Chiang Mai, Thailand
The mission of the Chiang Mai Extension Center (CMEC) is to equip students to communicate, live and work successfully in culturally diverse societies through applied programs in missiology and intercultural studies so that they can more effectively impact the world for Jesus Christ. The extension center allows Biola to bring quality cross-cultural education, training and mentoring to Christian workers on the field, enabling students from different mission organizations to learn from each other as they discuss ministry in Asia. As they interact with Biola professors, missiology in Asia will flourish and God's Kingdom will advance.
The center also allows international students, who meet Biola's admission standards, to enter graduate studies in two quality programs - the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies (M.A. ICS) and the Doctor of Missiology (D.Miss.).
Admission Requirements & Registration
US students interested in studying at the extension centers must meet the School of Intercultural Studies admission requirements for the M.A. in Intercultural Studies or the Doctor of Missiology programs.
International students must also meet the following requirements:
- Non-native speakers must submit TOEFL scores of at least 550 written.
- Students who are not residents or citizens of the US but wish to study on Biola's La Mirada campus must submit an affidavit of support, an international student deposit and other appropriate documents in order to obtain an F-1 student visa.
Registration procedures will be handled by the On-Site Coordinator and the School of Intercultural Studies. For details, please contact the coordinator.
Program Requirements
The Chiang Mai extension center offers courses in the M.A. in Intercultural Studies and the Doctor of Missiology programs. Please refer to the appropriate section of the School of Intercultural Studies website for program details.
Both degrees offered are designed to help Christian workers, whether expatriate or local, become more competent in a variety of cross-cultural ministries. Biola is able to offer a wide range of electives such as church planting, cross-cultural education, leadership, TESOL, linguistics, apologetics, spiritual formation, Islamics, counseling, theology and missionary care.
Additional Field Courses
The School of Intercultural Studies now offers the entire curriculum of both degrees through the extension centers.
Students may also complete field courses through the School of Intercultural Studies in distance learning format. Tuition for field courses is set at a reduced rate. For details on the field course offerings, please contact James Cho at SICS.distanceed@biola.edu
Course Scheduling
The Chiang Mai extension center offers semester-long courses taught by the School of Intercultural Studies faculty in intensive two-week classroom sessions with continuing online communication with professors throughout the remainder of the semester.
Sessions are taught twice a year in January and July/August. See schedule below.
| January 7-18, 2008 | Crosscultural Leadership The Historical Development of the World Christian Movement |
| July 28 - Aug. 8, 2008 | Theology of Mission Crosscultural Teaching/Learning Strategies for Curriculum |
| January 5-16, 2009 | Culture and Transformation Intercultural Communication |
| Aug. 3-14, 2009 | Issues in Contextualization/Crosscultural Theory Principles of Church Multiplication |
| January 2010 | Educational Philosophies of the Great Religious Traditions Anthropological Theory Qualitative Research |
| August 2010 | Narrative as an Educational Methodology Elective (D.Miss. and M.A.) |
| January 2011 | Comparative Human Development Social Organization Research Design |
| TBA | TBA |
Biola On-Campus Opportunities
In addition to the courses taught in Chiang Mai, we are currently offering the following courses on the Biola campus towards the Ph.D. in Intercultural
Education program. This will allow students who are interested to complete 50% of the program in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and 50% of the program
on Biola's campus in La Mirada, CA. Please contact James Cho for more information. See schedule below.
| July 7-18, 2008 | Education Theory Bible/Theology Culture, Cognition, and Worldview |
| July 6-17, 2009 | Bible/Theology Crosscultural Teaching/Learning Strategies for Curriculum Missiological Theory |
| July 2010 | Tutorial Research Seminars |
| Summer 2011 | Tutorial Tutorial |
Costs
M.A. tuition costs: $406 per unit
D.Miss. tuition costs: $791 per unit
One-Third Tuition Reduction
For students on-site in Thailand, there is a scholarship available which reduces the tuition cost by one third. This scholarship is automatically given to all students attending class in Thailand. No application is necessary. This scholarship is applicable for study on the Thailand campus and standard tuition rates apply for study on Biola's La Mirada campus.
Food, Housing and Transportation Costs
It is the student's responsibility to provide for food, housing and transportation costs in regard to the stay in Chiang Mai. Food and housing options in Chiang Mai for individuals who come from outside the area are very reasonable. Contact the Chiang Mai On-Site Coordinator for food, housing and transportation options.
Quick Links
- Admission requirements & registration
- Program requirements
- Additional field courses
- Course scheduling
- Costs
- One-Third Tuition Reduction
- Food, Housing, and Transportation Costs
Contact
In the U.S.
SICS Distance Learning Administrator
James Cho
Tel: 562-903-6000 x.5669
Fax: 562-903-4851
Email: SICS.distanceed@biola.edu
In Chiang Mai
On-Site Coordinator
Ed Scheureman
199/55 Moo Ban Nai Fun 2
T: Mae Heah, A: Muang
Chiang Mai 50100
THAILAND