Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Childhood Education

In the early childhood education program at UMBC undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates complete a course of study that can lead to certification as a teacher of children from Pre-K through grade 3. While many early childhood teacher candidates plan to teach young children in public schools, others are preparing for careers in private schools or child care centers where they hope to take on leadership positions in addition to teaching. The undergraduate certification program in early childhood has two unique features. The first is that all undergraduates must complete an academic major in addition to the certification program. Many undergraduates choose to major in Psychology, American Studies, or Sociology but others have chosen English, Mathematics, Dance or other disciplines as their major. Through an Interdisciplinary major, early childhood teacher candidates can customize their education to prepare for leadership positions such as child care center director or to focus on an area of interest such as the arts or the environment in early childhood education. The second distinctive feature of the program is the extensive field placements that the teacher candidates experience each semester that they are in the program. Teacher candidates have a placement in a different early childhood setting each semester and are able to observe and participate in 4-5 classrooms by the time they finish the program. University supervisors observe the teacher candidates several times each semester to support their growth.

The Graduate School recommends applicants have at least a 3.0 GPA or “B” average when applying.For transcripts from schools abroad, the UMBC Graduate School will accept official WES (World Education Services) ICAP Course-by-Course evaluations but note that these evaluations are not required.Students who are unable to meet the minimum GPA standards may still be admitted to graduate study by demonstrating outstanding performance on one or more of the graduate aptitude tests or by providing letters of recommendation from evaluators who can speak to the applicant’s performance as a student or in a professional capacity.Standards for admission to a doctoral program are generally higher than those for admission to a master’s program. The terms of this admission are based on specific recommendations made by the applicant’s department in conjunction with the Graduate School.