ME Early Childhood Education Courses
There are two tracks within the program.
1. The Professional License Track is a Master’s Degree program designed for those who possess the Initial
License or its equivalent. This track fulfills the full licensure
requirements set by the Massachusetts Department of Education for a
teacher of Early Childhood Education (P-2) and leads toward the
Professional Teaching License. (34 credits total)
Prerequisites: Initial License or its equivalent in Early Childhood Education
The program consists of the following courses:
I. Core requirements: (Required of all students – 10 credits)
- ED 981 Advanced Foundations of Education 3 credits
- ED 982 Research in Education 3 credits
- ED 993 Seminar: Research in Content Concentration 3 credits
- ED 992 Portfolio Evaluation (to be taken last) 1 credit
II. Core Content Courses: (Required of all students, except for those who can demonstrate recent
mastery of the content area. With the approval of the program
coordinator, those students must document mastery and may elect higher
level or alternate courses. – 12 credits)
- ED 920 Cognitive/Affective Learning for Typical and Atypical Children 3 credits.
- CD 910 Speech/Language Development, Differences, Diversity 3 credits
- EE 911 Early Literacy for Young Children 3 credits
- EE 912 Young Children and Inclusive Early Childhood Practices 3 credits
III. Content across the curriculum courses: (Students must elect a minimum of three of these courses, which have
been developed and/or taught in conjunction with liberal arts and
sciences faculty members. Students may choose to elect graduate level
courses in the content areas which they teach: English, Mathematics,
Science, History, Fine Art, or Reading – 9 credits)
- EE 900 Literature for Young Children 3 credits
- EE 903 Language Arts in Early Childhood: Content, Curriculum, Evaluation, Methods and Materials 3 credits
- EE 904 Exploring Science in Early Childhood Education 3 credits
- EE 913 Social Studies in Early Childhood: Content, Curriculum, Evaluation, Methods and Materials 3 credits
- EE 916 Mathematics in early Childhood: Content, Curriculum, Evaluation, Methods and Materials 3 credits
- EE 917 The Fine Arts in early Childhood: Content, Curriculum, Evaluation, Methods and Materials 3 credits
IV. Electives 3 credits
Students
may select additional content across the curriculum courses or may
select two courses from electives offered by the department. Students
may elect an area of focus by choosing electives and completing their
research projects in a specific area.
Total 34 credits.
2. The Professional Development (Non-Licensure) Track is designed for students who wish to enhance competence within an
existing career in preschool, early intervention, nursery school, day
care, kindergarten, or first through second grade.
Prerequisites: General Admission Requirements located at:
www.worcester.edu/Graduate
The program consists of the following courses:
- ED 981 Advanced Foundations of Education 3 credits
- ED 982 Research in Education 3 credits
- ED 993 Seminar: Research in Content Concentration 3 credits
- ED 992 Portfolio Evaluation 1 credit
- ED 920 Cognitive and Affective Learning for Typical and Atypical Children 3 credits
- EE 912 Young Children and Inclusive Early Education Practices 3 credits
- CD 910 Speech and Language Development 3 credits
- EE 911 Early Literacy for Young Children 3 credits
Electives 12 credits
Total Credits: 34
Note: Teachers in the
field of Early Childhood Education are certified in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts by two licensing agencies. Public school teachers teaching
preschool through grade two are licensed by the Massachusetts
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Teachers who teach at
the preschool level in day care and nursery school programs are
certified by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.
It is possible for students to complete many or all of the requirements
set by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care for
certification as Preschool Teacher, Preschool Lead Teacher or Director
I, Director II.