Early Childhood Development and Education (MS)

The Master of Science program in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) is designed to meet the needs of professionals who want to work with young children and their families. The ECDE program delivers relevant, rigorous course work and related academic experiences.

The program is designed for candidates with undergraduate degrees in a wide range of areas either related to early childhood development and education, such as child development, psychology, communication disorders, sociology, nursing, theatre, music or other degrees. The program of study includes advanced professional development in early child development and education for careers with direct and indirect services for young children and families. Direct early education services to young children and families can include homes, schools, and other community settings, such as child care and Head Start. Indirect services can include: child assessment, program evaluation, child care resource and referral, early learning coalitions, community college instruction, and child advocacy. Graduates of this program are encouraged to serve as a bridge among schools and community agencies and to nurture leadership skills in these areas.

In addition to fostering the professional development of previously certified early childhood teachers, this program will also serve as a connection between schools, families, and community agencies and will provide the educational experiences to nurture educational leaders who will work within and across these areas.

The Early Childhood Development and Education MS program requires a minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, including 6 credit hours of core courses, 18 credit hours of specialization courses, 6 credit hours of electives, and 6 credit hours of a capstone experience in the form of a thesis or nonthesis/practicum or additional graduate course credit options.

Total Credit Hours Required: 36 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

• Details

Core

• Complete the following:
  • EDF6481 - Fundamentals of Graduate Research in Education (3)
  • EDF6401 - Statistics for Educational Data (3)

Specialization

• Complete the following:
  • EEC5205 - Programs and Trends in Early Childhood Education (3)
  • EEC6269 - Play Development, Intervention, and Assessment (3)
  • EEC6405 - Home-School-Community Interaction in Early Childhood Education (3)
  • EEC6406 - Guiding and Facilitating Social Competence (3)
  • EEC6606 - Global Issues in Early Childhood (3)
  • EEX6222 - Observation and Assessment of Young Children (3)

Elective Courses (Other courses of interest with consent of faculty may be selected)

• Complete at least 2 of the following:
  • EEC6216 - Communicative Arts in Early Childhood Education (3)
  • EEX6017 - Typical and Atypical Applied Child Development (3)
  • EEX5702 - Planning Curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten Children with Disabilities (3)
  • EEX5750 - Communication with Parents and Agencies (3)
  • MHS6403 - Family Play Therapy (3)
  • MHS6421 - Foundations of Play Therapy Theories and Techniques for Individuals and Groups (3)
  • SOW6726 - Social Work Practice with Children from Birth to Age Five and their Families (3)

Thesis/Nonthesis Option

• Complete 1 of the following
  Thesis Option
  • Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: EEC 6971 Thesis
  Nonthesis Option
  • Complete 1 of the following
    • Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
      • EEC6947 - Practicum in Child, Family, and Community Sciences (6 - 99)
    • Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: 6 Credit Hours of approved electives with a written comprehensive examination

Grand Total Credits: 36

Application Requirements

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

• One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
• The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
• Three letters of recommendation from academic sources.
• Professional resumé.
• Essay detailing career goals.
• An interview (in person, virtual, or by phone) scheduled by the Early Childhood Graduate faculty.
• Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.

Admission materials will be scored on a rubric to quantify decision criteria.

Students who do not meet published admission requirements may be admitted provisionally and will be interviewed by a faculty program committee for final admission action. Other admission factors that may be used in selecting students for provisional admission to the program include previous teaching experience or work (i.e., social service agencies) with infants and young children, pre-kindergarten or primary age children and their families.

Application Deadlines

Applicants who plan to enroll full time in a degree program and who wish to be considered for university fellowships or assistantships should apply by the Fall Priority date.

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

A thesis, practicum, or a written comprehensive examination is required as the culminating experience for the program.