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Early Childhood Education: Online Master’s Degree
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The early childhood education online courses are interactive, semester-long courses. Courses are based on a weekly format that includes lecture, assignments, text readings and discussion. Students can choose the most convenient times to complete course work within the week, being mindful of weekly deadlines. Because summer school courses proceed at a faster rate, students may expect twice weekly and sometimes daily deadlines.
Students admitted to the degree program are advised to start the program by selecting an ECE focus course and a core course from the list below. The objective is for students to integrate their study of theory and instructional design with their more focused courses on ECE practice. It is hoped that students will have ongoing practical experiences where they can apply what they are learning and begin the "reflective practitioner" process.
Students admitted to the degree program have first priority to enroll in the early childhood focus courses until July 15 for fall; Dec. 15 for spring; and May 1 for summer. After these dates, the courses are open for enrollment to students who are not in the program.
Faculty in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education have designed a new combined ECE/ECSE online master's degree program.
Beginning April 2008, all students admitted to ECE or ECSE will begin the new program, which consists of the following required courses:
Focus area (21 hours)
- SPC ED 8485 Introduction and Methods of Early Intervention
- SPC ED 8495 Introduction and Methods of Early Childhood Special Education
- SPC ED 8387 Seminar (Topic may vary each summer session.)
- LTC (C&I) 8900 Seminar: Developing Home-School Partnerships: Working with Families
- LTC (C&I) 8612 Advanced Early Childhood Curriculum
- LTC (C&I) 8900 Seminar: Language and Early Literacy Development
- LTC (C&I) 8900 Seminar: Advanced Assessment in Early Childhood Education
Core requirements (12 hours)
- Learning Theory
ESC PS 7160 Developmental Aspects of Human Learning - Instructional Leadership
ED LPA 8428 Curriculum Leadership - Instructional Technology
SISLT 9467 Technology to Enhance Learning - Research
SPC ED 8387 Seminar: Research Methods in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education (beginning fall 2008, all ECSE students will be required to take this course instead of SPC ED 8350)
Students who are currently in ECE or ECSE online programs will have some options about whether to take currently required courses or new ones.
Beginning fall 2008, ALL ECE and ECSE students will be required to take SPC ED 8387: Seminar: Research Methods in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education instead of LTC (C&I) 8915: Classroom Research.
Students who were admitted to either the ECE or ECSE program before March 2008 may choose which THREE of the following courses to take:
- SPC ED 8387 Seminar: Enhancing Social Competence
- SPC ED 8485 Introduction and Methods of Early Intervention
- SPC ED 8495 Introduction and Methods of Early Childhood Special Education
- ESC PS 7115 Human Learning
- LTC (C&I) 8900 Seminar: Instructional Strategies
Note: Enrolling in a course does not provide acceptance into the degree program. Students who are applying course credit toward a degree must be accepted into the degree program before they finish nine hours of course work.