Degree Programs
Scholarships. Assistantships, and Other Support for Students
Early Childhood Education
Graduate Study in Early Childhood Education: Master of Education (MEd) in Early Childhood Education
The Master of Education (MEd) degree in early childhood education is most appropriate for candidates who are already certified to teach children in pre-Kindergarten to grade 5. However, prospective students with certification in other areas and those who have an interest in children from infancy through their elementary school years and do not seek certification may also find the program to be valuable. Individuals who wish to earn a master’s degree while gaining pre-K to grade 5 certification should see the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program for early childhood education.
Prospective candidates for the Master of Education degree program must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. An applicant's cumulative grade point for all undergraduate courses must be 2.8 or above on a four-point scale. Before admission, applicants must have taken either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with a minimum score of 850 total and at least 400 verbal and 400 quantitative, or the Miller Analogies Test with a minimum score of 402.
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Application Procedure
Applicants must submit to the Graduate School:
- The Graduate School application form
- Application fee
- Two official copies of transcripts from all institutions attended
- Official scores from GRE or Miller Analogies Test.
- For international students, official TOEFL or IELTS scores
The department requires three letters of recommendation from individuals acquainted with the applicant’s academic or teaching abilities. Names of referees must be included in the Graduate School application form, page 3. Letters will be solicited by the Graduate School and submitted on-line.
Deadlines: All application material must be received by March 1 for matriculation in either Summer or Fall terms, or by October 1 for matriculation in Spring term.
Upon admission, each student is assigned a faculty advisor who will assist in course selection. Program faculty also provide advisement through group advisement meetings at the start of a student's program and once each semester thereafter. Students must communicate with their advisor every semester to plan coursework and to be cleared for registration. A final program of study must be filed with the Graduate School no later than the first week of the semester in which the student plans to graduate. Students are responsible for conforming to published policies and for carrying out procedural requirements such as filing appropriate forms in a timely manner.
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Course of Study for the Master of Education in Early Childhood Education
The Master of Education in Early Childhood Education degree requires at least 36 semester hours of coursework covering the five areas noted in the program summary, below. The degree requirements also include an Exit Examination and completion of two surveys, the department’s Multicultural Education Survey and its Exit Survey.
Program Summary
Curriculum and Teaching 12 semester hours minimum
Social foundations 3 semester hours minimum
Psychological foundations 3 semester hours minimum
Elementary school subject areas 3 semester hours minimum
Research and evaluation 3 semester hours minimum
Total: 36 semester hours minimum
At least 18 semester hours must be in courses with an EDEC or EDMS prefix; at least 9 semester hours must be taken outside the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education. At least 1 course must meet the diversity requirement.
* courses that satisfy the diversity requirement
Curriculum and Teaching (12 semester hours minimum)
Required Courses:
EDEC 7010 Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education
EDEC 7020 Theory and Curriculum in Early Childhood EducationElective Courses:
EDEC 7050 Teaching in Elementary Schools (P–5)
EDEC 7060 Academic Community Learning
EDEC 7130 Teaching Styles in the Elementary Classroom
EDEC 7160 Instructional Strategies for Early Childhood Education
EDEC 7190 Educational Environments for Young Children: Birth–Eight
EDEC 7420 Organization and Management of Early Childhood Classrooms
Social Foundations (3 semester hours minimum)
EDEC 7120 Children’s Social Lives*
EDEC 7180 Understanding Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Schools (corequisite: EDEC 7180L)*
EDEC 8140 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Learning Environments for Children and Young Adolescents*
EDEC 8150 Research and Theory in Family-School-Community Interactions*
EFND 7040 History of Education in the United States
EFND 7100 Gender and Education*
EFND 7110 Race, Class, and Education*
EFND 7120 Sociological Theories of Education
EFND 7140 The Social and Cultural Context of Teaching*
EFND 7150 Anthropology of Education
EFND 7200 Multicultural Education in the United States*
EFND 7210 Examining Race and Culture in Education Reform and Policy*
ELAN 7040 Language and Culture in the Classroom*
SOCI 6060 Sociology of Education
Psychological Foundations (3 semester hours minimum)
EDEC 7110 The Educational Role of Play in Early Childhood Education
EDEC 7200 Developmental Issues of Elementary School Learners
EDEC 8120 Social Constructivist Approaches to Understanding Classroom Motivation
EPSY 6010 Foundations of Human Development for Education
EPSY 6060 Foundations of Motivation for Education
EPSY 6800 Foundations of Cognition for Education
Elementary School Subject Areas
ARED 7310 Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Study in Art Education*
ARED 7350 Teaching of Art in the Elementary School
CHFD 7130 Creative Activities for Young Children
EDIT 6150 Introduction to Computer-Based Education
ELAN 6100 Language Arts, Grades P–5
ELAN 6310 Survey of Children’s Literature, Grades P–8
ELAN 6631 Bilingualism and Bilingual Education*
ELAN 7016 Folk Literature, Grades P–12
ELAN 7310 Children’s Literature in the Curriculum, Grades P–8
ELAN 7318 Culturally Diverse Children’s Literature, Grades P–8*
ELAN 7320 Writing Pedagogy, Grades P–8
ELAN 7330 Storytelling and the Oral Tradition, Grades P–8
ELAN 7630 ESOL, Grades P–12*
EMAT 6410 Mathematical Learning in PreK–Grade 5
EMAT 6420 Mathematics Methods for Early Childhood Education
ESCI 6200 Science, Technology, and Society
ESCI 6230 Environmental Science Education
ESCI 6420 Science for Early Childhood Education
ESCI 7020 Teaching Science in the Elementary School
ESOC 7420 Social Studies for the Young Child
HPRB 6420 Health Education in Early Childhood Education
PEDS 6300 Physical Education for the Elementary School
PEDS 7060 Human Diversity in Curriculum and Instruction*
READ 6010 Foundations of Reading Instruction
READ 6020 Children with Reading Problems
READ 6420 Literacy Development and Instruction in Early Childhood
READ 7110 Computer-Based Instruction in Reading Education
Research and Evaluation (3 semester hours minimum)
EDEC 7170 Evaluation of the Elementary School
EDEC 7500 Action Research
ERSH 6200 Methods of Research in Education
ERSH 6600 Applied Educational Assessment
Other courses may be substituted by advisement.
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Earning Additional Endorsements
It is possible to earn additional endorsements while earning the MEd degree. Note, however, that there is no guarantee that all of the courses required for a particular endorsement will fit within the 12 courses in the program of study for the master's degree. Endorsements typically sought by MEd candidates (and the required courses for each endorsement) include:
- Early Childhood Mathematics (EMAT 6410, 6420; MATH 7001, 7002, 7003)
- ESOL (ELAN 7040, 7630, 7730)
- Gifted In-Field (EPSY 7060, 7110, 7230, 7250)
- Preschool Special Education (SPED 7100, 7200; CMSD 6540)
- Reading (READ 6010, 6020, 6420).
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