Master of Science in Early Childhood Education
Admission Requirements
The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
- An undergraduate degree in early childhood education, child development, elementary education, or a related field.
- A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A = 4.00).
- Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
- Transcripts, recommendations for admission, and a personal statement, i.e., a response to three essay prompts, are part of the School of Graduate Studies and Early Childhood Education application procedure. The personal statement essay should be 2-3 pages in length and the prompts are:
- What have you already done professionally or personally of which you are proud? Please include a chronological history of all professional teaching and administration experience, as well as academic honors or achievements you earned.
- What are the characteristics, attitudes, values, and/or skills that you think will make you a good candidate for your professional role?
- Describe several personal and professional goals you would like to achieve in the next five years. Include in your description reasons why these goals are important to you.
Accelerated (B.S.Ed./M.S.) Admission Requirements
The Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's (ABM) 4+1 program allows exceptional undergraduate students at UND an opportunity to complete the requirements for both the B.S.Ed. in Early Childhood Education and the M.S. in Early Childhood Education degrees at an accelerated pace. All requirements for both degrees must be met, and these students may count up to 12 graduate-level courses toward the requirements for both their bachelor's and master's degree requirements. ABM students must obtain their master's degree within 12 months of completing the bachelor's degree.
- Students may apply to this program upon completion of 60 credits toward the bachelor’s degree or with an Associates degree.
- Students must have an overall G.P.A. of 3.00 at the time of admission.
- Admission to Teacher Education Requires: Praxis Core Pass score; Live Text purchase; Introductory Letter; Level One Disposition
Degree Requirements
The M.S. degree in Early Childhood Education is available in two options: non-thesis option and the thesis option. The program of study is developed together with the student’s advisor (non-thesis option, 32 credits) or with a student’s thesis committee (thesis option, 30 credits).
Non-Thesis Option
- Thirty-two credits including credits required for the major.
- A minimum of two credits of T&L 997 Independent Study, or T&L 995 Scholarly Project.
- A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
- All credits must be approved graduate level courses.
- The program may include just the major, the major and the minor, or the major and a cognate area. The major must include 20 credits from the major department and the minor or cognate must include nine credits.
- Completion of a two-credit practicum (60 hours) in an early childhood setting.
- Preparation of a written independent study or scholarly project approved by the faculty adviser.
Thesis Option
- A minimum of 30 semester credits in a major field, including the credits granted for the thesis and the research leading to a 4-6-credit T&L 998 Thesis.
- A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
- All credits must be approved graduate level courses.
- The program may include just the major, the major and a minor, or the major and a cognate area. The major must include 20 credits from the major department and a minor or cognate must include nine credits.
- Preparation and successful defense of a thesis.
This program of graduate study can be completed in 18 months going full-time or 24 months going part-time (two courses per semester). Courses are offered on campus, online and a combination of the two.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major | ||
| SPED 510 | Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education | 3 |
| T&L 526 | Play in Development and Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| T&L 529 | Language Development Cognition in Children | 3 |
| T&L 530 | Foundations of Reading Instruction | 3 |
| T&L 553 | Collaborative Relationships: Home, School and Community | 3 |
| T&L 580 | Practicum in Schools | 3 |
| T&L 995 | Scholarly Project | 2-6 |
| or T&L 997 | Independent Study | |
| or T&L 998 | Thesis | |
| Scholarly Tools | ||
| EFR 509 | Introduction to Applied Educational Research | 3 |
| T&L 511 | Assessment in ECE | 3 |
| General ECE Specialization | ||
| T&L 517 | Social Emotional Learning Guidance | 3 |
| T&L 527 | Curricular Foundations in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| Indigenous Teacher Education Specialization | ||
| T&L 578 | Curriculum and Pedagogy in Indigenous Education | 3 |
| T&L 593 | Independent Projects (Culture, Land, & Practice) | 1-4 |
| OLEE 562 | Advance Study in Place-Based Environmental Education | 3 |
| Total Credits | 32-35 | |
Students are required to take T&L 580 Practicum in Schools. This practicum requires 60 hours in an early childhood setting, which could be the candidate’s work setting if it meets required accreditation standards.
Accelerated (B.S.Ed/M.S.) Degree Requirements:
Students seeking the M.S. in Early Childhood degree through the Accelerated program at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all the requirements for both the B.S. Ed and M.S degree.
- A maximum of 12 credits may be double counted toward each of the two degrees.
- Students have the option of choosing a specialization in general Early Childhood Education or Early Childhood with a specialization in Indigenous Teacher Education (ITE).
Transferred credits or credits fulfilled with Associates Degree in Early Childhood or Education include:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| T&L 250 | Introduction to Education | 3 |
| T&L 251 | Understanding Individuals with Different Abilities | 3 |
| T&L 252 | Child Development | 3 |
| T&L 310 | Introduction to Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| T&L 320 | Infant and Toddler | 3 |
Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s courses for licensure: | ||
| T&L 322 | Administration and Leadership in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| T&L 333 | Methods and Materials: Pre-Kindergarten | 3 |
| T&L 335 | Foundations of Reading | 3 |
| T&L 336 | Social and Emotional Development and Guidance of Children | 3 |
| T&L 339 | Educational Technology | 3 |
| T&L 405 | Data Literacy for Teachers | 1 |
| T&L 453 | Methods and Materials: Kindergarten | 2 |
| T&L 411 | Primary Reading and Language Arts | 2 |
| T&L 443 | Mathematics for Primary Grades | 2 |
| T&L 456 | Early Childhood Ed Seminar | 1 |
| T&L 470 | Science Methods in Elementary Schools (TEAM) | 3 |
| T&L 430 | Social Studies Methods in Elementary Schools (TEAM) | 3 |
| T&L 487 | Student Teaching | 4-16 |
| T&L 486 | Field Experience | 1-4 |
| T&L 319 | Integrating Diverse Needs in Educational Settings | 3 |
| T&L 316 | Behavioral Assessment and Tiered Supports in Education | 3 |
| T&L 423 | Assessment and Individualized Planning in Special Education | 3 |
| T&L 413 | Assessing and Correcting Reading Difficulties | 2 |
| T&L 444 | Assessing and Correcting Mathematics Difficulties | 2 |
| T&L 489 | Senior Capstone: Responsive Teaching | 3 |
| Special Education Minor courses- included in degree | ||
| T&L 251 | Understanding Individuals with Different Abilities | 3 |
| T&L 316 | Behavioral Assessment and Tiered Supports in Education | 3 |
| T&L 319 | Integrating Diverse Needs in Educational Settings | 3 |
| T&L 413 | Assessing and Correcting Reading Difficulties | 2 |
| T&L 423 | Assessment and Individualized Planning in Special Education | 3 |
| T&L 444 | Assessing and Correcting Mathematics Difficulties | 2 |
| T&L 486 | Field Experience | 1-4 |
| SPED 525 | Legal/Ethical Aspects in Special Education | 3 |
| Indigenous Teacher education students are also required to take: | ||
| IS 251 | Lakota Languages II | 3 |
| IS 252 | Lakota Languages III | 3 |
| T&L 400 | Methods and Materials (Indigenous Language Methods Birth-grade 3) | 3 |
| ECE Master’s level courses (12 credits double counted from BS with asterisk) | ||
| SPED 510 | Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education (*) | 3 |
| T&L 511 | Assessment in ECE (*) (covers content from 311) | 3 |
| T&L 526 | Play in Development and Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| T&L 529 | Language Development Cognition in Children (*) | 3 |
| T&L 553 | Collaborative Relationships: Home, School and Community (*) | 3 |
| T&L 995 | Scholarly Project | 2 |
| T&L 580 | Practicum in Schools | 3 |
| EFR 509 | Introduction to Applied Educational Research | 3 |
| General Early Childhood Education Specialization | ||
| T&L 517 | Social Emotional Learning Guidance | 3 |
| T&L 527 | Curricular Foundations in Early Childhood Education (Not required for ITE Specialization) | 3 |
| Indigenous Teacher Education Specialization | ||
| T&L 578 | Curriculum and Pedagogy in Indigenous Education (Course is in Courseleaf process) | 3 |
| T&L 593 | Independent Projects (Will be transcripted to say Culture, Land, & Practice) | 3 |
| OLEE 562 | Advance Study in Place-Based Environmental Education (Course is in Courseleaf process) | 3 |