.Department Chair & Professor
The Department of Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies (EIS), formerly Educational Foundations (EDFD), has been an integral part of teacher preparation in the College of Education from its inception. All teacher candidates take the four course professional sequence of EIS 201: Educational psychology--human growth and development, EIS 301: Educational psychology--learning and instruction, EIS 302: Multicultural and social foundations of education, EIS 401: Educational law and policy taught by faculty in the department. We also offer the Bilingual/Bicultural option for undergraduate teacher education candidates.
In addition, the department houses several graduate degree programs. The EIS Masters of Science in Education is a degree program with three options, or tracks: (1) Social Policy and Foundations of Education, (2) Bilingual/Bicultural/ESL Education, and (3) Cognition and Instruction. This set of options allows the degree candidate to prepare for, or advance in, careers in education, P-12 through Junior College, and/or the eventual pursuit of the Ph.D/Ed.D. At a time when the ability to make data-driven, research based decisions is increasingly becoming an expected skill for master teachers, we are the only graduate program in the college to stress the development of this critical skill as an integral part of our core graduate program across all three tracks. In addition, we offer a Masters degree program in College Student Personnel for those wishing to prepare for careers in Student Support Services in Higher Education. As evident from our mission statement, our program is interdisciplinary in orientation allowing the degree candidate to develop a rich grasp of central issues and problems in education from the perspective of several key disciplines including psychology, philosophy, and anthropology/sociology. We think you will find the experience exhilarating and inspiring and welcome and look forward to your participation should you choose to join us.