| Course Code | Name | Course Description |
| ECE5001-8 | Foundations of Early Childhood Education | This Master’s level course presents an overview of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in American society including foundational theories for educating the young child. Learners will explore basic educational concepts and practices central to developmentally appropriate classrooms for children pre-K through grade three, including children with exceptional needs. Various historical and contemporary models, delivery systems, and newest innovations are investigated. Learners pursuing a specialization in ECE are advised to take this as their first specialization course. |
| ECE5002-8 | Growth and Development of Young Children | This Master’s level course is a discussion of theory and research related to the education of young children. The intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of infants, toddlers and young children will be examined and their implications on the development of early childhood education instructional programs. |
| ECE5003-8 | Administration of Early Childhood Programs | This Master’s level course focuses on the development and implementation of early childhood programs for a variety of age groups and purposes. Specifically, curriculum development, materials, teaching strategies, evaluation, budgets, hiring procedures, and state guidelines/regulations are addressed, and skills are gained through practical application of these topics in practice. |
| ED6001-8 | Action Research for Education | This graduate course will examine a comprehensive overview of research tools utilized by education practitioners. Students will be provided with a solid understanding of research concepts, skills, and principles such as data collection, literature reviews, and evaluation methods. |
| ECE5005-8 | Children and Families in a Diverse Society | This course introduces Learners to multicultural and anti-bias issues in early childhood settings. Learners will explore culturally relevant methods for working with children and families. Upon completion of this course the prospective early childhood educator will have a comprehensive understanding of multi-cultural, bilingual and anti-bias issues, and appropriate strategies for providing culturally relevant programs in an early childhood setting. |
| ECE5007-8 | Children’s Literature | This course is designed to provide Learners with effective strategies for sharing literature to support emerging literacy skills. Learners will explore a variety of genres and criteria for selecting and using high-quality literature with young children. Potential early childhood educators will reflect on the selection of literature appropriate for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and primary age children. Learners will explain and identify strategies to demonstrate how literature supports the development of children’s language, cognitive skills, personality, social and moral development, and aesthetic and creative development. National professional standards aligned with state and local standards for early childhood literacy will be presented. Upon completion of this course the prospective early childhood educator will have a comprehensive understanding of high quality children’s literature and its use as a teaching tool for literacy development in educational settings from infancy to age 8. |
| ECE5009-8 | Early Childhood Education Capstone | This course provides students with the opportunity to integrate and apply in a comprehensive manner their learning of early childhood education. Students will reflect on the courses taken and develop an understanding of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NCAEYC) standards, developmentally appropriate practices based upon child development research, center-based curriculum, and professionalism. This course will culminate with a comprehensive final project that integrates the learning throughout the program. |
| CT5004-8 | Foundations of Language & Literacy Education | This course will assist educators in learning more about the foundations of language development and the impact language acquisition has on literacy learning. Educators will be asked to reflect on their own understanding of language development and reflect on their teaching of language. |
| ED6002-8 | Action Research Capstone | This Master’s level course emphasizes practical research skills utilized by education practitioners. Students will develop an action research project based on the scientific method and concepts presented in ED6001. The culminating product will reflect critical thinking, graduate level writing skills, and correct APA format. This course is open only to Learners pursuing the Master of Education. |
