Online Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education
Online Degree Completion Program
Millersville’s online Early Childhood Education program provides an exemplary program for undergraduate students in education, connecting content and pedagogy with authentic experiences in diverse school settings and upholding high standards for professional and civic conduct.
The program is designed to provide an in-depth knowledge of subject matter and appropriate knowledge of pedagogy to teach pre-kindergarten to grade 4. Students who complete the early childhood education program at Millersville University receive a Bachelor of Science in Education degree and may apply for a Pennsylvania Instructional I teaching certificate.
*Students outside of PA should check with their state’s Department of Education on licensure requirements before entering this program.
*Please note, the online Early Childhood Education program is typically completed part-time.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
Students within this program complete 15 credit hours in the Professional Core, 12 credit hours in student teaching, and 45 credit hours in research-based methods of instruction. This program will prepare teacher candidates to use research-based methods of instruction with young children.
Teacher candidates are trained in the “co-teaching” model of instruction and learn to collaborate with professionals in the school. Field placements can be flexible to a student’s work situation or current career placement.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
- 100% online courses.
- Program start dates in spring and fall.
- Flexibility to work while earning a degree.
- Courses offered year-round to allow you to complete your degree faster.
- Major courses completed in 7.5 weeks
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
- Childcare Worker
- Elementary School Teacher
- Education Administrator
- Preschool Teacher
- Special Education Teacher
- Teacher Assistant
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers
- Instructional Coordinator
pursue your online bSE in early childhood ed with tuition and fees sponsorship!
Millersville University partners with the Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization at PASSHE (ECEPDO@PASSHE) to offer a tuition and fees sponsorship to qualified students.
Students can apply for the tuition and fees sponsorship at https://ecepdo.org/.
Applicants for the tuition and fees sponsorship must:
- Be a PA resident.
- Be a current employee at a certified child care program for 3 months or demonstrate employment history of 6 months in child care.
- Work a minimum of 25 hrs per week in a certified child care program.
- Child care directors make no more than $25.00 per hour; child care teachers, asst. teachers and aides no more than $21.63 per hour.
- Be interested in pursuing coursework at a participating educational partner toward an AA or BA degree or a CDA credential.
- GPA and course grades meet transfer requirements; a watch plan is developed for participants not meeting transfer requirements.
- Sign a Pennsylvania Early Childhood Education Commitment Form.
This project is supported by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) of Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and Pennsylvania’s Department of Education (PDE). For more information, visit dhs.pa.gov and education.pa.gov.
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Admissions and Program Requirements
Admissions Requirements
To apply for admission, you must meet the following requirements:
- At least 30 transferable college credits
- A 2.0 or higher overall GPA
- Completion of the required pre-requisite courses (see pre-requisites below for more information)
You must also submit the following:
- A completed online application
- An official transcript from ALL previous institutions of higher education attended
Program Prerequisites:
Completion of at least 30 transferrable credits including the below required pre-requisite courses is required before beginning.
**These 4 courses are not available online at Millersville. We recommend completing them at HACC, Luzerne, Northampton, or another local community college first.
- ERCH 110 Intro to Early Childhood Education
- SPED 101 Orientation to Special Ed
- MATH 104 Fundamentals of Math 1
- MATH 105 Fundamentals of Math 2
Program Required Courses:
- EDFN 211 Foundations Modern Education
- EDFN 241 Psychological Foundations of Teaching
- EDFN 320 Instructional Technology in Elementary Ed
- ERCH 225 Foundations of Reading
- ERCH 315 Family & Community: Aspects of Diversity
- ERCH 316 Creative Experiences for the Young Child
- ERCH 345 Social Studies for the Young Learner
- ERCH 421 Language Development & Emergent Literacy
- ERCH 422 Teaching of Literacy, PreK-4
- ERCH 435 Literature for the Young Child
- ERCH 455 Teaching Mathematics to Young Children
- ERCH 465 Science for the Young Learner
- ERCH 485 Teaching Young English Language Learners
- ERCH 496 Curric, Instr & Assesss: Engaging the Young Child
- SPED 311 Assessment for Designing & Implementing Instruction
- SPED 331 Positive Learning Environments for all Students
- EDEL 461 Eled Student Teaching
- EDEL 462 Eled Student Teaching
- ART 128 Art Integration
- PSYC 227 Child & Adolescent
- WELL 240 Health, Safety & Nutrition
After applying, a transfer evaluation will be conducted to identify how many general education credits you will need to take to fulfill degree requirements.
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FIELD WORK INFORMATION
FIELD WORK INFORMATION
Students are required to be working at least 8 hours per week in an education setting before beginning the online Early Childhood Education program so they can use their workplace as a placement for field requirements.
Course field experience expectations: Individual course instructors will provide details within each course.
FOUNDATIONS BLOCK (9 Credits)
- EDFN 211 Foundations of Modern Education - Candidates complete a case study assignment based on observations from the field.
- EDFN 241 Psychological Foundations of Teaching - Candidates are asked to make connections between the content being taught in the university course and the observations they make in the classroom. Candidates use their experience working with students to write a reflective paper.
- ERCH 225 Foundations of Reading - This course asks candidates to complete a teacher interview, a classroom observation checklist, a reading inventory/interview with a student, and a lesson plan (taught), with feedback provided from a certified teacher (cooperating teacher/mentor).
REQUIRED EDUCATION COURSES (18 CREDITS)
- ERCH 316 Creative Experiences for the Young Child - Facilitating a creative lesson.
- ERCH 435 Literature for the Young Child - Candidates will apply what they are learning by making instructional decisions about children’s literature in their classrooms. Assignments will include evaluating classroom libraries, selecting and sharing quality literature, and reading aloud.
- ERCH 315 Family & Community: Aspects of Diversity - Interview with a parent.
- ERCH 485 Teaching Young English Language Learners - Demonstrate an understanding of the resources that young learners bring to academic settings, and of ways to support young learners and their families in their adjustments to English-speaking schools
- SPED 311 Assessment for Designing & Implementing Instruction - No field. Students in the OCP use the POEM to use their classroom as their placement for any required placements.
- SPED 331 Positive Learning Environments for All Students - No field. Students in the OCP use the POEM to use their classroom as their placement for any required placements.
PROFESSIONAL BLOCK I – (9 credits)
- ERCH 496 Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment: Engaging the Young Child - Child development and assessment project. ECERS Rating Scale. Environmental Assessment. Teaching mini lessons.
- ERCH 421 Language Development & Emergent Literacy - Planning, implementing, and reflecting on literacy assessments with young children (preferably birth to 5).
PROFESSIONAL BLOCK II (15 credits)
- ERCH 455 Teaching Mathematics to Young Children - Number Talk; using children’s literature in mathematics instruction.
- ERCH 345 Social Studies for the Young Learner - Apply the standards and thematic strands of social studies as defined by the National Council for the Social Studies for the PreK–4 developmental level.
- ERCH 422 Teaching of Literacy, PreK-4: Process, Skills & Strategies - Oral Reading Fluency assessment with analysis (one student). One lesson plan analysis (post-analysis) (lesson video-taped).
- ERCH 465 Science for the Young Learner - Design three lesson plans. Teach one lesson. Analysis of the science curriculum of the placement.
Student Teaching (12 credit)
- During Teaching, candidates will begin to take responsibility for teaching the classroom lessons and provide most of the daily instruction.
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Online Application & Acceptance Process
APPLY!
- To apply for admission to Millersville's online programs, please complete our quick and easy application!
SEND IN ALL OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
- Electronic Transcripts-
- Send electronic official transcripts directly from the school to our office at onlineprograms@millersville.edu.
- Electronic transcripts are typically the fastest way to submit transcripts.
- Mailed Transcripts-
- Have mailed official transcripts sent directly to our office:
- Office of Online Programs
Millersville University
Lombardo Welcome Center
P.O. Box 1002
Millersville, PA 17551
- Office of Online Programs
- Have mailed official transcripts sent directly to our office:
**Transcripts must be sealed, official copies sent directly from the university, college, or high school to our office. Any opened transcripts (electronic or mailed) are considered unofficial copies**
Millersville University’s Online Programs offer rolling admissions and applications are reviewed for acceptance as they become complete.
ONLINE ACCEPTANCE PROCESS
Once all application documents are received, an official admissions decision will be made and a transfer credit evaluation will be completed. If accepted into the program, a confirmation email will be sent to access your application portal.
To confirm acceptance and secure a spot in the program, the admissions response form must be submitted. Information on the response form will be sent to accepted students.
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Cohort Start Dates
This program has cohorts starting every August (fall) and January (spring).
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FAQ'S AND ONLINE STUDENT RESOURCES
Visit the FAQ's page for our online programs for more information on our frequently asked questions!
Please also visit our Online Student Support Resources page for more information and additional resources available to online students! -
Support for Online Application and Admissions
Our Online Programs Admissions Counselor will work with students from the point of interest until confirming their acceptance to help answer questions, provide transcript updates, complete transcript evaluations, announce admission decisions and assist with confirming enrollment.
Our Online Programs Student Support Specialists will then continue to assist online students throughout the entirety of the program to assist with any and all non-advisement questions.
Contact our office at (717)871-7200 or onlineprograms@millersville.edu for any assistance! -
Additional Resources
- Search for Online Courses
- Search through all available online courses by term, level (undergraduate or graduate), and method (fully-online or blended).
- Tuition & Fees for Undergraduate Students
- Check this page for exact tuition & fees for undergraduates; this includes costs for both fully online & face-to-face students, as well as in-state & out-of-state.
- Online Programs Student Forms
- Visit this page for a complete list of student forms used by the Office of Online Programs, such as Change of Delivery (COD) forms and Admission Response forms.
- Search for Online Courses