2018-2019 Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Education - Early Childhood Education, A.A.


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This curriculum has been designed to help students select courses which are likely to apply to a major in Early Childhood Education. Students should obtain a copy of the Associate in Arts Degree Worksheet and should visit the IAI Web site at www.itransfer.org to get specific transfer course equivalencies for participating Illinois colleges and universities.

State Certification Requirements in Early Childhood Education

To teach young children (birth to age 8) in Illinois public schools, teachers must be certified by the State of Illinois upon completion of their baccalaureate degree program. 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. Students must either pass the Test of Academic Proficiency, have a composite ACT plus writing score of 22, or an SAT of 1030 in order to gain admission into a College of Education.

Suggested Curriculum


I. General Education Core (42-43)


Area A: Communication (9 credits)


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 requirement at some senior institutions.

Area C: Mathematics (8 credits)


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.

Area E: Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 credits)


II. Area of Concentration/Major Field (9)


Professional Early Childhood Education Courses

III. Electives (11-12)


Select one non-Western Cultures course:


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 in the Counseling & Academic Advising Center to determine the transferability of these courses.

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.

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