Early Childhood Education (B.A.)
Website: https://www.fgcu.edu/coe/programs/undergraduateprograms/earlychildhoodeducation-ba.aspx
The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Early Childhood Education prepares students for teacher certification from the Florida Department of Education in Prekindergarten/Primary Education (age 3 to grade 3). Graduates also earn endorsements in Prekindergarten/Disability, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and Reading, giving them strong credentials for early learning careers.
Coursework is combined with extensive field experiences, beginning early in the program and continuing through the culminating internship. Students learn to integrate theory and practice while developing expertise in child development, responsive teaching, individualized guidance, and authentic assessment.
Graduates complete the program as reflective educators who are well prepared to support young children’s growth and learning, including children who are multilingual learners and those with varied learning needs, across a wide range of early childhood settings.
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
In addition to the program requirements, students must:
- Complete all program coursework with a minimum grade of C.
- Pass all required FTCE exams (General Knowledge, Subject Area, and Professional Education).
- Complete a minimum of 120 credits.
- Complete a minimum of 42 of the 120 credits at the upper division (3000-4999 level).
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher for this certified program degree.
- Satisfy the College-Level skills and foreign language admission requirements. Satisfy the Service-Learning requirement.
- Satisfy the Civic Literacy requirement.
- Satisfy the residency requirement: 30 of the last 60 credits must be completed at FGCU.
- Complete the summer course enrollment requirement.
- Submit an Application for Graduation by the deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.