BSEd in Early Childhood Education
Degree Program Description
The Bachelor of Science in Education in Early Childhood will prepare you to work with children from birth through third grade in public, private, and alternative school systems. Students consider a degree in education if they enjoy working with children and/or adolescents, want to strengthen the future through education, and want to make a difference in the lives of others. MU Students work closely with mentors, practicing teachers, administrators, and university faculty to develop the knowledge and skills to enhance learning outcomes for children and youth. The coursework through the College of Education & Human Development focuses on teachers’ roles in facilitating learning at all levels of development and considers the influences of cultural, political, historical, and economic factors on students, teachers, and schools. Upon successful completion of the initial teacher certification process, the state grants you certification in early childhood education. Practical and rewarding clinical experience in schools and agencies, which will enhance your teaching abilities and confidence, begins during the sophomore year, and continues each semester, culminating in a senior-level teaching internship. Coursework within Early Childhood will challenge you to consider ways to support the development and learning of young children from birth through age eight.
Major Program Requirements
Students must complete all university, general education, and content requirements, in addition to degree requirements. Please meet with an Academic Advisor to discuss degree requirements and to create a semester plan.
Teacher Education programs in the College of Education & Human Development are accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Curriculum changes mandated to earn teacher certification may become effective at any point during your academic program. Therefore, it is extremely important that you DO NOT SELF ADVISE.
Degree Requirements Sample Program
| Additional Subject/Concentration-Choose One of the following options: | 3 | |
| Child Development: Preschool to Pre-Adolescence | ||
or H_D_FS 3150W | Child Development: Preschool to Pre-Adolescence - Writing Intensive | |
or H_D_FS 2400 | Principles of Human Development | |
or H_D_FS 2400W | Principles of Human Development - Writing Intensive | |
| Principles of Human Development - Honors/Writing Intensive | ||
or PSYCH 2410 | Developmental Psychology | |
or PSYCH 2410H | Developmental Psychology - Honors | |
| Cultural Diversity Requirement-Choose one of the following, or a course from the Multicultural Certificate Course List *The course must be in addition to major Education and content course requirements (it cannot double dip with any other professional Education course requirement or content course requirement); however, it may count towards a general education requirement. | 3 | |
| Experiencing Cultural Diversity in the United States | ||
or H_D_FS 2300 | Multicultural Study of Children and Families | |
or Multicultural Certificate Course (https://multicultural.missouri.edu/application/course-list/) | ||
| Early Experiences | ||
| LTC 1100 | Orientation (Recommended) | 1 |
| or SPC_ED 1100 | Orientation: Special Education | |
| LTC 2200 | School Health and Student Wellbeing | 3 |
| ESC_PS 2010 | Inquiry Into Learning I | 3 |
| ESC_PS 2014 | Inquiry into Learning I - Field Experience | 1 |
| or ESC_PS 2014H | Inquiry into Learning I - Field Experience - Honors | |
| LTC 2040 | Inquiring into Schools, Community and Society I | 3 |
| or LTC 2040H | Inquiring into Schools, Community and Society I - Honors | |
| LTC 2044 | Inquiry into Schools, Community and Society: Field | 1 |
| IS_LT 2467 | Inquiry into Empowering Learners with Technology | 3 |
| Mid-Level Experiences | ||
| LTC 4110 | Working with Infants and Toddlers | 3 |
| LTC 4120 | Early Childhood Education Literacy Methods & Assessment I | 3 |
| LTC 4124 | Emergent and Developing Literacy Early Childhood Field Experience | 3 |
| LTC 4210 | Children's Language and Literature | 3 |
| LTC 4460 | Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 3 |
| or LTC 4460H | Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - Honors | |
| LTC 4140 | Curriculum, Theory and Classroom Management in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| LTC 4150 | Early Childhood Education Literacy Teaching Methods and Assessment II | 3 |
| LTC 4170 | Program Management & Environmental Organization in PreKindergarten | 3 |
| LTC 4971 | Internship and Capstone Seminar | 3 |
| ED_LPA 4060 | Inquiring into Schools, Community and Society II | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4020 | Teaching the Exceptional Learner | 3 |
| Advanced-Level Experiences | ||
| LTC 4091 | Assessment and Family Collaboration in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| LTC 4130 | Teaching and Learning Math, Science and Social Studies w/ Young Children | 9 |
| LTC 4134 | Teaching & Learning Math, Sci & Soc Studies w/Young Children Field Experience | 3 |
| LTC 4240 | Art for Children | 2 |
| LTC 4971 | Internship and Capstone Seminar | 12 |
| Internship and Capstone Seminar - Honors (Honors students can choose to enroll in 6 credit hours of LTC 4971H and 6 credit hours of 4971 to fulfill 12 hour requirement for Internship and Capstone Seminar) | ||
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student’s actual plan may vary based on course choices and where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| LTC 1100 | 1 | LTC 2200 | 3 |
| Cultural Diversity Requirement | 3 | General Education Math Requirement | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | American History or Government | 3 |
| Biological, Physical, Mathematical Science | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 13 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ESC_PS 2010 or LTC 2040 (Social Science) | 3 | ESC_PS 2010 or LTC 2040 (Social Science) | 3 |
| ESC_PS 2014 or LTC 2044 | 1 | ESC_PS 2014 or LTC 2044 | 1 |
| IS_LT 2467 | 3 | Lab Science | 3 |
| Biological, Physical, Mathematical Science | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Additional Subject/ConcentrationH_D_FS 2400(W); H_D_FS 3150(W); PSYCH 2410 | 3 | Social or Behavioral Science | 3 |
| Writing Intensive | 3 | Elective | 1 |
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| LTC 4110 | 3 | LTC 4170 | 3 |
| LTC 4120 | 3 | LTC 4971 | 3 |
| LTC 4124 | 3 | LTC 4140 | 3 |
| LTC 4210 | 3 | LTC 4150 | 3 |
| LTC 4460 | 3 | ED_LPA 4060 | 3 |
| SPC_ED 4020 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 18 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| LTC 4091 | 3 | LTC 4971 | 12 |
| LTC 4240 | 2 | ||
| LTC 4134 | 3 | ||
| LTC 4130 | 9 | ||
| 17 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.