M.Ed. in Early Childhood (PreK-2) with Add-License Preparation for English as a Second Language (PreK-6) 46 credits
The early childhood portion of this program is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for Initial Teacher License in Early Childhood (PreK-2) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
This program consists of courses that lead to an Initial teacher license in early childhood education, with an emphasis on the inclusion of all children. In addition to challenging and engaging coursework, students will gain a rich and relevant preparation for teaching by participating in a full-time practicum in early childhood classrooms.
While this program endorses candidates for only the early childhood license, it prepares them well to add the English as a Second Language (ESL) license through a year-long internship in a diverse school/classroom, which includes field experiences in PreK-2 classrooms with ESL, sheltered English immersion, or bilingual learners.
- Program prerequisite: An approved child development course completed with a grade of B or better. Without such a course, students may be accepted into the program but must take EEDUC 5131 Developments in Cultural Contexts.
- Language requirement: Documentation of having earned a minimum of 3 college credits in a language other than English or equivalent must be submitted prior to program completion. For non-native English speakers, English is considered to be the foreign language.
- To obtain a Massachusetts ESL license, students will need to apply for an Initial ESL license with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and have passed the appropriate Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL). DESE also requires students to complete 150 hours in an ESL classroom to qualify for add ESL license. Students will meet this requirement through a year-long placement in a district-based clinical setting.
For the university's transfer credit policy for this and other programs, see the Transfer of Credits page.
Program of Study
Required Courses 40 credits
All of the following required courses, except EEDUC 5115 and EEDUC 6058, must be completed prior to EEDUC 7727, and many courses include field-based assignments.
| EECLD 6004 | Language Acquisition, Oral Development & Bilingualism | 3 |
| EEDUC 5115 | Families, Society, and Schools | 3 |
| EEDUC 5139 | Learning Mathematics in Early Childhood | 3 |
| EEDUC 5130 | Early Childhood STEAM and Health | 3 |
| EEDUC 6109 | Observation, Documentation, and Assessment | 3 |
| EEDUC 5138 | Literacy, Literature, and the Arts in the Early Childhood Classroom | 3 |
| EEDUC 6058 | Anti-Bias Communities in Early Childhood | 3 |
| EECLD 6002 | On Languages: What Educators Need to Know about Linguistics | 3 |
| EINSE 5037 | Strategies for Inclusive Schooling | 3 |
| EARED 6116 | Early Childhood Arts, History and Social Science | 3 |
| EECLD 6115 | Sheltered English Instruction (PreK-6) | 4 |
| EECLD 6007 | Content Language, Literacies & Literature PrK-12 | 3 |
| EECLD 6012 | Assessment for Equity & Inclusion of Multilingual Learners | 3 |
EECLD 6115 may be waived with documented state approved Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) endorsement, which would reduce total number of program credits by four (4).
Practicum (6 credits):
Prerequisites: Completion of a 100 hour pre-practicum experience and all practicum documentation (including applicable MTEL score reports); practicum application submitted by April 1 for Fall or November 1 for Spring; cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; completion of all pre-practicum courses with no outstanding incomplete or failing grades. This full time, semester-long experience requires an accompanying seminar course and includes a field experience fee and 6 credits of tuition. Field Placement Office must approve all practicum placements.
| EEDUC 7727 | Practicum and Seminar in Early Childhood Education (PreK-2) | 6 |