Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Education
Program: Early Childhood Unified Teaching Endorsement
Degree Level: Undergraduate
Credit Hours: 79 credit hours
Delivery Format: Online with supervised school-based experiences and student teaching on site.
Prerequisites:
For the BA degree,• General studies courses should be completed prior to transferring to UNK. These courses must meet Academic Transfer program guidelines.
For the Initial Certification• A completed Bachelor’s Degree in any field is required.
For the ECU Additional Endorsement• A completed Bachelor’s Degree and Teaching Certification in any discipline is required.
ECU Homepage
The online Early Childhood Unified program is designed for in-service teachers, assistants in preschools, staff in HeadStart programs, and other non-traditional students who are unable to attend regular face-to-face classes at a university. Students pursuing certification in other states must check with their State Department of Education for certification requirements.
Three options are available with Early Childhood Unified. They are:
1) ECU BA degree - Students with an ECU BA degree will have the opportunity to complete their Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Unified Teaching Endorsement (Birth through 3rd grade) while working in early childhood-related places of employment. This early childhood degree prepares graduates to teach children ages 0-5 in special education settings and ages 0-8 in regular education settings. This is a degree completion program, which assumes that students will complete most of their general studies courses at a community college prior to transferring to UNK.
2) ECU Initial Certification -Graduates with an ECU Initial Certification will be prepared to teach children ages 0-5 in special education settings and ages 0-8 in regular education settings. This program is offered in lieu of a traditional Bachelor’s degree. A degree audit will examine the courses already completed toward the Initial Certification program and will determine how many of the program’s 79 hours will be needed for completion.
3) ECU Additional Endorsement - This endorsement prepares graduates to teach children ages 0-5 in special education settings and ages 0-8 in regular education settings. Participants will already have their Bachelor’s in teaching, which can be in any subject/discipline. The number of hours a participant needs in order to complete the degree is dependent upon the Teaching Endorsement that is currently held. For example, a participant with an Elementary Education endorsement generally needs to take 21 hours to complete the additional endorsement program. To view the brochure, click here.
Basic computer literacy is required to succeed as an online student. To decide if online learning is for you, click on http://www.unk.edu/acad/continuing_ed/ecampus/index.php?id=4788. To determine if you have the minimum hardware and software needed, log on to http://www.unk.edu/acad/continuing_ed/students/index.php?id=6213.
Professional Sequence: (27 credit hours)
TE 100 Teaching in a Democratic Society
TE 204 Typical and Atypical Growth & Development
TE 206 Instructional Technology & the Preservice Teacher
TE 318 Management/Assessment Preschool/Elementary Classrooms
TE 411 Inclusive Practices for Students with Exceptionalities in PreK-8 Classrooms
TE 400 Student Teaching (14 cr. hrs.)
Program Specific Courses: (52 credit hours)
TE 311 Math Methods I
TE 312 Math Methods II
TE 313 Field Experience: Math
TE 314 Phonics and Word Study
TE 315 Literacy Assessment
TE 316 Primary Grades Literacy
TE 317 Field Experience: Literacy
TE 323 Partnerships with Families
TE 341 Foundations of Early Childhood Education
TE 342 Literacy Methods for the Preschool Teacher
TE 343 Methods of Inclusive Education; Birth to Age 3
TE 344 Methods of Inclusive Education; Ages 4-8
TE 345 Field Experience: Early Childhood Unified
TE 346 Childcare Administration
TE 348 Math, Science, and Social Studies for Children 0-8
TESE 437 Medical Aspects of Individuals with Disabilities
ART 360 Elementary Art Methods OR
ART 407 Art Methods for Young Children
ENG 425 Children’s Literature
MATH 104 Concepts in Mathematics and Statistics OR
MATH 102 College Algebra
MATH 230 Math for Elementary Teachers I
MATH 330 Math for Elementary Teachers II
MUS 330 Music Methods for the Elementary Teacher
PE 247 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children
PE 361 Integrating Movement and Dance
*Subject to change.
Courses are rotated regularly and by demand. Full course descriptions are listed in the UNK undergraduate catalogue at http://aaunk.unk.edu/catalogs/10-11cat/crs/crste.asp
The University of Nebraska at Kearney is a mid-sized comprehensive public university. UNK is one of four institutions in the University of Nebraska system. In a typical year, UNK draws students from 47 states and 50 foreign countries with a total enrollment approaching 7,200 students
Affordable - For tuitions rates, click here.
Accredited Programs - UNK is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
Quality Education – UNK offers the same quality distance degree programs and courses that are offered on the campus. The majority of the instruction is taught by credentialed full-time faculty with doctoral degrees who are committed to quality teaching. Students and teaching remain the first priority with faculty at UNK.
Quality Student Support Services – Quality student support services are a hallmark of education at UNK. To help students get started with their online courses, a set of online video tutorials are available, as well as the Online Student Orientation. Other services include 24/7 library services, discounted software and hardware, a writing center, 24/7 technology help desk, online bookstore, and more.
For tuitions rates, click here.
Program Contact: Dr. Dawn Mollenkopf
Department: Teacher Education
Email: mollenkopfdl@unk.edu
Phone: 308-865-8362
Address: College of Education, Room B188, UNK, Kearney, NE 68849