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.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• 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) by earning one of the following:
  • Minimum 550 TOEFL PBT score
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL IBT score
  • Minimum 77 MELAB score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 Duolingo English score

Applicants will be assessed holistically, considering academic credentials; standardized test scores of reading, writing and mathematics; academic or professional references; non-academic dimensions; and other specific program criteria.

Application Deadlines

• Summer Term
  • Priority deadline: February 1
    Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

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.

Program Requirements

¹

Teacher candidates are only permitted to repeat a field experience course once. Please see Repeating Field Experience Courses in Teacher Education Programs policy for details.

Graduation Requirements

• In order to qualify for graduation, the student must have a 3.000 average in all graduate courses attempted.

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.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation

Full Description

The Master of Education degree in Early Childhood Education prepares critically reflective teachers with advanced knowledge in pre-school through primary multi-disciplinary curriculum. Students are prepared to be democratically accountable leaders, co-decision makers, pedagogical experts and committed professionals in various early childhood realms. The program emphasizes commitment to equitable and caring learning communities.

Ohio endorsements for pre-school and literacy endorsement or generalist (grades four and five) may be embedded in the program. In addition, students have the opportunity to receive an International Baccalaureate (IB) recognition award in the M.Ed. degree.

The Early Childhood Education major includes the following optional concentrations:

• The Early Childhood Leadership: Advocacy, Curriculum and Policy concentration commonly appeals to teachers who desire to further their own early childhood programs, become master teachers and/or enhance their own leadership on behalf of young children and professionals who work with them. Students delve into issues and trends in the field, reconceptualize practice, understand and deconstruct/reconstruct policy understandings and complete their own independent research as an inquiry exit project or thesis.
• The Globalization and Intercultural Competence concentration is designed for teachers who are searching for research-based solutions to the learning and teaching of international students and/or who want to build intercultural competence to meet the demands of growing or changing immigrant and refugee populations in the classroom.
• The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics concentration provides students the opportunity to engage children in interdisciplinary instruction; gain experience working with and integrating technology; and integrate STEM to break down traditional boundaries.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• 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
• Two letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
  • Minimum 550 TOEFL PBT score (paper-based version)
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL IBT score (Internet-based version)
  • Minimum 77 MELAB score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 Duolingo English Test score

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Rolling admissions
• Spring Semester
  • Rolling admissions
• Summer Term
  • Rolling admissions

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 in pre-kindergarten to grade three.
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, multi-economic and multilingual perspectives in a global society.

Program Requirements

Additional Requirements for Students Not Declaring a Concentration

¹

Courses fulfilling major program requirements (listed above) may not be used to also fulfill the requirements for the additional major electives.

Early Childhood Leadership: Advocacy, Curriculum and Policy Concentration Requirements

Globalization and Intercultural Competence Concentration Requirements

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Concentration Requirements

Graduation Requirements

Students are guided by faculty in the development of a program of study that satisfies both individual professional goals and expectations of the school, college and university. All students are expected to complete an exit project that involves a practicum or action research project.

Students completing the M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education must take at least 32 credit hours for completion. No more than 50 percent of the program’s coursework may be at the 50000 level

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Full Description

The Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Early Childhood Education focuses on professional preparation and application of current theory, methods and practices for future teachers of preschool to grade five classrooms. Students form a cohort and complete the five-block sequence of courses while gaining teaching experiences linked to coursework. All students complete field and practicum experiences in diverse settings, including urban and inclusive programs, and accumulate approximately 1,200 clock hours of field experience in preschool and elementary classrooms.

Graduates of the program who pass the State of Ohio Assessment Tests are eligible for Ohio licensure in Early Childhood, which is valid for teaching children, age three through grade five, who are typically developing, at-risk, gifted or who have mild/moderate educational needs.

Graduates also have the opportunity to receive an International Baccalaureate recognition certificate concurrent with the completion of the B.S.E. degree.

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.

Admission Requirements

Admission to this major is selective. As part of an enrollment management plan, students are admitted to the advanced study portion of the Early Childhood Education major on a selective basis. A maximum of 100 students will be admitted to advanced study each academic year. A minimum 2.750 overall high school grade point average is required. Students seeking admission to this program must meet all professional requirements for admission to advanced study and have a minimum 2.750 overall GPA in all previous undergraduate coursework. Because of the instituted enrollment management plan, meeting the above requirements does not automatically provide students admittance to the advanced study portion of the Early Childhood Education major. Faculty will select the most qualified applicants based upon the number of available student spaces, student essays and overall GPA. Students should contact the Vacca Office of Student Services, 304 White Hall, during the first year of study to inquire into the procedures associated with admission to advanced study and selective admission to the Early Childhood Education program.

Students who do not meet the GPA requirement at the time of admission for this major will be admitted to the EHHS General non-degree program until which time they have established a Kent State GPA of 2.750. They may then submit a change of program to declare this major.

Current Kent State and Transfer Students: Active Kent State students who wish to change their major must have attempted a minimum 12 credit hours at Kent State and meet all admission criteria listed above to be admitted. Students who have not attempted 12 credit hours at Kent State will be evaluated for admission based on their high school GPA for new students or transfer GPA for transfer students. Transfer students who have not attempted 12 credit hours of college-level coursework at Kent State and/or other institutions will be evaluated based on both their high school GPA and college GPA.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the 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 sociocultural contexts into meaningful activities and opportunities for learning with all preschool-to-grade five students.
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; engage in continuous self-improvement and lifelong learning.
5. Apply skills, knowledge and dispositions to challenge “questionable” policies that limit opportunities for all children.
6. 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).
7. Advocate as ethical leaders and moral agents striving for social justice.
8. Acknowledges and practices multiple, multi-ethnic, multicultural, multiracial, multi- social and -economic and multilingual perspectives in a global society.

Program Requirements

¹

Teacher candidates are only permitted to repeat a field experience course once. Please see Repeating Field Experience Courses in Teacher Education Programs policy for details.

²

A laboratory course must be selected from one of two elective lists.

Progression Requirements

Students must meet all professional requirements for admission to advanced study.

To manage enrollment and deliver high-quality programs, the faculty will select the most qualified applicants for admission based upon evaluation of academic success (overall GPA) at Kent State University; non-academic criteria and other specific program criteria.

Please be aware that reapplication may be necessary if postponing advanced study coursework or if withdrawn for one year or more.

Graduation Requirements

• A minimum C grade is required in most courses; view the program requirements to see specific courses.

Licensure Information

Candidates seeking Ohio licensure are required to pass specific assessments in order to apply for licensure. See Ohio Department of Education-Educator Preparation website for more information on assessments specific to licensure type. Taking and passing the licensure tests prior to graduation is encouraged but not required.

Students must apply for State of Ohio Licensure (defined by completion of all licensure program requirements) within 12 months of program completion. After 12 months, applicants must meet state-approved program/licensure requirements that are in effect at the time of application. This means that students who apply after the 12-month deadline may have to take additional coursework if the content, methods courses, program requirements or licensure requirements have changed from the catalog in force.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus
  • Salem Campus
  • Tuscarawas Campus

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation