Early Childhood Education, M.Ed.

About the Program

The Early Childhood Education graduate program is designed to prepare students for initial teacher certification in Early Childhood Education, grades pre-Kindergarten to 4.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 4 years

Campus Location: Main

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The degree program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Evening classes on Main campus start at 5:00 p.m. Students also complete fieldwork in a classroom one day a week throughout each academic term.

Accreditation: The program is approved as a teacher certification program by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).

Job Prospects: Graduates typically pursue early childhood teaching positions in school settings in grades pre-Kindergarten to 4.

Licensure: Upon successful completion of the degree requirements and passing all required licensure examinations, candidates may apply for a Pennsylvania Instructional I Teaching Certificate.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Students may take up to, but not more than, 9 credits of graduate study in the program before being admitted to the program. The credits transfer into the program, if the student is admitted. Students completing non-matriculated courses before being admitted to the program are NOT guaranteed admission.

Financing Opportunities: Financial support opportunities may include scholarships, tuition remission, and other financial aid such as grants, loans, and federal work study.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: March 1
Spring: November 1

Applicants should submit all required admissions documents by the application deadline to receive priority consideration for admission and financial support.

APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 2

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained to provide insight regarding the applicant's academic competence. References from college/university faculty are recommended.

Coursework Required for Admission Consideration: Prerequisites for admission to the Early Childhood Education M.Ed. program include courses taken at the undergraduate or graduate level with a grade of "C" or better earned in the following areas:

At least two courses (or 6 credits) in mathematics, excluding basic or remedial courses below the 1000 level.
At least two courses (or 6 credits) in language arts/English, including one course in writing/composition and one literature course.
At least one course (or 3 credits) each in science, history (American and World History recommended), and art or music.

A prerequisite evaluation is conducted upon receipt of the application and all official transcripts. All required prerequisites must be fulfilled before an applicant is eligible for admission.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A bachelor's degree is required. A minimum UGPA of 3.0 is expected.

International applicants should also submit an official document that validates completion and conferral of a degree, diploma, and/or certificate. While not required, international applicants are encouraged to submit transcript(s) to the World Education Services (WES) for evaluation.

Statement of Goals: In 500 to 1,000 words, outline your interest in seeking a master’s degree with a specific focus on the career to which you aspire, your interests, and your academic and job-related experiences that are relevant to the program.

Standardized Test Scores:
Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

TOEFL iBT: 79
IELTS Academic: 6.5
PTE Academic: 53

Resume: Current resume required.

Transfer Credit: Courses may be transferred from an accredited institution provided they were completed less than five years ago and are relevant to the program. The academic advisor makes the decision about the relevancy of the courses that the student desires to transfer. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 6.

Clearances: A Pennsylvania criminal background check, a federal criminal history check, a child abuse clearance, and a TB test are required upon enrollment.

Other Requirement: Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts from all accredited institutions attended and/or from which credit was earned must be submitted.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 37

Required Courses:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Foundational Courses
EDUC 5402	Child and Adol Develop	3
EPSY 8980	Seminar Series: Problems in Educational Psychology	3
Early Childhood Education Courses
ECED 5106	Early Literacy and Language Development: Birth-Kindergarten	3
ECED 5107	Mathematics Education for the Early Years: PreK-4	3
ECED 5108	Social Studies Education for the Early Years: PreK-4	3
ECED 5109	Science Education for the Early Years: PreK to 4	3
ECED 5206	Literacy Foundations for the Primary Grades: First through Fourth	3
Special Education and TESOL Courses
SPED 5211	Effective Instructional Strategies for Young Children with Disabilities	3
SPED 5666	Inclusive School Practices	3
TESL 5631	Foundations of Language Teaching: Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners	3
Culminating Courses
EDUC 5409	Research Methods and Induction Capstone	3
EDUC 5888	Supervised Teaching	4
Total Credit Hours		37

Culminating Events: Supervised teaching and its related research methods and capstone course are the culminating events for this program.

Courses

ECED 5106. Early Literacy and Language Development: Birth-Kindergarten. 3 Credit Hours.

The aim of this course is to provide students with foundational knowledge about the development of early language and literacy skills, their role in later reading and academic success, and the instructional practices that best support them. Students will develop essential practices for building early language and literacy competence in diverse classroom settings. This course includes 20 hours of stages 1, 2, and 3 field experience competencies.