Early Childhood Education, B.S.

Department of Elementary and Special Education
615-898-2680
Cheryl Hitchcock, program coordinator
Cheryl.Hitchcock@mtsu.edu

The curriculum for the major in Early Childhood Education offers preparation for teachers in the area of early childhood education and to meet the Tennessee requirements for licensure to teach pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first through third grades. Emphasis is placed on the development of the young child within the context of the family and on integrating developmentally appropriate practice within educational settings.*

*NOTE: A grade of C- or higher is required for all ECE courses.

Academic Map

Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Early Childhood Education, B.S., Academic Map

Degree Requirements

General Education (41 hours)

General Education requirements include Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences categories.

The following General Education courses are required for this major:

BIOL 1030/1031 (Nat Sci)
GEOG 2000 (Soc/Beh Sci)
MATH 1010 (Math)

Major Requirements (52 hours)

ECE 2350 - Human Development I 3 credit hours
ECE 3310 - Human Development II 3 credit hours
ECE 4320 - Assessing Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 4360 - Administering Early Childhood Programs 3 credit hours
ECE 4370 - Effective Instruction (Birth-5) 3 credit hours
ECE 4375 - Literacy in Early Childhood 3 credit hours
ECE 4376 - Literacy in Early Childhood Lab 0 hours credit
MATH 1410 - Concepts and Structure of Elementary School Mathematics 3 credit hours
MATH 1420 - Informal Geometry 3 credit hours
CDFS 3320 - Family Relations 3 credit hours
NFS 4251 - Nutrition for the Young Child 3 credit hours
SPED 3010 - Characteristics and Teaching of Diverse Learners 3 credit hours
ART 3200 - Art Education for Teachers 3 credit hours
PHED 3500 - Physical Education for Early Childhood 3 credit hours
MUED 4670 - Music for the Young Child 3 credit hours
BIOL 3000 - Life Science for Elementary Teachers 4 credit hours
ELED 3150 - Mathematics Methodology 3 credit hours
ELED 3300 - Digital Learning in the Elementary Classroom, K-8 3 credit hours

Professional Education (31 hours)

EESE 1010 - Overview of Education 2 credit hours
EESE 1011 - Overview of Education II 2 credit hours
ECE 4300 - Preschool Practicum 3 credit hours
ECE 4301 - Preschool Practicum Lab 0 credit hours
ECE 4380 - Infant and Toddler Practicum 3 credit hours
ECE 4381 - Infant and Toddler Practicum Lab 0 credit hours
ECE 4100 - Residency I: Early Childhood Education 9 credit hours
ECE 4110 - Residency II: Grades Prek-3 12 credit hours

Total hours in program: 124

Curriculum: Early Childhood Education

Curricular listings include General Education requirements in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences categories.

Freshman

ENGL 1010 - Expository Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
ENGL 1020 - Research and Argumentative Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History 3 credit hours
MATH 1010 - Mathematics for General Studies 3 credit hours (Math)
MATH 1410 - Concepts and Structure of Elementary School Mathematics 3 credit hours
EESE 1010 - Overview of Education 2 credit hours
ECE 2350 - Human Development I 3 credit hours
COMM 2200 - Fundamentals of Communication 3 credit hours (Comm)
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 6 credit hours
BIOL 1030 - Exploring Life 4 credit hours (Nat Sci) AND
BIOL 1031 - Exploring Life Lab 0 credit hours (Nat Sci)

Subtotal: 33 Hours

Sophomore

ECE 3310 - Human Development II 3 credit hours
ECE 4370 - Effective Instruction (Birth-5) 3 credit hours
EESE 1011 - Overview of Education II 2 credit hours
MATH 1420 - Informal Geometry 3 credit hours
MUED 4670 - Music for the Young Child 3 credit hours
GEOG 2000 - Introduction to Regional Geography 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci)
CHEM 1030 - Chemistry for Consumers 4 credit hours AND
CHEM 1031 - Chemistry for Consumers Lab 0 credit hours
OR
GEOL 1030 - Introduction to Earth Science 3 credit hours AND
GEOL 1031 - Introduction to Earth Science Lab 1 credit hour
OR
PSCI 1030 - Topics in Physical Science 4 credit hours AND
PSCI 1031 - Topics in Physical Science Lab 0 credit hours
OR
ASTR 1030 - Exploring the Universe 3 credit hours (3 credit hours required) (Nat Sci) AND
ASTR 1031 - Observing the Universe 1 credit hour (Nat Sci)
ANTH 2010 - Cultural Anthropology 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci) OR
PS 1005 - Introduction to American Politics 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci) OR
PS 1010 - Introduction to Global Politics 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci) OR
AAS 2100 - Introduction to African American Studies 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci)
SPED 3010 - Characteristics and Teaching of Diverse Learners 3 credit hours
ENGL 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
ENGL 2030 - The Experience of Literature 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
HUM 2610 - Foreign Literature in Translation 3 credit hours (Hum/FA)
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 33 Hours

Junior

BIOL 3000 - Life Science for Elementary Teachers 4 credit hours
ECE 4320 - Assessing Young Children 3 credit hours
PHED 3500 - Physical Education for Early Childhood 3 credit hours
ART 3200 - Art Education for Teachers 3 credit hours
ELED 3150 - Mathematics Methodology 3 credit hours
NFS 4251 - Nutrition for the Young Child 3 credit hours
CDFS 3320 - Family Relations 3 credit hours
ECE 4300 - Preschool Practicum 3 credit hours AND
ECE 4301 - Preschool Practicum Lab 0 credit hours
ECE 4380 - Infant and Toddler Practicum 3 credit hours AND
ECE 4381 - Infant and Toddler Practicum Lab 0 credit hours
ECE 4375 - Literacy in Early Childhood 3 credit hours AND
ECE 4376 - Literacy in Early Childhood Lab 0 hours credit

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Senior

ECE 4360 - Administering Early Childhood Programs 3 credit hours
ECE 4100 - Residency I: Early Childhood Education 9 credit hours
ECE 4110 - Residency II: Grades Prek-3 12 credit hours
ELED 3300 - Digital Learning in the Elementary Classroom, K-8 3 credit hours

Early Childhood Education, B.S.

Academic Map

Degree Requirements

General Education (41 hours)

Major Requirements (52 hours)

Professional Education (31 hours)

Total hours in program: 124

Curriculum: Early Childhood Education

Freshman

Subtotal: 33 Hours

Sophomore

Subtotal: 33 Hours

Junior

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Senior

Subtotal: 27 Hours