BAE in Early Childhood Education/PK-3

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About

Students who graduate from our Early Childhood Education (ECE) program are eligible for P-3 teacher licensure in the State of Washington and will gain valuable expertise working with children ages 3-8 and their families. The ECE program will prepare you to work in Head Start, ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) and public or private preschools.

In this program, you’ll develop the skills and knowledge base you need through an applied, field-based format. Our program foundation is based on principles of developmentally appropriate practice and universal design for learning. Our coursework is aligned with Washington State Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals, the ECE Endorsement Competencies for the State of Washington Educator Standards Board and the National Association for the Education of Young Children Standards for Early Childhood Preparation Programs.

View Requirements

Application Process

What You'll Learn

The following information comes from the official EWU catalog, which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.

Early Childhood Education P-K–Third Grade Major, Bachelor of Arts in Education (BAE)

The BAE in Early Childhood Education plus a Teacher Education Program prepares students for a Washington State Teaching Certification. Completion of the ECE Major, Education Core (and successfully completing the ECE NES will satisfy the requirements for Teaching Certificate in the state of Washington.

The Early Childhood Education–Pre-Kindergarten–Third Grade, Bachelor of Arts in Education consists of both the included P-3 Core and the required Early Childhood Education courses.

The courses below satisfy requirements for students choosing the preschool–third grade certification only. Students who choose to extend their certification through grade 8 must complete the add-on elementary endorsement.

The courses below satisfy requirements for students choosing the preschool–third grade certification only. Students who choose to extend their certification through grade 8 must complete the add-on elementary endorsement.
Required Coursework
SPED 412INTRODUCTION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION4
Required Early Childhood Education Courses
EDUC 344EARLY NUMERACY INSTRUCTION IN THE P-3 SCHOOL SETTING4
EDUC 390FOUNDATIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION3
EDUC 394METHODS FOR READING INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT IN KINDERGARTEN-THIRD GRADE SETTINGS3
EDUC 410METHODS I: BLENDED CURRICULUM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION4
EDUC 430ASSESSMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION5
EDUC 444LANGUAGE ARTS METHODS FOR THE PRESCHOOL-THIRD GRADE CLASSROOM3
EDUC 450METHODS II: BLENDED CURRICULUM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION4
EDUC 454SCIENCE METHODS FOR THE PRESCHOOL-THIRD GRADE CLASSROOM4
EDUC 461SOCIAL STUDIES METHODS FOR THE PRESCHOOL-THIRD GRADE CLASSROOM3
EDUC 470DIVERSITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION3
EDUC 475PROMOTING SOCIAL COMPETENCE AND GUIDING BEHAVIOR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTINGS4
EDUC 479EARLY LITERACY4
EDUC 489FAMILY-CENTERED PRACTICES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD4
Internship Coursework
EDUC 386DP3 FIELD EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICUM1
EDUC 386EP3 FIELD EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICUM3
EDUC 423ELEMENTARY STUDENT TEACHING K-812
EDUC 427GENERAL STUDENT TEACHING K-12 (variable credit course–only 3 credits count)3
EDUC 451APPLICATIONS I: BLENDED CURRICULUM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION3
EDUC 464APPLICATIONS II: BLENDED CURRICULUM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION3
Capstone–an approved departmental or other Senior Capstone
EDUC 490CEARLY CHILDHOOD CAPSTONE5
Total Credits82

The following plan of study is for a student with zero credits. Individual students may have different factors such as: credit through transfer work, Advanced Placement, Running Start, or any other type of college-level coursework that requires an individual plan.

Courses could be offered in different terms, checking the academic schedule is paramount in keeping an individual plan current. Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.

All Undergraduate students are required to meet the Undergraduate Degree Requirements.

First Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
ENGL 1015EDUC 3903SPED 3634
Social Science BACR 115ENGL 2015Humanities & Arts BACR 215
Humanities & Arts BACR 115MATH 1075Natural Science BACR 115
 Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective4 
 15 17 14
Second Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CMST 200, 201, or 3404PSYC 2045Diversity - graduation requirement15
Social Science BACR 215Natural Science BACR 215Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective3Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective2 
 17 17 15
Third Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
EDUC 4104EDUC 386D1EDUC 3444
EDUC 4305EDUC 3943EDUC 4544
EDUC 4794EDUC 4504EDUC 4643
Global Studies - graduation requirement15EDUC 4513EDUC 4894
 SPED 4124 
 18 15 15
Fourth Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
EDUC 386E3EDUC 4274EDUC 42312
EDUC 4443EDUC 4613 
EDUC 4703EDUC 490C (Senior Capstone - graduation requirement)5 
EDUC 4754  
 13 12 12
Total Credits 180
1

University Graduation Requirements (UGR) and Breadth Area Course Requirements (BACR) courses may be less than 5 credits and additional credits may be required to reach the required 180 total credits needed to graduate.  Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.

What You'll Learn

The following information comes from the official EWU catalog, which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.

All prerequisites must be completed prior to admission: Please contact the Undergraduate Advisor in the School of Education.

Admission Requirements

  • Complete all in-person and online admission requirements.
  • A grade ≥B- in all prerequisite courses listed below is required.
  • GPA Requirement: a minimum ≥2.8 GPA.
  • Provide scores for the Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B), SAT, and/or ACT (Reading, Writing, and Math). This is a state requirement that must be met before full admission.

In addition to the above, the following are prerequisites specific to programs and certificates.

Elementary Education Program Prerequisites

Secondary Education Program Prerequisites

P-3 Early Childhood Program Prerequisites

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (Candidate holds a BA/BS from an approved institution)

Elementary

Secondary

P-3 Early Childhood

  • Education: SPED 363  and EDUC 390  
  • All prerequisite courses must have been completed within the last 6 years.

Transition to Teaching Alternative Route: Consult with the Transition to Teaching Director in the School of Education.

Grade Requirements

Undergraduate Programs

Admission GPA ≥2.8
Maintain GPA ≥2.8 in program

  • ≥B- in each course for program prerequisites
  • ≥B- in education core
  • Specific content areas including majors and minors may have additional grade requirements
  • A minimum grade ≥C is required in any content course leading to a secondary, middle level or P-12 endorsement

Graduate Programs

Automatic Admission GPA ≥3.0
Maintain GPA ≥3.0 in program

  • Maximum of 2 C grades