Child Development and Family Relations

MAEd in Birth-Kindergarten Education

The Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) in Birth through Kindergarten (BK) program prepares individuals for leadership roles as master teachers, consultants, program coordinators, supervisors, and staff development trainers in early childhood education. Successful completion of the program leads to a recommendation for advanced licensure in BK. Therefore, it is open only to individuals who hold a current and valid BK license.

Individuals who hold a teaching license that is not BK must complete requirements for the BK Add-on license prior to applying for admission to the Graduate School for the MAEd-BK program. Individuals who have completed a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited institution, but do not hold a teaching license must complete requirements for Licensure Only in BK before applying to the Graduate School for the MAEd-BK program. Persons in either situation can affiliate with ECU through the Office of Alternative Licensure and obtain a plan of study for the required program.

The MAEd-BK program requires 39 semester hours (s.h.) consisting of 12 s.h. of core courses, 18 s.h. of professional area courses, and 9 s.h. from a specialty strand.

Core Courses (12 s.h.)
Professional Area (18 s.h.)
Specialty Area (select one strand - 9 s.h.)

EDUC 6482 or SCIE 6500

EDUC 6001

ADED 6550 or ELEM 6550 or LEED 6000

SPED 6002

**Core Courses Professional Area Specialty Area

CDFR 6402

CDFR 6501

CDFR 6503

CDFR 6990

CDFR 6991 or CDFR 7000

FACS 6990

Assistive Technology SPED/OCCT 6701, 6702, 6703

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder SPED 6800, 6801, 6802, 6803

Community College Instruction ADED 6240, 6450, 6453

Deaf-Blindness SPED 6810, 6811, 6812

Teaching English as a Second Language TESL 6100, 6200, 6300

Adviser Approved Strand (student selects 9 s.h. approved by adviser)

Full Check Sheet

MAEd-BK Course Descriptions

MAEd-BK is a distance education program that is delivered entirely online to residents of North Carolina only. Individuals who do not reside (live) in North Carolina are not eligible for admission to the program and may not register for BK classes delivered online.

Click here to apply to East Carolina University. Admission to East Carolina University does not guarantee admissions into your desired program of study.

Requirements to Declare:

The following requirements must be met for admission into the MAEd-BK program:

All MAEd applicants must hold an initial teaching license; those who wish pursue the MAEd in B-K must hold a clear B-K license. Applicants who hold a license other than B-K must complete requirements for the BK Add-on license before applying to the Graduate School for the MAEd-BK program.
Applicants who do not qualify for regular admission to the Graduate School under guidelines approved by the Graduate Administrative Board are not considered for admission to the MAEd-BK program.
Requirements for admission to the Graduate School include a minimum GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale on all undergraduate work from an institution accredited by a regional association and satisfactory scores on either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT); the GRE or MAT must have been taken within the past five years. The minimum score for either test is the 30th percentile. For the GRE, that translates to a minimum scaled score of 520 on the Verbal and 390 on the Quantitative. For the MAT, the minimum score is 385.
Three letters of reference from persons who can attest to the applicant's academic competence or ability to do graduate work; at least one reference must be from an education or human services professional supervisor and at least one from a former college or university instructor.
Documentation of current valid BK license.
A completed Graduate School application packet.
Complete applications must be submitted to the Graduate School by February 1. Successful applicants are admitted to begin the MAEd-BK program in the Fall semester only.

Admission to Candidacy:

Admission to Candidacy for the MAEd will be met upon completion of the following:
1. North Carolina teaching license in appropriate area.
2. Unconditionally admitted to graduate standing.
3. Accepted to program area and assigned an adviser.
4. Successfully completed 12 s.h. of graduate credit beyond any entrance deficiencies or conditions.

Other Requirements:

Students must maintain an overall average of 3.0 and good standing with the Graduate School. A final grade of C on courses totaling in excess of 6 s.h. or a grade of F will result in termination from the program.

Standards, Accreditations and Certification

Please feel free to contact us at:
CDFR@ecu.edu or 252-328-6908.


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