Location:

Chicago, United States

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Master

Specialty:

Early Childhood Education

Program Overview

Program Description:

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in Early Childhood Education is designed for students seeking a graduate degree eand Licensure to teach young children age 0-8 years. The program provides a solid academic course of study as well as diverse, dynamic and enriching learning experiences. The program is aimed at preparing high quality teachers to give young children a strong 21st century foundation for learning and development. Graduates of the program will acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for working effectively with young children in learning environments. Program of Study I. Professional Core constituting 18 credit hours (including pre-clinical experiences embedded in courses) II. Methods courses constituting 9 credit hours in (a)Language Arts, Music and Art, (b) Reading, and (c)Math, Science, and Social Studies III. Practicum and internship constituting 9 hours IV. A research project constituting 3 credit hours ECED 402: Application of Learning Theories to EarlyChildhood Education....3 cr. ECED 407: Family, Child and Teacher Interaction inEarly Childhood Education....3 cr. SPED 404: Survey of the Field of Special Education ....3 cr. ECED 408: Language Acquisition and Intervention Strategiesfor Teachers of Young Children....3 cr. ECED 410: Curriculum Development in EarlyChildhood Education....3 cr. ECED 403: Early Childhood Assessment....3 cr. LTCY 501: Literacy Instruction in ElementaryGrades ....3 cr. ECED 452: Methods of Teaching Language Arts,Music and Art in Early Childhood Education....3 cr. ECED 455: Methods of Teaching Math Science andSocial Studies in Early Childhood Education....3 cr. *BLBC 440: Teaching in Culture and Language Diverse Classrooms (3 Cr) ECED 411: Practicum in Early Childhood ..... 3 cr. ECED 412: Research Seminar in EarlyChildhood Education....3 cr. ECED 429: Internship in Early Childhood Education....6 cr. * This course is being added as required by ISBE. The proposal to add the course is currently going through Governance. This addition will change the total credit hours to 42.

Additional Program Information

Accreditation:

The College of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Colleges of Teacher Education (NCATE), the premier accrediting body approved by the U.S. Department of Education. This means that our programs and our faculty undergo a rigorous peer review process every seven years. Our theme, COE Professionals; Reflective, Collaborative, Transformative, underpins our emphasis on our performance standards aligned with the Illinois Standards for School Professionals (IPTS). Our programs in School and Community Counseling are not only recognized by NCATE but they undergo a separate peer review process and are accredited by CACREP, the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. So, you can see that the COE at NEIU represents the highest standards of professional excellence, commitment to diversity, and collaboration with each other and with our local community.

Financial Aid:

Yes

Requirements:

Applicants to the MAT in ECED program will provide evidence that they have: 1. A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university 2. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (4.0 Scale) 3. Successful completion of the ILTS Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) 4. Two professional references to attest to the applicant’s scholarship and experiences with children. Note: Conditional admission to the MAT in ECED may be granted to an applicant whose undergraduate GPA falls slightly below the 3.0 requirement but who is otherwise highly qualified. Consideration will be made on an individual basisafter a face-to-face interview with the applicant GRE: Not required