Program Overview

Early Childhood Education

Educate Young Minds with an Early Childhood Education Degree

St. Catherine University's early childhood education degree is a comprehensive program that prepares you to be a confident and effective early childhood educator.

Preparing You to Be a Critically Informed Educator

Learn from experienced faculty and gain the skills you need to make a difference in the lives of young children.

In our early childhood education program, you'll learn the skills you need to become a socially aware and critically informed early childhood educator. You'll gain a foundation in child development, early childhood education, and teaching methods through hands-on and applied learning experiences. Learn to create inclusive, nurturing learning environments and impact young lives with our hands-on, Montessori-influenced program.

Options

• Early Childhood Licensure: Meet requirements for an early childhood (birth-8) teaching license in the State of Minnesota (may be applicable to licensure in other states). Student teaching requirements may be completed in or near your community. Complete licensure requirements as part of your first bachelor's degree or as a second-degree student.
• Degree Completion for Montessori Educators: Earn college credit for your previous Montessori credential and complete the remaining courses for a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education.
• Earn an American Montessori Society (AMS) teaching credential: Earn your Early Childhood Education Montessori AMS certificate (2.5-6 years) and a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education.
• Earn credit for your Child Development Associate (CDA) credential: Receive college credit for your previous CDA credential, applicable to your bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education.

Program at a Glance

• Classes meet: Online
• Time to completion: 2-4 years
• Credits for major: 50
• Cost per credit (2025–2026): $475
• Start: Fall, Spring, or Summer

Scholarships

• Jeri Grant Miller Scholarship: This $500 award may be used for any expenses related to your education at St. Kate's.
• Minnesota T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship: A scholarship for Minnesota's early childhood and school-age care professionals may cover most expenses including tuition, textbooks, travel stipends, and paid release time.
• Corporate Partnership Program: Students employed by St. Kate's partners receive a 10% reduction on tuition.

Credit for Prior Learning

Montessori

If you have earned a teaching credential from a training center accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), you'll be granted 25 St. Kate's credits for your Montessori teaching credential, which will be applied toward your 120-credit online early childhood education degree. This program will be fully online and asynchronous.

If you choose, you may also meet the requirements for a Minnesota license to teach children ages 0–8. In this option, you'll complete 100 hours of field experience throughout the program and a final student teaching experience — a full-time immersion in teaching at a school in or near your community. Students pursuing licensure will only be granted 19 credits for their Montessori credentials.

Child Development Associate

If you have a CDA, you can transfer that in for 5 credits and have ECED 1000: Introduction to Early Childhood Education and ECED 2600: Health, Wellness, and Nutrition waived from your program plan.

AMS Early Childhood Certificate (2.5 - 6 years old)

Are you seeking to earn an Early Childhood (Children’s House) Montessori credential? Students may choose to meet the requirements for the American Montessori Society early childhood credential. This program is a one-year program that begins with in-person courses in the summer, followed by a nine-month practicum.

Pre-Primary Certificate (3-6 years)

Do you already hold a Minnesota K-6 teaching license and want to add to your expertise? You may roll into this one-year asynchronous program to complete your pre-primary certificate and add the Pre-Primary endorsement to your current K-6 teacher license. You will take two classes in the fall, two in the spring and complete an 80-hour practicum in the summer to complete your program.

Associate of Applied Science

Our online associate degree in early childhood education will prepare you to meet the diverse needs of children today and into the future. All AAS courses will count toward St. Kate's bachelor's in early childhood education.

Career Outcomes

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