Early Childhood Education - BA, BS

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Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Department of Teacher Education and Leadership

About This Degree

Those who graduate in early childhood education are qualified to teach in preschool settings and can become licensed to teach kindergarten through third grade. All students gain a broad knowledge in early childhood education subjects.

Students are also required to participate in practicums and field experiences. Utah State’s program in early childhood education is unique in that students have the opportunity to work with children starting their first year in the program rather than waiting until their junior year, which is typical at other universities. By the time students graduate, they will have spent more than 600 hours in eight different practicum experiences.

For more information about Early Childhood Education, see the department webpage.
Admitted and current students must meet with an advisor (435-797-0391).
Log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
The highest math requirement for this degree is MATH 2020 - Euclidean Geometry and Statistics for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) .

Minimum University Requirements

Total Credits: 120
Credits of C- or better: 100
Total credits taken at USU: 30
Credits of upper-division courses required for the major taken at USU: 10
Minimum Grade Point Average (many majors require a higher GPA): 2.0 GPA
Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above): 40
Upper-division credits taken at USU: 20
General Education Requirements
University Studies Requirements
Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Admission Requirements For This Program

New freshmen must be admitted to USU in Good Standing.
Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU must have a 2.00 overall GPA.

Additional Information

Students receive a BS by completing all required courses in the major. To receive a BA, students must also gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

This program requires a 3.0 GPA in required major courses. Program requirements may not be taken for a pass/fail grade, except for those courses that are only taught pass/fail.

In addition to satisfying the basic Communications Literacy (CL) general education requirement, students in this major must receive a grade of C+ or better in both ENGL 1010 and ENGL 2010 .

A dual major program is available in Early Childhood Education and Special Education: Birth to 5 Emphasis. See department website for more information.
A dual major program is available for Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. See department website for more information.
A dual licensure program is available for Special Education Birth to Age 5 Emphasis majors with Early Childhood Education majors in the School of TEAL. See the Special Education website for more information.

Major Requirements

Mathematics Requirements (10 credits)

MATH 1051 or MATH 1050 require a grade of C- or better. MATH 2010 and MATH 2020 require a grade of C or better.

MATH 1051 - Classical Algebra for Teachers (QL) 4 credit(s) or
MATH 1050 - College Algebra (QL) 4 credit(s)
MATH 2010 - Algebraic Thinking & Number Sense for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) 3 credit(s)
MATH 2020 - Euclidean Geometry and Statistics for Elementary Education School Teachers (QI) 3 credit(s)

Preparation Courses

Unless otherwise noted, these courses require a grade of B- or better.

ELED 1010 - Orientation to Elementary Education 3 credit(s) or
TEAL 1010 - Introduction to Education 3 credit(s)
HDFS 1500 - Human Development Across the Lifespan (BSS) 3 credit(s) (minimum grade of C or better)
ELED 2480 - Early Childhood Education Kindergarten Through Grade 3 3 credit(s)
TEAL 2660 - Educational Psychology for Teachers 2 credit(s)

Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction Core (37 credits)

A grade of B- or better is required for those courses taken prior to program admission. A grade of B- or better is required for those courses taken after receiving program admission for continuation in the program.

Courses that may be taken prior to program admission (grade of B- or better needed for program admission):
ITLS 5500 - Integration and Innovation of Technology in Education 3 credit(s)
SPED 4000 - Education of Students with Disabilities 3 credit(s)
Note: Students are strongly encouraged to wait to take this course with ELED 4150 and ELED 4040 .
ELED 4061 - Teaching Elementary School Mathematics I: Rational Numbers, Operations, and Proportional Reasoning 3 credit(s)
Prerequisite courses: MATH 2010 , MATH 2020 .
Arts Methods (1 course required)
ART 3700 - Elementary Art Methods 3 credit(s)
MUSC 3260 - Elementary School Music 3 credit(s)
THEA 3320 - Movement Exploration for Elementary Education Majors 3 credit(s)
THEA 3330 - Drama for Classroom Teachers 3 credit(s)
THEA 3340 - Methods of Teaching Drama, Grades K-6 3 credit(s)
THEA 3380 - Drama Across the Curriculum, Grades K-12 3 credit(s)
Courses that require program admission (grade of B- or better needed for program continuation):

Foundations Block
ELED 3000 - Historical, Social, and Cultural Foundations of Education (CI) 3 credit(s)
ELED 3002 - Foundations Practicum 1 credit(s)
ELED 3100 - Classroom Reading Instruction 3 credit(s)
Note: ELED 3000 , ELED 3002 , and ELED 3100 must be taken together.
ELED 3050 - PE and Health in the Elementary Classroom 2 credit(s)
ELED 4150 - Assessment and Differentiation Across the Curriculum 3 credit(s)
ELED 5105 - Motivation and Classroom Management 3 credit(s)
TEAL 5710 - Instruction for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners 3 credit(s)
Literacy Clinical Block
ELED 4040 - Reading Assessment and Intervention (CI) 2 credit(s)
ELED 4042 - Reading Assessment and Intervention Practicum 1 credit(s)
ELED 4049 - Foundations of Reading Review 1 credit(s)
Note: ELED 4040 and ELED 4042 must be taken together.
TEAL 3080 - Integrating Arts into Academic Learning (DHA) 3 credit(s)
It is strongly recommended to take TEAL 3080 with ELED 4040 and ELED 4042 .

Content Pedagogy Core (12 credits)

(Program admission required) (B- or better)

Methods Block

These courses must be taken together.

ELED 4020 - Teaching Science in Elementary School 2 credit(s)
ELED 4030 - Teaching Language Arts (CI) 2 credit(s)
ELED 4050 - Teaching Social Studies in Elementary School 2 credit(s)
ELED 4056 - Elementary Content Practicum 4 credit(s)
ELED 4062 - Teaching Elementary School Mathematics II: Number, Operations, and Algebraic Reasoning 2 credit(s)

Early Childhood Required Courses (35 credits)

Credits in different categories vary slightly for ECE majors and ELED/ECE dual majors. See advisor for more information.

Employment Options

ELED 5050 - Student Teaching - Early Childhood 3-9 credit(s) (enroll in 3 credits)
ELED 5150 - Student Teaching: Elementary 3-9 credit(s) (enroll in 6 credits)
ELED 5250 - Elementary Education Student Teaching Seminar 3 credit(s)

Early Childhood Requirement

Must receive grade of B- or better for program continuation.

HDFS 2600 - Seminar in Early Childhood Education 2 credit(s)
HDFS 2630 - Practicum in Early Childhood Education 2 credit(s) (enroll in 2 credits) Students should register for 2 credits.
HDFS 4550 - Preschool Methods and Curriculum 3 credit(s)
HDFS 4960 - Practice Teaching in Child Development Laboratories 3 or 6 credit(s) (enroll in 6 credits)**
**Must be taken separately from other student teaching courses.

Additional Professional Elective Requirement

Students in the dual ELED/ECE major should take 9 credits of electives (see advisor for details) while students in the Early Childhood Education major should see their advisor to determine the additional number of credits needed to fulfill the 120 credit requirement.

Open Electives

Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Please consult your Academic Advisor for details.

Total Credits: 120-126

Suggested Degree Map - Early Childhood Education BA, BS

Early Childhood Education BA, BS - 4 Year Degree Map