Early Childhood Education Program

The School of Education at Saint Xavier University prepares educators who are broadly and liberally educated, competent in content methodologies, and skillful in teaching all children in contemporary schools. The program in Early Childhood Education is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education and is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. This information outlines requirements for an initial Early Childhood Education Certificate (Type 04) in the State of Illinois as well as coursework required for the Master of Arts in Education.

Program Requirements:

General Education Courses

  • Requirements for graduation and the Illinois Content - Area Standards for certification programs
  • Professional Education Courses
  • Area of Concentration Courses
  • General education courses, if needed

Required Professional Education Courses

CSDI 305* Development of Language in the Young Child
EDUG 413 Survey of Students with Exceptionalities for the Regular Classroom Teacher
EDUG 426 History and Philosophy of Early Childhood Education
EDUG 427 Child, Family and Community Relationships
EDUG 429 Methods and Curriculum of Pre-Primary Education
EDUGL 429 Lab; Methods and Curriculum of Pre-Primary Education
EDU 430 Methods and Curriculum of Primary Education
EDUGL 430 Lab; Methods and Curriculum of Primary Education
EDUG 431 Methods of Reading with an Emphasis on the Young Child
EDUG 432 Developmental Assessment of Young Children
EDUG 443 Directed Teaching-Early Childhood Education
EDUG 445 Seminar in Teaching and Learning
EDUG 470 Profession of Teaching
EDUG 506 Advanced Child Growth and Development

*CSDI 305 is a program requirement for certification and does not apply toward the Master of Arts degree.

Graduate Program Core Courses

EDUG 511 Foundational Topics in Education: Scholarly Reading and Writing
EDUG 512 Assessment of Instruction and Learning
EDUG 513 Educational Research Design and Development
EDUG 514 Scholarship of Teaching: Finalizing the Inquiry Process
or
Two graduate courses at the School of Education at Saint Xavier University

General Education Courses

The general education courses, which address requirements for Illinois certification, may have been met within the candidate's undergraduate studies.  A review of the candidate's transcript will indicate if any general education deficiencies exist; if so, the candidate will need to resolve these deficiencies by taking appropriate courses or passing a College Level Examination Program (CLEP) in that subject area.

Graduate students seeking an Early Childhood Certificate (Type 04) are required to have one course in each of the following areas:

  • Writing or Composition
  • Mathematics
  • Natural Science - with a lab
  • U.S. History or American Government
  • Fine Arts
  • Health and Nutrition
  • Literature

Requirements for Degree

  • Candidates majoring in the Early Childhood Program in education and must:
    maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and earn grades of "B" or higher in all coursework;
    • a minimum of 18 hours in an approved area of concentration at least 9 of which must be earned at the 200 level or higher at a 4 year institution

 

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