Requirements

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

1. An undergraduate degree in early childhood education, child development, elementary education, or a related field.
2. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A = 4.00).
3. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
4. Transcripts, recommendations for admission, and a personal statement, i.e., a response to three essay prompts, are part of the School of Graduate Studies and Early Childhood Education application procedure. The personal statement essay should be 2-3 pages in length and the prompts are:
   1. What have you already done professionally or personally of which you are proud? Please include a chronological history of all professional teaching and administration experience, as well as academic honors or achievements you earned.
   2. What are the characteristics, attitudes, values, and/or skills that you think will make you a good candidate for your professional role?
   3. Describe several personal and professional goals you would like to achieve in the next five years. Include in your description reasons why these goals are important to you.

Degree Requirements

The M.S. degree in Early Childhood Education is available in two options: non-thesis option and the thesis option. The program of study is developed together with the student’s advisor (non-thesis option, 32 credits) or with a student’s thesis committee (thesis option, 30 credits).

Non-Thesis Option:

1. Thirty-two credits including credits required for the major.
2. A minimum of two credits of T&L 997 Independent Study, or T&L 995 Scholarly Project.
3. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
4. All credits must be approved graduate level courses.
5. The program may include just the major, the major and the minor, or the major and a cognate area. The major must include 20 credits from the major department and the minor or cognate must include nine credits.
6. Completion of a two-credit practicum (60 hours) in an early childhood setting.
7. Preparation of a written independent study or scholarly project approved by the faculty adviser.

Thesis Option:

1. A minimum of 30 semester credits in a major field, including the credits granted for the thesis and the research leading to a 4-6-credit T&L 998 Thesis.
2. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
3. All credits must be approved graduate level courses.
4. The program may include just the major, the major and a minor, or the major and a cognate area. The major must include 20 credits from the major department and a minor or cognate must include nine credits.
5. Preparation and successful defense of a thesis.

This program of graduate study can be completed in 18 months going full-time or 24 months going part-time (two courses per semester). Courses are offered on campus, online and a combination of the two.

Required Courses:

Students are required to take T&L 580 Practicum in Schools. This practicum requires 60 hours in an early childhood setting, which could be the candidate’s work setting if it meets required accreditation standards.