Early Childhood Education Requirements

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Early Childhood Education prepares students for teaching children birth through grade two in private or state-approved settings. This degree is specifically designed to prepare future teachers of children up to the age of eight, therefore, students will be eligible to apply for the State of Illinois Professional Educator License with an endorsement in Early Childhood.

There are sequential steps for advancement in the Early Childhood Education major. Such advancement is based not only on continued satisfactory academic performance, but also on acceptable professional behaviors and competencies as reflected in the state and national standards for licensure for teachers.

Teacher candidates are required to demonstrate their mastery of these standards through their performance in their courses and in the field. Teacher candidates must satisfactorily complete the requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program in order to begin their clinical practice in this major. Teacher candidates must earn a grade of C or better in EDUC 214 and CI 337 to enroll in CI 318A, CI 318B, and CI 405A, CI 405B. CI 318A, CI 318B, and CI 405A, CI 405B may not be taken more than two times, and teacher candidates must have the consent of the program to repeat these courses.

To be eligible for student teaching, teacher candidates must have attained a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in the major, attained a minimum overall grade point average of 2.75, and completed the following courses with a grade of C or better: CI 217, CI 225, CI 318A, CI 318B, CI 337, CI 361, CI 388, CI 405A, CI 405B, CI 413, CI 419, CI 426, CI 431, CI 432, EDUC 211, EDUC 214, EDUC 301, EDUC 302, EDUC 303, EDUC 308, EDUC 313, EDUC 319, EDUC 401A, KIN 202, and SPED 412. They must have made preliminary application for student teaching and be approved by the faculty of the Early Childhood Education major based on performance in the above courses.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Early Childhood Education Degree Requirements

Degree RequirementsCredit Hours
University Core Curriculum Requirements 39
To include: 2 credit hours in Human Health; 6 credit hours in Science; 6 credit hours in Social Science; ENGL 101, ENGL 102; CI 220/MATH 220 or MATH 108; CMST 101; UNIV 101; EDUC 211; 3 credit hours in Fine Arts and 6 credit hours in Humanities.
Requirements 44
CI 217, CI 225, CI 318A, CI 318B, CI 337, CI 361, CI 388, CI 405A, CI 405B, CI 413, CI 419, CI 426, CI 431, CI 432; KIN 202; and ECFS 330.
Professional Education Sequence 27
EDUC 214, EDUC 301, EDUC 302, EDUC 303, EDUC 308, EDUC 313, EDUC 319, EDUC 401A.
Electives 10
Total 120

Capstone Option for Transfer Students

The Capstone Option is available to students who have earned an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree, or an Associate of Engineering Science (A.E.S.) degree, or an equivalent certification, and who have a cumulative 2.0/4.0 GPA on all accredited coursework prior to the completion of the A.A.S./A.E.S., as calculated by the transfer institution's grading policies. The Capstone Option reduces the University Core Curriculum requirements from 39 to 30 credit hours, therefore reducing the time to degree completion. See the Capstone Option section for more information on this option.