Master's Program Information

Concentration in Early Childhood Education

The M.A. concentration in Early Childhood Education is designed to accommodate students with a wide assortment of professional interests in the field of education, whether students are new to the field or have considerable experience in the study of teaching. The program allows students to pursue the traditional route leading to teacher certification or to design individualized programs leading to administration, curriculum development, supervision, teaching child development and early education on a secondary level, or some other related area.

Students who are new to the field of education are most likely to want to prepare for classroom teaching and seek one of the two programs leading to certification. These are (1) Early Childhood Teacher, Pre-K through Grade 3 and (2) Elementary Teacher, Grades 1 - 6. It is possible in many states to teach nursery and day care without holding state certification by accumulating sufficient relevant course work, including field-based experiences. However, certification enables a teacher to enter the public schools, a very important consideration, especially since increasingly, classrooms for preschool children fall under the responsibility of the public schools. In sum, students taking the concentration in Early Childhood Education have three broad options:

1. Seeking certification to teach in the public schools and entering one of the two programs leading to certification (Pre-K through Grade 3) or (Grades 1-6). Please see the section of this handbook on Teacher Certification Programs on p. 3x for detailed descriptions of the course of study for the teacher certification programs.
   
2. Preparing to teach in preschools, day care centers, or private elementary schools where certification is not required. (As suggested above, this is not recommended unless there is a special reason for doing so.)
   
3. Designing an individualized program with a particular focus leading to administration, curriculum development, supervision, teaching child development and early education on a secondary level, or some other related area.

The course requirements for the M.A. concentration in Early Childhood Education are as follows:

1. Theory: two of the following:
   • CD 211 Contemporary Perspectives on Child Development
   • CD 151 Advanced Intellectual Development
   • CD 155 The Young Child's Development of Language
   • CD 161 Personal-Social Development
2. Research Methods: One of the following*:
   • CD 142 Problems of Research: Methods and Design
   • CD 144 Qualitative and Ethnographic Methods
   • CD 247 Program Evaluation may count as a Research Methods course, if the student's interests are in social policy.
     
     *Note: All students must check with their Program Advisers to determine which of the three Research Methods courses best fits their program goals.
     
3. CD 270 Seminar in Education
4. Three Concentration Electives
5. Two Open Electives (CD 140 Statistics required for M.A. Thesis)
6. Thesis, Internship, Supervised Teaching (CD 130, CD 135, CD 136), or Supervision (CD 235) relevant to Early Childhood Education

M.A. Early Childhood Education Concentration Electives:

• CD 145/ED 182 Technological Tools for Thinking and Learning
• CD 153 Culture and Learning
• CD 170 Seminar in Early and Elementary Education
• CD 171 Curricula for Young Children
• CD 172 Reading and Language Arts for Young Children
• CD 174 Designing Educational and Therapeutic Environments
• CD 176 Children's Literature
• CD 177 Bilingual Children in U.S. Schools
• CD 178 Creative Movement
• CD 179 Child Art
• CD 181 Child Care: Policy and Practice
• CD 183 Child Advocacy and Educational Rights
• CD 184S Science and Math Curricula for Teachers of Young Children
• CD 190 Children with Special Needs
• CD 196 Curriculum for Children with Special Needs
• CD 197 Learning Disorders
• CD 281 Consultation Strategies
• CD 296 Seminar in Special Education

Courses offered by other departments, such as the Department of Education, can be used to fulfill the concentration elective requirements with approval from the Program Adviser.

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