Bachelor of Arts in Director of Church Ministries

at Concordia University Wisconsin USA

The aim of Concordia’s program is to prepare you for a career in the biochemical industry or to pursue graduate studies to earn a PhD, an MD, or a PharmD. Expect to be challenged on a regular basis. Our professors have designed a rigorous curriculum to help you advance as a scientist and develop analytic reasoning.

A significant portion of your studies will take place in our recently constructed laboratories, with state-of-the-art technology and equipment. Whenever possible, our faculty take a hands-on approach to learning, so you can expect to quickly become comfortable in a lab setting. You’ll gain a thorough foundation in the various areas within chemistry, including organic, analytical, physical, and biochemistry and within biology, including molecular biology. And CUW students aren’t limited to the required courses for developing their skills. If you have a particular area of interest, you have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member in conducting an undergraduate research project.

The Biblical Studies program lays out a good foundation for further work not only in the LCMS but for all Christian denominations. This program offers classes that all Christian students can be prepared for church work or simply because they want to know more about the Bible and the God who is revealed in it. At the same time, this is a great program for Lutheran students who want to focus on the Bible itself.

With this program, students will explain and analyze the basic tenets of the Christian faith and will apply the Christian worldview and doctrines to current situations (personal, professional, and societal) and to historical problems and situations.

Biblical Studies graduates can expect to:

• Develop an understanding of the origin of the Bible, recognize the unique qualities of God's word, appreciate the varied yet unified content of the Old and New Testaments, and use sound principles in interpreting Scripture.
• Recognize the Bible as the authoritative source for knowledge of God and humankind, articulate key doctrines of the Christian faith, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ, and apply the teachings of Scripture to the life of the individual.
• Develop an appreciation for how God has worked in history, recognize key figures and movements in the life of the Church, and identify the state of theology today.
• Grow in their relationship with Christ and put His teachings into practice in their vocations.
• Observe, assess, and interpret today's cultures and world views. Students will be familiar with various methods of delivering and defending biblical truth in a relevant and practical way to diverse groups.
• Demonstrate an understanding of research skills in the discipline.

Our graphic design courses prepare you for careers in both digital and print design. In order to offer the fullest education possible, Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) has partnered with the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), which is just a 25-minutes drive from our Mequon campus. Most of your classes (all core requirements, over half major requirements, and your minor) will take place at CUW. Because we have a lab specially designed for our graphic design students, you’ll be able to work on your projects right on campus. Only 15-18 credits of your classes will take place at MIAD. It is worth noting that while graphic design is a highly-demand career, we highly encourage you to  pursuing a complementary minor, such as business or marketing.

The classes you will take in this program will lay the groundwork of good design principles that will guide you through the rest of your career as a designer. Much of your learning will  occur outside of the classroom. Why? Because outside the classroom is where you’ll be putting into practice the design principles you learned in the classroom, developing your creative ideas and completing projects.

As a CUW graphic design student, you will have opportunities to work on professional projects with real-world clients. This, in addition to regular coursework, will contribute to your professional portfolio, which will be published (physically or digitally). One final note on what to expect: in order to be successful, it is critical that you meet project deadlines during your time with us. The faculty are always happy to work with you, so don’t be afraid to ask them for advice.

This program will help you develop your understanding of major events and themes across the eras. You’ll learn about global history and the philosophy of history, and you’ll gain the skills necessary to read, write, speak of, and teach about history. From ancient civilizations to modern Europe, from Asia to America, from politics to economics, from the history of warfare to the history of food, clothing and sports, studying the past helps us to learn about human nature and thus, ourselves. Is there a particular aspect of history that interests you? As a CUW history student, you’ll get to choose an area of emphasis in American, European, or Global history - so you can focus on what you’re passionate about.

Studying history involves more than reading books.  Your learning will revolve around a process that is applicable in many other fields. You’ll start by locating, evaluating, and organizing historical information. Once you have digested the content and various views, you can begin to develop the historical information into written or oral form. Through this repeated procedure, you develop your ability to summarize, analyze, organize, and synthesize texts from a variety of sources. Wherever your career takes you, you’ll be able to use this process to research, understand and analyze information to make important decisions and gain new insights.

Study how to create complex hardware and software systems, manage complex computer information systems (IT), and lead a technical team. Now offering two new tracks in Software Engineering and Computer Information Systems. Both of these tracks will build on your existing experience by deepening your skills and knowledge in the main areas of computer science. A bachelor's degree in a related field is recommended, but not required. Optional catch-up modules are available for each course to help bring you up to speed.

Upon completion of the MSCS program, you’ll be trained in problem solving, collaboration, creative design processes, professional literature, writing, presentation, and ethical practices. You’ll be prepared for advanced professional positions in software development and other technical/design-oriented roles in computing.

Program Highlights

• STEM certified
• Ethics & vocation are central themes in our program showing how professionals respond to the needs of clients, users, and society
• Program can be completed in 18 months
• Start dates available every six to eight weeks throughout the year
• Available online and in person

Graduates from the MSCS program pursue a variety of careers such as system/database administrators/architects, business intelligence analysts, software engineers, application developers, and many others. Our recent grads have gone on to work at:

• Experius
• EP Soft Technologies
• Charter Communications
• iDigital
• QA Labs
• Integra Tech
• Concurrency
• And many more

Our computer science master's program was designed with working professionals in mind. You’ll get a rigorous, quality education that fits within your busy schedule. All courses will be available online in an accelerated eight week format, but three courses per semester will be offered face-to-face on campus.

BUSINESS DATA APPLICATIONS
The new business data applications concentration features the same computer science master's core courses in tandem with business data analytics classes to teach you to use your technical skillsets and programming abilities to collect, scrub, analyze, and visualize data to drive better business decisions. This blend of computer science, data analytics, and business classes will prepare you to be a valuable asset to any organization.

Concordia exists to help students develop in mind, body, and spirit. The liberal arts program embodies this mission, with a wide spectrum of coursework aimed at building a firm foundation of knowledge, preparing students mentally, physically, and spiritually for impactful lives of service to Christ.
Rather than concentrating on a single field of study, the liberal arts program explores a variety of subjects to build a firm foundation of knowledge across the board. Perfect for the scholar who loves learning, or the student who doesn't feel a strong calling to a specific career path, this program helps you develop into a well-rounded individual, ready to take on whatever life brings your way.

Our liberal arts program will equip you with a broad base of knowledge across many disciplines. The rigorous curriculum will help you sharpen your critical thinking skills and grow as a person. You will explore coursework in:

• Literature
• History
• Math/Computer Science
• Communication
• Art
• Physical Development
• Language
• Theology
• Philosophy
• Natural Science
• Social Science

The Physician Assistant (PA) Program at CUW prepares students to become competent physician assistants who provide high quality health care in a respectful, culturally sensitive, caring and knowledgeable manner. CUW PA graduates are committed to caring for patients in mind, body and spirit with an emphasis on continual lifelong learning.

Your studies will be a combination of didactic and clinical courses. The didactic portion is held on our Mequon campus and provides your foundation for the clinical year by exploring the basic sciences, clinical medicine, and behavioral medicine. We believe it is essential to begin putting your knowledge into practice as soon as possible in order for you to grow as a health care professional. You’ll get a variety of hands-on experiences through 11 months of clinicals. Clinical rotations must be taken in family medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, women's health, behavioral medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine and two elective rotations. While the majority of your rotations will occur in Wisconsin, our Director of Clinical Education may work with you to pursue out-of-state options.

Your courses will delve into the realms of human anatomy, physical examination and history. You'll also cover pharmacology, physiology/pathophysiology, clinical skills, and issues in health care. The overarching theme of your education will be an emphasis on preventative medicine and primary care. In order to facilitate your clinical skills and overall experience, we have a simulation lab and recently renovated cadaver lab on campus. You’ll get to learn in a small class setting (no more than 30 students) and receive personalized instruction from our dedicated faculty. Upon graduation, you’ll be eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE).

Program Highlights:

• Small class sizes with personalized instruction
• State-of-the-art cadaver lab
• Multiple interprofessional educational experiences
• Opportunities for service learning and community service within the curriculum and as a student society
• Simulation lab
• International rotations available

Through a blend of the social sciences, history, and humanities, you’ll learn to guide your students through a myriad of thinking types and social structures, and be able to adapt such lessons to grade levels ranging from grade 4 to grade 12. You’ll gain a stronger sense of contemporary and past viewpoints and be able to share insights with your class that reveal how people relate to the world around them. You’ll participate in and learn how to lead discussions on civic issues and organize around solutions. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll understand how to help your students discover how people relate to each other, how we interact as groups, and how we organize our thoughts, religions, and governments. With a foundation in social studies, you’ll be able to help your students better understand their place in the world.

You’ll be taking 25 credits of required coursework to give you a firm basis in drawing, color, design, art history, and aesthetics (the stuff that everyone who is serious about art needs to be aware of). But after that, you get to choose what aspects of art to focus on. We’ve got plenty of options to pick from and you’ve got 15 credits worth of courses to fill with whatever 2D or 3D electives inspire you!

By the time you finish this program you’ll have refined your artistic skills creating original designs, manipulating imagery, and applying design principles to visual communication. As you develop your unique artistic style, you will have a clearer understanding of how your artistic talents make a difference in the world. You will have an opportunity to showcase your work with an exhibit in the CUW Art Gallery and to assemble a professional portfolio highlighting the best of your work.

You have the vision and ambition to create beautiful and meaningful photographs that communicate your vision to the world. Our program will help you define your fields of interest, sharpen your visual as well as technical skills, and to build a professional portfolio. Concordia’s photography major prepares you for the world ahead with the skills and awareness to pursue your chosen future.

The Photography Major is part of a comprehensive curriculum at Concordia intended to develop your professional skills as well as spiritual and intellectual values. Your classes outside your major at CUW will provide you with a well-rounded bachelor’s degree, and your study of photography will include a chosen minor in perhaps Marketing, Business, English, or Graphic Design to help you build the necessary skills for a successful career in photography. Your major courses will be supplemented by internship opportunities that will give each student professional experiences, and enhance your preparation for the professional world.

A degree in Photography can lead to a variety of careers, including fine art, commercial photography, journalism, editing, education and research, museum and online curation, art direction, marketing, storytelling, and more. We encourage students to develop their own professional techniques and style. You’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of the craft of photography using Concordia’s digital facilities to develop contemporary skills, and darkroom facilities to understand and explore historical processes.

Classes outside your major will consist of the liberal arts core curriculum, your selected minor, and foundational studio art courses. In the Photography Major you will study photographic composition, camera usage, studio and natural lighting, editing, digital technologies, contemporary marketing practices, portfolio development, image presentation, and develop the ability to photograph a wide array of subject matter with personal intent and professional standards.