MS - Early Childhood Education Major

This program is intended for Early Childhood Professionals with teaching licensure or other professional work experience related to early childhood fields, which may include, Education, Health Care, Ministry, Social/Support Services, Non-Profit Organizations, Government Entities, Childcare Administrators, among others. The MS in Early Childhood Education program is a lock-step, graduate level, non-licensure degree program structured to prepare candidates advanced level early childhood professionals, focusing on subject matter expertise, assessment knowledge, research, and developmentally appropriate instructional practices to early learning environments in order to support the healthy development of young children (birth-age 8) and their families.

Candidates will complete a 33-credit hour program that is aligned to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation’s (CAEP) advanced-level program standards and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards. Courses are designed to provide participants with an essential mix of theory and practice. Field experiences require participants to arrange access to early childhood settings, which may include one’s own classroom or employer when appropriate.

 Candidates who have completed this program should be able to:

• Exhibit School of Educational Leadership professional dispositions, demonstrate moral decision-making, uphold ethical standards with all stakeholders; reflect Christ-like behavior as the foundation of work with families, young children, and communities. 
• Actively promote child development and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for all children in childcare, classroom, home, and community settings. 
• Create safe, healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments, where young children have access to quality learning opportunities that inspire and set the stage for growth across the developmental domains.
• Exhibit knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of diverse family and community characteristics; honor diverse cultural values, language, and norms by encouraging a child’s learning connectedness to home. 
• Consider contextual factors, learning cycle choices, development, and environment to proactively determine appropriate setting and behavior management procedures and practices; Initiate and think professionally in a timely manner to address management concerns. 
• Design developmentally appropriate content-rich purposeful curriculum emphasizing the integration of topics and disciplines; Integrate academic standards, child development, impacting contextual factors and individual/group interests, needs, and learning styles. 
• Facilitate positive, respectful, and reciprocal relationship-based interactions as a foundation to support, empower, and engage young children and families. 
• Apply constructivist (Vygotsky) theoretical framework into practice throughout academic disciplines to design and support inquiry-based, play-based, open-ended, project-based, and problem-based learning experiences. 
• Participate in informed advocacy for young children, families, and the early childhood profession through multiple types of advocacy (citizen, issue-based, self group, peer, statutory, family and friend).
• Evaluate and implement developmentally appropriate effective approaches when selecting a wide variety of tools, resources, and strategies to meet the unique needs of all learners including: technology, inquiry-based, project-based, problem-based, UDL, RTI, and differentiation practices. 
• Demonstrate skills in systematic and responsible observing, documenting, assessing, analyzing, and reporting data to support early learning. 
• Practice servant leadership philosophy and principles in approach to clinical and service experiences, serve by putting the needs of others first, sharing power, aspire to lead after trust and relations are earned and built, helping young children, families, and communities develop and perform as highly as possible.  

Field Experiences required. 

Admission Requirements

To meet the admission requirements for this master's degree program, candidates must:

• A baccalaureate or graduate degree from a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) verified on original transcripts sent by the institution directly to Indiana Wesleyan University. Transcripts from foreign institutions may need to be sent to an outside agency for evaluation and determination of transferable credits, degrees, and GPA. If this outside review is necessary, students are responsible for the initiation of this evaluation and for any fees incurred during the process
• An undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher from the baccalaureate degree granting institution at which at least a minimum of 30 hours was completed. 
• Supporting documentation of the following: 
  • At least 2 years of experience in a professional position related to the support of young children and their families (i.e. pediatric nurse, children’s ministry, social services, etc.).
  • Access to a P-3 classroom and childcare center (Letter of agreement).
  • Approval to utilize current early childhood professional position/setting as a potential alternative site for field requirements, if approved.

• Submit a signed FERPA Release Form.

Graduation Requirements

To complete the Master of Science with a major in Early Childhood Education degree, candidates must:

• Successfully complete the program curriculum.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in all graduate work and a minimum grade of "B-" in each course.
• Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a diploma.

MS - Early Childhood Education Major - Program of Study

Early Childhood Education Courses

EDUT-514	Foundations in Early Childhood Development	3
EDUT-524	Parents, Families, and Community Partnerships	3
EDUT-532	Reading and Writing in Emergent Literacy	3
EDUT-534	Primary Grade Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Management	3
EDUT-544	Early Childhood Advocacy in Action	3
ECED-555	Research in Early Childhood	3
Total Credit Hours:		18

Core Courses

EDUC-510	How We Learn	3
EDUC-520	The Faithful Teacher	3
EDUC-530	The Craft of Teaching	3
EDUC-600	Classroom Action Research Tools	3
EDUC-630	Research in My School	3
Total Credit Hours:		15