Program: Early Childhood Education, B.S. - Middle Tennessee State University - Modern Campus Catalog™

Apr 04, 2025

2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

Elementary and Special Education
615-898-2146
Pamela A. Ertel, program coordinator
Pamela.Ertel@mtsu.edu

The curriculum for the major in Early Childhood Education offers preparation for teachers in the area of integrated early childhood education and to meet the Tennessee requirements for licensure to teach pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first through third grades in collaborative and/or inclusive settings.*

*NOTE: A grade of C or higher is required for all courses in the major.

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
Major Requirements	87 hours
TOTAL	124-128 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the General Education curriculum. If courses for this program are also used to fulfill General Education requirements, the program of study may be completed in 124 hours.

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 course required by the program meets General Education requirements:

BIOL 1030 /BIOL 1031 (Nat Sci)

Major Requirements (87 hours)

Content Requirements (39 hours)

BIOL 3000 - Life Science for Elementary Teachers 4 credit hours
CDIS 3250 - Speech and Language Development for the Educator 3 credit hours
ECE 3310 - Human Development (Birth to 8) 3 credit hours
ECE 3320 - Individual Differences in Development of Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 3330 - Supporting Families of Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 4210 - Integrating the Creative Arts into the Early Childhood Curriculum 3 credit hours
ECE 4220 - Supporting the Social Emotional Learning of Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 4370 - Effective Instruction (Birth-8) 3 credit hours
EESE 2010 - Introduction to Education 3 credit hours
EESE 2011 - Introduction to Education Practicum 1 credit hour
MATH 1410 - Concepts and Structure of Elementary School Mathematics 3 credit hours
MATH 1420 - Informal Geometry 3 credit hours
BIOL 1030 - Exploring Life 4 credit hours AND
BIOL 1031 - Exploring Life Lab 0 credit hours

Professional Education (Admission to Teacher Education Program) (21 hours)

ELED 3150 - Mathematics Methodology 3 credit hours
ELED 3300 - Digital Applications for Teaching and Learning 3 credit hours
ECE 4230 - Culturally Relevant Teaching in Early Childhood 3 credit hours
ECE 4320 - Assessing Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 4375 - Literacy in Early Childhood 3 credit hours
ECE 4376 - Literacy in Early Childhood Lab 0 hours credit
ECE 4300 - Preschool Practicum 3 credit hours
ECE 4301 - Preschool Practicum Lab 0 credit hours
ELED 3400 - Teaching Science and Social Studies through Literacy 3 credit hours

Residency I (15 hours)

ECE 4000 - Seminar in ECE Residency I 3 credit hours
ECE 4050 - Field Experiences in ECE Residency I 6 credit hours
ECE 4240 - Intervention Strategies for Supporting Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 4241 - Intervention Strategies for Supporting Young Children Lab 0 credit hours
ECE 4377 - Literacy in Early Childhood II 3 credit hours
ECE 4378 - Literacy in Early Childhood II Lab 0 credit hours

Residency II (12 hours)

ECE 4110 - Residency II: Grades Prek-3 12 credit hours

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 OR
HIST 2040 - Survey African American History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2050 - Survey African American History II 3 credit hours
Mathematics 3 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences 4 credit hours
MATH 1410 - Concepts and Structure of Elementary School Mathematics 3 credit hours
EESE 2010 - Introduction to Education 3 credit hours
EESE 2011 - Introduction to Education Practicum 1 credit hour
ECE 3310 - Human Development (Birth to 8) 3 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

CDIS 3250 - Speech and Language Development for the Educator 3 credit hours
COMM 2200 - Fundamentals of Communication 3 credit hours (Comm)
ECE 3320 - Individual Differences in Development of Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 4210 - Integrating the Creative Arts into the Early Childhood Curriculum 3 credit hours
ECE 4370 - Effective Instruction (Birth-8) 3 credit hours
MATH 1420 - Informal Geometry 3 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences 6 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 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 - World Literatures 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 OR
HIST 2040 - Survey African American History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2050 - Survey African American History II 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 33 Hours

Junior

BIOL 3000 - Life Science for Elementary Teachers 4 credit hours
ECE 3330 - Supporting Families of Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 4220 - Supporting the Social Emotional Learning of Young Children 3 credit hours
ECE 4230 - Culturally Relevant Teaching in Early Childhood 3 credit hours
ECE 4320 - Assessing Young Children 3 credit hours
ELED 3150 - Mathematics Methodology 3 credit hours
ECE 4300 - Preschool Practicum 3 credit hours AND
ECE 4301 - Preschool 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
ELED 3300 - Digital Applications for Teaching and Learning 3 credit hours
ELED 3400 - Teaching Science and Social Studies through Literacy 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Senior

ECE 4000 - Seminar in ECE Residency I 3 credit hours
ECE 4050 - Field Experiences in ECE Residency I 6 credit hours
ECE 4110 - Residency II: Grades Prek-3 12 credit hours
ECE 4240 - Intervention Strategies for Supporting Young Children 3 credit hours AND
ECE 4241 - Intervention Strategies for Supporting Young Children Lab 0 credit hours
ECE 4377 - Literacy in Early Childhood II 3 credit hours AND
ECE 4378 - Literacy in Early Childhood II Lab 0 credit hours

Subtotal: 27 Hours