Education - Early Childhood Education, A.A.

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This curriculum has been designed to help students select courses that are likely to apply to a major in Early Childhood Education. Students should consult their advisor and an advisor at the university early and often. This will ensure you are taking appropriate courses for the major and licensure requirements. Licensure requirements may change and these professionals will have the most up-to-date information to ensure you complete appropriate courses.

State Licensure Requirements in Early Childhood Education

To teach young children (birth to grade 2) in Illinois public schools, teachers must be licensed by the State of Illinois. See the Illinois State Board of Education’s website for details on current licensure options. To transfer into an approved baccalaureate program in Early Childhood Education as a junior, students must complete a minimum of 60-semester credits. Since admission is competitive, completion of the courses recommended below does not guarantee admission. Community college students are strongly encouraged to complete an Associate in Arts degree prior to transfer. A minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale is usually required for program admission.

Suggested Curriculum

I. General Education Core (42-43)

Area A: Communication (9 credits)

ENG 101 Composition I 3 hrs transfer credit - with a grade of C or better
ENG 102 Composition II 3 hrs transfer credit - with a grade of C or better
COMM 101 Principles of Communication 3 hrs transfer credit

Area B: Humanities and Fine Arts (9 credits)

Select three courses from the list for Area B with at least one course selected from humanities and one course from fine arts, including one English course numbered 200 or above. ART 131 , ENG 243 , HUMAN 101 , or PHILO 205 recommended to meet the non-Western Cultures or Global Studies requirement at some senior institutions. ENG 211 , ENG 212 , ENG 231 , ENG 232 , ENG 261 , or ENG 262 recommended. Either ART 129 or MUSIC 130 also recommended.

Area C: Mathematics (8 credits)

MATH 200 Mathematics for Elementary Teaching I 4 hrs transfer credit
MATH 206 Mathematics for Elementary Teaching II 4 hrs transfer credit

Area D: Physical and Life Sciences (7-8 credits)

Select one life science course and one physical science course from the list for Area D . One course must have a lab component. It is recommended that both courses have a lab for the Illinois teaching certificate.

Select one of the recommended Life Sciences below:
BIOL 100 General Education Biology 4 hrs transfer credit or
BIOL 111 Cellular and Molecular Biology 4 hrs transfer credit or
BIOL 112 Organismal Biology 4 hrs transfer credit
Select one of the recommended Physical Sciences below:
ASTRO 101 Guide to the Universe 3 hrs transfer credit or
ASTRO 104 The Solar System and Beyond 4 hrs transfer credit or
CHEM 105 Survey of General Chemistry 4 hrs transfer credit or
CHEM 110 General Chemistry I 5 hrs transfer credit or
PHYSC 112 Earth Science 4 hrs transfer credit or
PHYSI 101 Conceptual Physics 4 hrs transfer credit or
PHYSI 120 College Physics I 4 hrs transfer credit

Area E: Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 credits)

HIST 201 U.S. History: 1492 to 1877 3 hrs transfer credit or
HIST 202 U.S. History: 1877 to Present 3 hrs transfer credit
POLSC 140 Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics 3 hrs transfer credit
PSYCH 101 Introduction to Psychology 3 hrs transfer credit

II. Area of Concentration/Major Field (9)

Professional Early Childhood Education Courses

ED 101 Child Growth and Development 3 hrs transfer credit
ECED 104 Introduction to Early Childhood Education 3 hrs transfer credit *
ED 212 Exceptional Child 3 hrs transfer credit

III. Electives (11-12)

ECED 103 Health, Safety, and Nutrition 3 hrs transfer credit * recommended or
HLTH 101 Health and Wellness 2 hrs transfer credit
One additional Physical Science course (4)**
ECON 201 Macroeconomic Principles 3 hrs transfer credit or
ECON 202 Microeconomic Principles 3 hrs transfer credit
MATH 151 College Algebra 4 hrs transfer credit
One additional Humanities course from list in Area B above (3)

Required A.A. Degree Program Total: 62 credits

*Note: Before enrolling in any additional courses with an ECED prefix at Prairie State College, consult the Transfer Guides at this webpage to determine the transferability of these courses. You need one course each from list in Area D above to meet common statewide requirements: one BIOL, one CHEM or PHYSI, and one ASTRO, GEOLO, or PHYSC.

Each college and university has its own major requirements and transfer policies. Consult the schools you are considering and a PSC advisor to discuss courses and their transferability.