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MEd in Instructional Leadership: Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Special Education

The Early Childhood Education / Early Childhood Special Education concentration within the MEd in Instructional Leadership program blends regular early childhood education with early childhood special education, and prepares students to teach young children in urban settings. The program offers two strands:

Strand A leads to the MEd with a State of Illinois Type 04 teaching certificate and an endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education, which prepares students to teach students from birth to 3rd grade.
Strand B leads to the MEd only, and prepares students for a variety of leadership and teaching positions that do not require a Type 04 teaching certificate.

Visit the Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program website for information on funding opportunities available for students interested in this program.

Visit the Council on Teacher Education for more information about the certification process.

For more information contact the Office of Student Services at 312-996-4532, email Ana Valenta at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or learn how to apply!

Outcomes

Graduates of this program work in a variety of teaching and leadership positions including:

Teaching in public and private schools
Working for community agencies and home-based programs
Directing and administrating early childhood programs
Developing policy and programs for young children
Teaching in community colleges and universities
Working as early intervention developmental specialists, curriculum coordinators and parent trainers

Options

Degree Requirements

Strand A - MEd, Type 04 Certificate, and endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education:

Students must complete a minimum 33 to 34 credit hours with at least 12 hours at the 500 level. Courses numbered 596, 597, 598 or 599 do not meet this requirement. An additional 11to 15 hours beyond the basic degree requirements are mandatory for certification.

Core Curriculum

ED 422 Advanced Developmental Psychology and Educational Processes - 3 credits or EPSY 526 or Development in Infancy and Early Childhood - 4 credits
SPED 506 Characteristics, Theory, and Assessment of Infants and Young Children with Disabilities - 4 credits
EPSY 449 Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education: Perspectives, Policy, and History - 3 credits
EPSY/SPED 466 Language Development, Diversity and Disabilities - 3 credits
EPSY 429 Constructivist Approaches to Development: Piaget & Vygotsky - 4 credits
EPSY 520 Curriculum and Practice in Early Childhood Education - 5 hours
SPED 508 Methods of Instruction and Assessment for Infants and Children with Disabilities - 4 hours
EPSY/SPED 582 Forging Collaboration with Family and Staff - 3 hours
CI 509 Reading and Writing with Young Children - 4 hours

Additional Certification Requirements

EPSY 519 (Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in Primary Grades - 5 hours)
EPSY 521 (Early Childhood Education Student Teaching - 10 hours) or EPSY 522 (Internship in Early Childhood Education - 6 hours)
Completion of the Illinois Early Childhood Exam
Completion of the Illinois Assessment of Professional Teaching Exam
Completion of the general education requirements with a minimum grade of a “C” in each course.

NOTE: The Illinois State Certification Board may not issue a teaching certificate to an individual who has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor. If the student has been convicted, he or she should bring this to the attention of the adviser.

Strand B - MEd only:

Students must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours with at least 12 hours at the 500 level. Courses numbered 596, 597, 598 or 599 do not meet this requirement.

A. Core Curriculum (9 to 11 semester hours)

Philosophy of Education (ED 402 - 3 hours), or History of Education (ED 403 - 3 hours), or Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education: Perspectives, Policy, and History (EPSY 449 - 3 hours)
Developmental Psychology (ED 422 - 3 hours) or Development in Infancy and Early Childhood (EPSY 529 - 4 hours)
Curriculum and Instruction (ED 430 -3 hours) or Improving Learning Environments (ED 431- 3 hours)

B. Area of Concentration (15 to 16 semester hours)

Constructivist Approaches to Development: Piaget & Vygotsky (EPSY 429 - 4 hours)
Forging Collaboration with Family and Staff (EPSY 582/SPED 582 - 3 hours)
Reading and Writing with Young Children (CI 509 - 4 hours)
Students must choose one course from the following four options:

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in Primary Grades (EPSY 519 - 5 hours)

Curriculum and Practice in Early Childhood Education (EPSY 520 - 5 hours)

Methods of Instruction and Assessment for Infants and Children with Disabilities (SPED 508 - 4 hours)

Independent Study (EPSY 596 - 4 hours)

C. Electives (5 to 8 semester hours)

Selection of College of Education courses and special topics.

Advising Guide

Advising guides offer a checklist for class completion requirements. If you have questions regarding the content of this guide, please contact Program Coordinator Catherine Main at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or Mike Herkes, Coordinator of Data Management and Records, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Current Materials

Archived Materials

Fall 2003-2007 - Advising Guide for Strand A (Degree AND Certification) (pdf)

Handbooks

Masters Handbook (pdf)

UIC College of Education - University of Illinois at Chicago