The mission of the Department of Education is to provide responsible and innovative leadership in the development and dissemination of knowledge about education. The Department is known for the exceptional quality of its undergraduate teacher training programs; particularly for the diverse course offerings and close internship supervision that are hallmarks of these programs. The graduate programs in the Department of Education enjoy excellent national and international reputations that are the result of the pedagogical philosophies and research productivity of the faculty members. Faculty and students also enjoy the services of a professional and friendly support staff.

The faculty members are a diverse group of educators committed to excellence in teaching, research and community service. They are well known for their strong research profiles that inform their teaching and afford graduate students the opportunity to work on cutting edge research. A healthy level of external research funding enables faculty members to provide financial assistance to many qualified students.

At the undergraduate level the Department offers a Bachelor of Arts with a Specialization in Early Childhood and Elementary Education; Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Child Studies; Certificate in Adult Education; Minor in Adult Education; Bachelor of Education Specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language; Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language; Minor in Adult Education as well as a Minor in Education. The Department also administers Concordia's Credit ESL courses.

At the graduate level the Department offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Technology; Master of Arts in Educational Technology; Master of Arts in Child Study; Master of Arts in Educational Studies; Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics; Diploma in Instructional Technology; and a Diploma in Adult Education.

The Department has several specialized facilities that support student engagement in the practical application of their studies. The Observation Nursery School plays an integral role in three of the teacher training courses in the Early Childhood and Elementary Education program; The Sage language lab supports the development of skills required for the program in the Teaching of English as a Second Language; The ETEC computer lab and the video-editing facility offer state-of-the-art design facilities for graduate studies in Educational Technology. Computers are integrated into all aspects of student life at the graduate and undergraduate levels and every seminar room is designed to support computer use by faculty members and students alike. Additionally, the provincially recognized and supported Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance is housed in the Department of Education. Faculty members connected to this Centre undertake interdisciplinary research that includes perspectives from education, cognitive psychology, social psychology, and applied linguistics. (See http://doe.concordia.ca/cslp/ for further information). For summary of other faculty research projects please see the Chair’s Annual Report on this Web Site.

The emphasis in the Department is not only on the communication of sound pedagogical principles and approaches, but also on the values of equality, diversity, and non-discrimination. Small class sizes are the signature of the Education Department, as faculty firmly believe in careful mentoring and a constructivist approach to learning. Thus, the retention rate of students in this Department is exceptionally high and their levels of success upon graduation as measured by employment in government service and industry are commendable. Although many students in the department are enrolled on a part-time basis, they tend to graduate in a timely manner.