Comparative and International Education
Starting in 2017, the CIE program is no longer accepting new applications.
The Comparative and International Education (CIE) Program offered three degrees: An M.Ed. in Globalization and Educational Change, a M.A. in Comparative and International Education, and a Ph.D. in Comparative and International Education. The CIE program also offered a Lehigh graduate certificate program in International Education for Development.
Graduates completing their degree in the CIE program may move into positions in international education, as government officials and education policy makers, research/policy institute scientists, development program officers, or work in various non-governmental and educational organizations either in the United States or in countries around the world.
The Comparative and International Education (CIE) program provided a unique blend of global community, content, interaction, context, perspective and purpose. Highlights of these innovative qualities include:
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An international learning community. The CIE Program was a vibrant learning community where internationalization thrived in formal classroom instruction, as well as in daily socialization of students and faculty in academic, professional, and personal realms. CIE students had a unique opportunity to engage in a myriad of international experiences as a part of their graduate education experience, including conducting education research and evaluation worldwide, engaging in international education development consultancy, internships at the United Nations, and assisting in journal/book editing in comparative and international education.
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Multiple opportunities for student/faculty interaction. CIE faculty brought extensive experience in the field as teachers and leaders, as well as a theoretical and methodological grounding in a discipline, which is relevant to global research and comparative educational issues. We recognize that students bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge that complements the faculty’s expertise and knowledge. Therefore, the CIE program provided a framework through which students and faculty could build professional relationships that extend beyond the classroom, including collaborative projects, directed study, and intellectual discourse.
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Interdisciplinary perspectives. Given that education is the product of many converging forces from politics to society to economics to history to business and philosophy, education and schooling issues are too complex and diverse to be addressed by just one disciplinary perspective. Unless we understand the various factors impacting decisions, we cannot understand why schools in countries around the world are structured the way they are, or why educational policies in our own communities deal with the topics they do. Working closely with the graduate programs in the College of Education and across the university, the CIE degree programs breached the boundaries of disciplines, thus creating an opportunity for its graduates to examine education-related issues from multiple perspectives.
There were several projects that exemplified the CIE Program’s signature and distinctive properties. They were,
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International Education and Research. CIE faculty and students participated in research and academic exchange with colleagues around the world. One example is through the CIE Program-based Tübingen-Lehigh International Partnership (TüLIP). Through TüLIP, Lehigh students had the option to take either full-term or short schedule courses taught in English at the University of Tübingen (Germany). Research or field-work could also be taken for Lehigh academic credit and was collaboratively supervised by both Lehigh and Tübingen professors. One recent project connected to TüLIP through the CIE Program was the Mountaintop Experience called “Transitions for Refugees through Empowerment and Education” (TREE). The TREE project united Lehigh students, refugee advocates and education experts in both the U.S. and Germany to investigate the dynamic factors facing resettled refugee youth.
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Scholarly Publication and Editing. The CIE Program was home to two professional academic publications in the field: The Annual Review of Comparative and International Education (ARCIE) and the FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education. ARCIE is the flagship academic review in the field of comparative and international education, and is published annually. FIRE is an international, peer-reviewed, open-source, online journal promoting interdisciplinary scholarship on the use of internationally comparative data for evidence-based and innovative change in education worldwide. CIE faculty served as senior editor for both publications and CIE students served as both editorial assistants and frequent co-authors for these prestigious publications.
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International Development and Consulting. CIE Program faculty and students engaged in short-term development and program-related consultancy projects on a regular basis. For example, a CIE faculty and student team worked with a youth village for orphaned and vulnerable youth in post-genocide Rwanda to develop a village-wide monitoring and evaluation system. This consultancy project, developed with the support of a CIE degree program graduate working with the Rwandan village, involved both Lehigh-based and Rwanda-based planning, research, workshops, and other consultancy-related activities, and complemented graduate-level coursework in the CIE program.
Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative and International Education
The Ph.D. degree program in Comparative and International Education (Ph.D. CIE) prepares students for research, scholarly inquiry, and advanced professional careers in the field of comparative and international education. A hallmark of this program is the bridge between educational theory, research, and practice. The Ph.D. degree program will build on and continue the strengths of the M.A. in Comparative and International Education program by being practical, research-oriented, and policy-focused, while adding a robust theory-oriented and research-driven component. The Ph.D. in CIE degree offers a combination of rigorous training in comparative education; key skills in policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation and advocacy; as well as provides students with the flexibility to pursue in-depth research in a variety of areas critical to comparative and international education. Graduates are prepared to work in higher education institutions, educational research and policy organizations, government offices, ministries of education, and international development organizations.
| Comparative & International Education Core (15 credits) | ||
| CIE 400 | 3 | |
| CIE 401 | 3 | |
| CIE 471 | 3 | |
| CIE 450 | 3 | |
| CIE 451 | 3 | |
| Research Methods Core (21 credits) | ||
| CIE 410 | 3 | |
| CIE 411 | 3 | |
| CIE 460 | 3 | |
| CIE 402 | 3 | |
| EDUC 405 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| EDUC 410 | Univariate Statistical Models | 3 |
| EDUC 411 | Multivariate Statistical Models | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Core (27 credits) | ||
| CIE 404 | 3 | |
| CIE 406 | 3 | |
| In addition, students are required to complete at least 21 credits across three interdisciplinary program areas with at least two courses in each of the interdisciplinary areas. This includes one CIE required course in each area and electives depending on students' research needs and interests: 1) Society and Culture, 2) Politics and Policy, and 3) Sustainable Development. | ||
| CIE 405 | 3 | |
| CIE 412 | 3 | |
| CIE 414 | 3 | |
| Other elective courses in sociology, anthropology, political science, environmental initiative, and other programs with the approval of CIE and relevant program faculty. | ||
| In addition to courswork, the Ph.D. program in Comparative and International Education requires successful completion of both the doctoral qualifying project and the comprehensive examination. Students then must complete the dissertation proposal seminar. | ||
| CIE 470 | 3 | |
| Concentrated Learning Requirement: All students must complete a concentrated learning requirement in accordance with COE rules and regulations. The concentrated learning requirement is intended to ensure that doctoral students spend a period of concentrated study and intellectual association with other scholars. In order to fulfill this requirement, students must be accepted into the doctoral program. | ||
Master of Arts In Comparative and International Education
| CIE 400 | (REQUIRED COURSES (15 CREDITS)) | 3 |
| CIE 401 | 3 | |
| CIE 408 | 3 | |
| EDUC 471 | Diversity and Multicultural Perspectives | 3 |
| EDUC 403 | Research | 3 |
| EDUC 408 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| ELECTIVE COURSES (6 CREDITS, select 2 courses from below) | ||
| CIE 402 | 3 | |
| CIE 403 | 3 | |
| CIE 404 | 3 | |
| CIE 405 | 3 | |
| CIE 406 | 3 | |
| CIE 407 | 3 | |
| SELECT A DISCIPLINARY FOCUS: | ||
| Focus 1: SOCIOLOGY & ANTHROPOLOGY (12 CREDITS, select 4 courses from below) | ||
| ANTH 325 | Economic Anthropology | 4 |
| AAS 313 | 4 | |
| GS 322 | Global Health Issues | 4 |
| SOC 323 | 4 | |
| SOC 329 | 4 | |
| SOC 341 | Gender and Health | 4 |
| SOC 345 | Colonialism and the Black Radical Tradition | 4 |
| SOC 351 | 4 | |
| SOC 355 | Sociology Of Education | 4 |
| SOC 364 | Sociology of Families | 3,4 |
| SOC 402 | 3 | |
| SOC 415 | 3 | |
| SOC 418 | 3 | |
| SOC 419 | 3 | |
| SOC 420 | 3 | |
| SOC 441 | 3 | |
| SOC 454 | 1-4 | |
| SOC 465 | 3 | |
| SOC 473 | 3 | |
| SOC 476 | 3 | |
| OTHER SSP 400+ AND ANTH 400+ courses with advisor approval | ||
| Focus 2: POLITICAL SCIENCE & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (12 CREDITS, select 4 courses from below) | ||
| POLS 413 | Modern Political Philosophy | 3 |
| POLS 451 | Comparative Politics Core | 3 |
| POLS 425 | Nationalism,Regionalism, and Populism | 3 |
| IR 322 | Poverty and Development | 4 |
| IR 323 | Political Economy of Industrialization and Development | 4 |
| IR 340 | 4 | |
| IR 344 | International Politics of Oil | 4 |
| IR 345 | Democratization | 4 |
| IR 346 | Contemporary Ethical Dilemmas in World Politics | 4 |
| IR 347 | Non-State Actors in a Globalized World | 4 |
| OTHER POL 400+ and IR 300+ courses with advisor approval | ||
| Focus 3: ECONOMICS (12 CREDITS, select 4 courses from below) | ||
| ECO 303 | Economic Development | 3 |
| ECO 339 | International Trade | 3 |
| ECO 340 | International Finance | 3 |
| ECO 342 | Economic Development in China | 3 |
| ECO 343 | 3 | |
| ECO 472 | 3 | |
| ECO 473 | 3 | |
| OTHER ECO 400+ with advisor approval | ||
| Focus 4: HISTORY (12 CREDITS, select 4 courses from below) | ||
| HIST 401 | Historical Research | 3 |
| HIST 404 | Readings in the History of the Atlantic World, 1500-1900 | 3 |
| HIST 443 | Readings in English History | 3 |
| HIST 444 | Readings in Latin American History | 3 |
| HIST 447 | The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Global History | 3 |
| HIST 453 | Research in English History | 3 |
| HIST 454 | Research in Latin American History | 3 |
| HIST 457 | Research in European History | 3 |
| OTHER HIST 400+ courses with advisor approval | ||
The M.A. in Comparative and International Education (CIE) guides students in the examination of educational policy and theory on an international level, taking into consideration the impact of global economic, political, sociological, and historical factors on educational systems. A focus on interdisciplinary approaches to comparative and international education provides students a foundation for examining both educational research and policy. Graduates are prepared to work in educational research and policy organizations, government offices, ministries of education, and international development organizations.
The M.A. in CIE is a 36 credit hour program comprised of 18 credit hours of required (core) courses, 6 credit hours of electives, 12 credit hours of disciplinary-focused courses, and 3 capstone research credit hours.
Master of Education in Globalization and Educational Change
| CIE 400 | 3 | |
| CIE 401 | 3 | |
| CIE 402 | 3 | |
| CIE 403 | 3 | |
| CIE 471 | 3 | |
| EDUC 403 | Research | 3 |
| In addition, students take a minimum of 12 credits in a Concentration area. Concentration coursework is designed by each student and faculty advisor in close collaboration to fit the interests and situation of the student's current and/or potential needs. In addition, students may choose to concentrate in one of the following areas exclusively, which then leads to concurrent receipt of the M.Ed. in Globalization and Educational Change plus a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the specified area: 1) International Counseling (12 credit minimum), 2) International Development in Education (12 credit miminum), 3) Special Education (12 credit minimum), 4) Teaching English to Second Language Learners (12 credit minimum), 5) Technology Use in the Schools (12 credit minimum), 6) Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (12 credit minimum) | ||
The M.Ed. is a 30-credit-hour program, which is designed to equip graduates to understand, participate in, and make data-driven decisions in and about schools and education institutions — both in the U.S. and internationally. It is a practitioner-oriented program with concentrations in education-related areas (e.g., international counseling, international education development, TESOL, special education, and technology use in schools). Program curriculum explores how education is related to economic, political, and social globalization, as well as examines how education policies, structures, and practices are contextualized in different geopolitical contexts.
International Development in Education Certificate
| CIE 404 | 3 | |
| CIE 405 | 3 | |
| CIE 406 | 3 | |
| CIE 407 | 3 |
