Early Childhood Education

There are three opportunities available for students who are seeking initial certification from the state of Georgia to teach children from prekindergarten to grade 5: the undergraduate partnership program, the undergraduate prekindergarten to grade 2 emphasis, and the master's-level early childhood certification option (ECCO). A fourth option, a master of arts in teaching program with a focus on young children, is under review by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. The P-2 emphasis is administered in collaboration with the Department of Child and Family Development in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, and with faculty in special education in the College of Education. All three early childhood education initial preparation programs emphasize the importance of diversity and provide the preservice teachers with a strong foundation for meeting the needs of all children in classrooms and other educational settings.

Students may enhance their preparation as teachers or develop expertise as teacher educators in master's, specialist, and doctoral programs in early childhood education.

The master's-level advanced preparation program is intended to extend and blend the theoretical and practical understanding of students who already hold initial certification. Students are encouraged to become more familiar with research and are provided opportunities to develop their skills as action researchers. Students also have opportunities to include courses for teaching endorsements - such as ESOL, gifted, and reading endorsements - into their programs of study.

Students typically choose either the specialist or the doctoral program for their terminal degree work, though students with a specialist degree sometimes go on to complete a doctorate. The specialist program is most often selected by individuals who focus their careers primarily on teaching and curriculum leadership at the pre-collegiate level; the doctoral program, by those who aspire to teach and conduct research at the college or university level. Classroom teachers may, however, select the doctoral program with the intention of staying in or returning to the classroom after completing the degree. The greater the interest in becoming a researcher, the more likely that the choice should be the doctoral program.

In the doctoral program, students are expected to develop research and teaching skills, engage in intensive study of educational issues, and conduct and disseminate original educational research. Unlike master's or specialist programs, which can typically be completed in a year of full-time or two years of part-time study, the doctoral program requires more than three years of intensive study and research. The program of study is not simply a list of courses to be completed but a comprehensive set of experiences that the student designs with the support of the major professor and advisory committee, and the dissertation is expected to be a unique contribution to the scholarly literature. A number of doctoral students also work as graduate assistants, which gives them opportunities to develop their skills as teachers of undergraduates and to sharpen their research skills. In addition to becoming college or university faculty, graduates of the program sometimes take leadership positions in school districts, government agencies, or other educational organizations.