COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Early Childhood Education Major (P-3)

In addition to general education requirements and a liberal arts or sciences major, students must also complete the following professional program to be recommended for P-3 teaching certification. It is expected that all courses and field experiences in the professional preparation program will be completed at the University, with the exception of waivers granted by the early childhood faculty on a case by case basis or courses accepted through established institutional articulation agreements. Candidates are required to take and pass the Praxis II examination in Early Childhood Content before student teaching and completing the program.

Education Advisor: Sue Mankiw
Steps to matriculation in the Undergraduate P-3 Early Childhood Major
  • Enroll as an early childhood education major and as an appropriate liberal arts or sciences major as indicated by the state.
  • Complete ANTH 2020 with at least a C grade.
  • Pass the Writing Assessment and complete the Speech and Hearing Assessment (X2139).
  • Complete PSY 1100, and PSY 2100 successfully, with at least a C grade in PSY 2100.
  • Obtain a NJ Substitute Teaching License.
  • Achieve a 2.75 GPA or higher.
  • Complete Math 1100 or Math 1090 and Math 1110 (or equivalent) before the Practicum (3rd) semester.
  • Complete two science courses before the Practicum semester, for students entering WPU in or after September 2011.
  • Complete two history courses, one of them American history, before the Practicum semester, for students entering WPU in or after September 2011.

The PRAXIS exam in Early Childhood Content Knowledge must be successfully passed before entering EDUC 4140.

Please Note: All General Education courses must be completed before beginning the practicum semester for students who entered WPU before September 2011.  For students under the University Core Curriculum (UCC) requirements, the courses within the major that meet the UCC requirements are not taken in advance.  No more than one additional course may be taken during student teaching.

Course Requirements: 30 Credits (This is a four-semester program)

For students who entered WPU before September 2011:  The control sheet for the Early Childhood (P-3) major is attached.  

For students who entered WPU in or after September 2011:  The control sheet is attached.  
Course Number and Title Credits
You must maintain a 2.75 cumulative GPA throughout the program to be recommended for certification,at least a C in each major course,  and you must achieve a 3.0 GPA in your education courses to student teach.  
Semester 1  
CIED 2030 Teaching as a Profession  (Contains unsupervised 20 hour experience) 3
CIEC 2130 Teaching Young Children in a Technological World  2
Semester 2  
CIEC 2000 Field Experience I (Contains supervised 1 day per week field experience) 1
CIEC 2100 EC Classroom Environment 2
CIEC 2200 Emergent Literacy in ECE

2
CIEC 3100 Inclusion, ELL & Diff Learner 2
Semester 3
CIEC 3000 P-3 Practicum & Seminar*
1
CIEC 3300 Language Arts & Social Studies 3
CIEC 3510 Math & Science in ECE* 2
CIEC 3650 Creative Arts & Children's Lit in ECE*
 2
Semester 4  
EDUC 4140 Student Teaching Internship, Seminar and Portfolio Assessment+ 10

 
Exit Requirements
  • Complete program requirements successfully.
  • A cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 and a GPA of at least 3.0 in education courses on a 4.00 scale.

*These courses must be taken concurrently
+These courses require prior application through the Office of Field Experiences and should be taken in sequence. Applications must be submitted one year in advance. Apply every Fall (October 15) for placement the next Fall and every Spring (March 15) for placement the next Spring. For additional information please contact the Office of Field Experiences 973-720-3132 or 2109.