Early Childhood Education (B.A.)
Program Overview
The B.A. in Early Childhood Education is designed to prepare students for certification
from the Florida Department of Education for Prekindergarten/Primary (age 3 to grade
3), as well as Prekindergarten/Disability endorsement, ESOL endorsement, and Reading
Endorsement. Coursework and extensive field experiences enable students to dynamically
integrate theory and teaching practices. Competencies include content-specific knowledge
applicable to the unique developmental needs of this age population including a thorough
understanding of cultural diversity, individual differences, and skills to work with
children in individual ways, particularly English for Speakers of Other Languages
(ESOL) students; and an emphasis on capabilities of teachers to work with children
with atypical abilities and special needs.
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Program Requirements
Toggle More InfoProgram Requirements for the 2020-2021 Catalog Year
The General Education Program Website is located at http://www.fgcu.edu/general_education
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
Degree-seeking students are classified as pre-majors prior to formal transition into a COE major. In order to transition from a COE pre-major to a major, students must complete the following:
- An overall GPA of 2.5 on all hours attempted.
- Pass all subsections of the FTCE General Knowledge Test. No exemptions can be considered.
- Satisfy all General Education requirements.
- Satisfy College-Level Skills requirements.
- Satisfy common prerequisite requirements.
- Successfully complete a background check.
- Obtain liability insurance for field experiences in the PreK-12 schools.
Students must have passed the FTCE Subject Area Exam prior to beginning Level I Internship.
Students must complete all coursework and have passed the FTCE Professional Education Exam prior to beginning Level II Internship.
In addition to the program requirements, students must complete:
- Pass the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE), including the subject area examination and the Professional Education examination.
- A minimum of 48 upper division credits (courses numbered 3000 and higher).
- Complete 30 of the last 60 credits at FGCU.
- A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- Satisfy College-Level skills and foreign language admission requirements.
- Satisfy Service Learning requirement. See: https://www.fgcu.edu/studentlife/servicelearning/
- Satisfy Civic Literacy requirement.
Program Requirements
- FGCU General Education Program (https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/)
To prevent or minimize excess hours, select general education courses that satisfy common prerequisite requirements for your intended major. - Common Prerequisites
A minimum grade of C is required in each course.
FGCU Course: EDF 2005 Intro to Teach Prof (3)
Acceptable Substitute: EDFX005 - Courses in the Major
A minimum grade of C in each course and an overall GPA of 2.5 is required.
Required Courses (57 credits)
EDF 3253 Learning Mgmt Inclusive Class (3)
EDF 4112 Child Growth & Development (3)
EDG 3323 Professional Teaching Practice (3)
EDG 4371 Creative & Affective Develpmnt (3)
EDG 4937 Sr Seminar-Initial Teach Prep (3)
EEC 3268 Play Development & Assessment (3)
EEC 4307 Cognitive Exp for Yng Children (3)
EEC 4940 Internship: Early Childhood (9)
EEC 4942 Integrated Field Exp. - EC (3)
EEX 4201 Young Children with Spec Needs (3)(offered only in the spring)
EEX 4221 Educ Assess ofExceptional Stud (3)
MAE 4310 Math Content & Processes (3)
RED 4310 Early Literacy Learning (3)
RED 4350 Literacy Content & Processes (3)
TSL 3080 Foundations of ESOL (3)
TSL 4340 Methods, Cur and Instr Effect (3)
TSL 4520 Sec Lang Acquis Comm& Culture (3) - University Requirements (3 credits)
IDS 3920 University Colloquium (3) - Additional Electives - as needed to reach total credits required for the degree
Total Credits Required: 120
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Curriculum Map
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Learning Outcomes
Toggle More InfoAcademic Learning Compact
Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.
Content/Discipline Knowledge and SkillsCandidates will be able to:
- Use their knowledge of academic disciplines to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and meaningful learning experiences for each and every young child.
- Use their understanding in child development knowledge to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for each child.
- Understand that successful early childhood education depends upon partnerships with children’s families and communities and use their understanding to create respectful, reciprocal relationships that support and empower families and to involve all families in their children’s development and learning.
Content/discipline knowledge and skills are assessed at the program level through pre- and post-tests, papers, self-evaluations and/or targeted professional reflections, courses critical tasks, and internship experiences in the following: EEC 4307 Cognitive Experience for Young Children, EEC 4940 Internship Assessment for Continuous Professional Improvement, TSL 3080 Foundations of ESOL Analysis of Student and Family Learning Environment, EEC 4307 Cognitive Experiences, EDF 3253 Learning Management in Inclusive Classrooms Classroom Management Plan, EEC 4940 Internship Early Childhood.
Communication SkillsCandidates will be able to:
- Understand that positive relationships and supportive interactions are the foundations of their work with all children and families.
- Understand the need for a repertoire of effective strategies and understand the importance of the use of technology as a resource to support informed practice and decision making.
Communication skills are assessed at the program level through pre- and post-tests, papers, self-evaluations and/or targeted professional reflections, courses critical tasks, and internship experiences in the following: RED 4310 Early Learning Literacy Field Experience Log, EEC 3268 Play, Development and Assessment Individual Child Case Study, TSL 4520 Second Language Acquisition, Community and Culture/ESOL Field Experience, EEC 4307 Cognitive Experience for Young Children Assessment Paper, EEC 4307- Cognitive Experience for Young Children Project Plan Young Investigators.
Critical Thinking SkillsCandidates will be able to:
- Understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise, and its details vary depending on children’s ages, characteristics, and the settings within which teaching and learning occur.
- Identify and conduct themselves as members of the early childhood profession. They seek continuous improvement and are collaborative learners who demonstrate knowledgeable, reflective, and critical perspectives on their work, making informed decisions that integrate knowledge from a variety of sources.
Critical thinking skills are assessed at the program level through pre- and post-tests, papers, self-evaluations and/or targeted professional reflections, courses critical tasks, and internship experiences in the following: EEC 4940 Internship Evaluation/ Observations of the Learning Environment/Instructional Facilitation/Continuous Professional Development, EEC 4942 Integrated Field/Internship Experience and Non Final Internship Evaluation, EEC 4307 Cognitive Experience for Young Children Assessment Paper.
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Accreditation
Toggle More InfoInstitutional Accreditation
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Admissions Information
Toggle More InfoAdmissions Information for the 2020-2021 Catalog Year
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit the Admissions Office Website
If you are a newly-admitted FGCU student please be sure to sign up for an Eagle View Orientation session. As part of this session you will be meeting with an academic advisor who will assist you in registering for classes for your major.
Admission Deadlines
Visit the Admissions Office Web site for information on admission deadlines of the university.
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Course Description
Toggle More InfoOfficial Course Descriptions
Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.
Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:
- Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
- Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
- Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
- Press Search
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Course Schedule
Toggle More InfoGetting started with the Course Schedule Search
Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.
Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:
- Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
- Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSEATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
- Press Search.
*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.
**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
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Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
Toggle More InfoTuition and Fees
Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Office of the Bursar web site.
Financial Aid Opportunities
Visit FGCU's Financial Aid Web site for information about grants, additional scholarships, loans, and student employment.

Getting Started
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit FGCU's Admissions Office Website.
If you are already an FGCU student, and are interested in applying for this program, visit the College of Education's Admission page to find out more information on how to apply.