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Academic Program

Early Childhood Education

Master's Degree

The Masters degree program in Curriculum & Instruction: Early Childhood Education Specialization is an advanced degree program leading to the awarding of a Masters of Education degree (M.Ed.). The program focuses on the early childhood years, birth through age eight, with an emphasis on the preschool through primary grade years (ages three through eight) and early intervention. The program is designed to build on candidates' prior education and experience in the field of early childhood education and is not, therefore, an initial teacher licensure program in early childhood education (pre-k through third grade). Individuals who have existing early childhood or special education teacher licensure may obtain the Early Childhood Intervention Specialist (ECIS) initial teaching license through this graduate program by completing the approved 30 credit hour sequence. In addition to practicing teachers in the field, the program is appropriate for any professional interested in the development and education of young children including but not limited to administrators, agency personnel, child life specialists, social workers, nurses, and policy advocates.

The graduate faculty members in the Early Childhood Education program come from a range of educational and experiential backgrounds and offer students a diverse set of interests and areas of expertise. Despite this diversity, a number of themes weave their way through the courses and experiences offered to students in the program. These themes include:

• An emphasis on the importance of child development knowledge for informing decisions concerning program development and teaching practices.
• A belief that children are actively involved in the construction of knowledge and their understandings of the physical and social worlds.
• A respect and valuing of individual differences among children including differences in: cultural and linguistic backgrounds; rates of development; styles of learning; and interests and abilities.
• A commitment to the development of educational environments and practices that include all children to the greatest extent possible for the purposes of fostering and facilitating their human potential.
• A belief that the early childhood professional must serve as an advocate for young children and the ability to do so is fostered by a process of continual learning, dialogue with other professionals in the field, and reflection