Program Overview

Early Childhood Education - M.A.T.

Overview

The Early Childhood Education M.A.T. program is designed for those who already hold a bachelor's degree in a field other than education and want to become licensed teachers. With a focus on early childhood education, you'll gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the classroom and make a difference in the lives of young children.

Admissions

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Goal statement
• Questions in Anticipation of Licensure form
• Supplemental form
• Two letters of recommendation
• Interview
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

Coursework

• CI 67005: INTERCULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING (3 credits)
• ECED 50125: INQUIRY INTO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (3 credits)
• ECED 50203: CRITICAL INQUIRY: THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE FRAMEWORK (3 credits)
• ECED 50301: TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN K-5 CLASSROOMS (3 credits)
• ECED 50302: TEACHING PHONICS AND WORD STUDY (3 credits)
• ECED 50303: TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS I (3 credits)
• ECED 50304: TEACHING SCIENCE IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS (3 credits)
• ECED 50402: TEACHING READERS IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS (3 credits)
• ECED 50403: TEACHING WRITERS IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS (3 credits)
• ECED 50404: TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS II (3 credits)
• ECED 54444: DEVELOPMENT AND PEDAGOGY IN UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (3 credits)
• ECED 60103: SOCIAL STUDIES AND THE ARTS IN PRESCHOOL (3 credits)
• ECED 60113: PRESCHOOL EDUCATION (3 credits)
• ECED 60115: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS FOUNDATIONS FOR EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (3 credits)
• ECED 60151: SOCIOMORAL ENVIRONMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (3 credits)
• ECED 60152: APPLICATION OF SELECTED THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN (3 credits)
• ECED 60201: TEACHING EARLY READERS (3 credits)
• ECED 60392: CLINICAL EXPERIENCE PRIMARY III (1 credit)
• ECED 60492: CLINICAL EXPERIENCE PRIMARY IV (1 credit)
• ECED 63333: FAMILY-SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN DIVERSE SETTINGS (3 credits)
• ECED 67292: PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (8 credits)

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum Major GPA: 3.000
• Minimum Overall GPA: 3.000
• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

Licensure Information

Candidates seeking Ohio licensure are required to pass specific assessments in order to apply for licensure. Students should consult their advisors for specific program requirements and refer to the Ohio Department of Education-Educator Preparation website for more information on assessments specific to licensure type.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Co-construct curriculum as a co-worker with learners and others (parents, families, colleagues and community members) to make sound decisions for learning and teaching experiences, as opposed to being passive receivers of prescribed curriculum.
2. Synthesize conceptual understandings of children, theory, content, technology and socio-cultural contexts into meaningful activities and opportunities for learning with all students from pre-kindergarten to grade five.
3. Engage in the habit of self-assessment in order to continually uncover unknown possibilities in children’s learning, classroom practice, educational theory and one’s own teaching identity in the local and global context.
4. Become committed to the children and their learning, the families and the local community while having an awareness of the global context.
5. Engage in continuous self-improvement and lifelong learning.
6. Apply skills, knowledge and dispositions to challenge "questionable" policies that limit opportunities for all children.
7. Utilize research and theory to develop varied and effective pedagogies and assessments that will positively impact all students’ learning (learning and teaching is a transdisciplinary practice).
8. Advocate as ethical leaders and moral agents striving for social justice.
9. Acknowledge and practice multiple, multi-ethnic, multicultural, multiracial, multi- social and -economic and multilingual perspectives in a global society.

Full Description

The Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Early Childhood Education is for qualified students who possess at least a baccalaureate in a discipline other than teacher education. This program leads to Ohio licensure for teaching children in pre-kindergarten through grade five. Students have intensive, supervised field experiences in pre-school, primary and upper elementary grades, including those in urban/diverse settings.

This degree program requires 19 months of full-time study, which begins in mid-May of odd years and ends with a final student teaching experience and a December graduation.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.