Academic Programs - Early Childhood Education
The Masters of Arts in Early Childhood Education, Pre-K to Grade 5 – ECCO
1. What is the purpose of ECCO?
ECCO is designed so that people with baccalaureate degrees in areas other than early childhood education can become certified as teachers of children in prekindergarten to grade 5.
2. Who can apply?
Anyone with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution may apply for ECCO.
3. What is the application process?
Applicants must complete department and graduate school application forms and submit transcripts, GRE or MAT scores, and three letters of recommendation. The department application form also calls for an essay of three to four pages.
Department faculty will first evaluate applicants based on the essay and letters of recommendation. Those applicants with the highest rankings will be invited to an on-campus interview, which will serve as the basis for the final admittance decision by the department. Grades and test scores will have to be of such a level as to be acceptable to the graduate school.
4. When do I apply?
Candidates are admitted to ECCO once a year. All application materials are due by January 15. The admissions process takes place during the spring semester; all the admitted candidates must be able to take the launching course during May and the beginning of June (Maymester). The course is offered on weekday evenings for the benefit of candidates who must continue to work during the day as they begin the program.
To insure that an MAT score or GRE scores are reported to the graduate school and the department by January 15, the tests should be taken by December 1.
5. How many applicants are accepted into ECCO each year?
Depending upon the availability of departmental resources, approximately 20 candidates will be admitted each year.
6. What are the initial program requirements?
All admitted candidates (a) must be able to take the launching course during the Maymester immediately following acceptance; (b) must be approved for a criminal background check, coordinated in the Office of Student Services, 122 Aderhold Hall, to be ready for field experience observations and volunteer practicum’s; and (c) pass or exempt the GACE I test.
The University of Georgia, College of Education, requires that a background check be performed on all students who will participate in any field experience including practicum, observation or student teaching. The background checks are conducted by PreCheck, Inc., a firm specializing in background checks. Your order must be placed online through StudentCheck. Background checks will be considered valid for one year, after which time a subsequent background check must be done.
Cost for your FIRST check: $49.50
Cost for your SECOND AND ALL SUBSEQUENT checks: $29.00
http://www.coe.uga.edu/student-services/field-experience/criminal-background-check-policy/precheck/
Students are exempt from having to pass the GACE I test if they have earned qualifying scores on the SAT (1000 total of verbal and mathematics scores), the ACT (43 total of English and mathematics scores), or the GRE (1030 total of verbal and quantitative scores).
7. How long will it take to complete the program?
Although all candidates admitted in a particular year take the launching course together, each candidate will progress through the program at her or his own pace. A candidate taking the maximum course load could complete all courses for certification except student teaching by the end of the spring semester following admittance (i.e., the courses could be completed during the first summer and the subsequent fall and spring semesters). Successful completion of coursework is not, however, sufficient for receiving a student teaching placement. Candidates must demonstrate their readiness for student teaching in an exhibition. Student teaching placements are offered only during the fall and spring semesters. At the point of exhibition, students will receive one of four evaluations: (1) 10 weeks of student teaching, (2) 15 weeks of student teaching, (3) needs more field experience or coursework prior to student teaching (4) advised to graduate without certification.
Certification will be recommended after a candidate successfully completes (a) an undergraduate or graduate course in special education to meet Georgia certification requirements, (b) 11 of 12 courses required for the master’s degree, (c) any additional courses required on the basis of the faculty’s analysis of the candidate’s previous coursework and experiences, (d) student teaching, and (e) the GACE Early Childhood Education Content Assessment test.
A special feature of ECCO is that an induction course is the final (and required) course in the master’s degree program. The candidate will register for the induction course after certification is awarded, when she or he takes a teaching position. The course is scheduled to be offered once a year, in the fall term, and is designed to provide support for new teachers.
8. How much does the program cost?
The cost of completing the certification option and the master’s degree program will include, in addition to the cost of applying, the tuition, fees, and cost of course materials for 14 courses (12 three-hour graduate courses that will lead to the master’s degree, 1 three-hour undergraduate or graduate special education course, and 1 fifteen-hour graduate student teaching course) and the travel expenses (to campus and to school sites) that will vary from student to student. There may be additional expenses if a candidate is required to take other courses on the basis of the analysis of previous coursework and experience.
9. Will I have to quit my job?
A candidate willing to progress through the program at a pace of one or two courses a term could continue to hold a job until the student teaching semester.
10. What are the required courses?
The courses are described on the ECCO advisement sheet.
11. Are any of the courses offered online?
The required undergraduate special education course (SPED 2000) is currently offered online. Although a few other courses are occasionally offered online, candidates should expect to take most courses on campus.
12. Is the HOPE scholarship available?
The HOPE scholarship is not available for graduate students in ECCO.
