Â鶹´«Ã½

Image
Tutor working with child

Early Childhood Education - M.A.T.

The Early Childhood Education MAT program is for those individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree (outside of education) and are interested in becoming licensed to teach Preschool through Grade 5 in the State of Ohio (the Ohio Primary License). This program also allows you to earn a level one Primary Years Program certificate with the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Contact Us

Apply Now
Request Information
Schedule a visit

Program Overview

Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education provides a comprehensive education in early childhood education studies. This program prepares students for various careers in early childhood education and related fields.

The ECED MAT program at Kent State is an intensive 18-month / 5-semester program that requires full-time study on the Kent campus. The program begins in mid-May. You will attend classes during Summer (I), Fall (I), Spring, Summer (II), and Fall (II). You will complete your student teaching experience in Fall (II) and graduate in December.

Please contact the program coordinator for information about application deadlines and the cohort admission review process.

Due to the intensive nature of the program, you will observe and teach in a field site during most of your ECED MAT experience. It is not recommended that you work during this program. If you do plan to continue employment, you should do so on Fridays, Saturdays and/or Sundays.

Early Childhood MAT Plan of Study (PDF)

Pre-Admission Transcript Review

Depending on the coursework taken for completion of your initial degree, you may have to take one or more prerequisite undergraduate courses, in addition to the required ECED MAT course sequence. Transcripts will be continuously reviewed for prerequisites in math, science, American history, geography and child development leading up to the application deadline. Please email Erin Harwood, Graduate Senior Advisor (eharwood@kent.edu), to request a prerequisite transcript review (attach unofficial transcripts). If you are a current Kent State undergraduate student or a graduate of Kent State, transcripts can be accessed internally with your written authorization to access your Kent State record embedded in your email. Transcript reviews can take a few weeks to complete and return.

Any undergraduate prerequisite coursework deemed necessary can be taken at any Kent State campus, or any other accredited institution (please work with Erin Harwood, Graduate Senior Advisor, to ensure transferability). Prerequisite coursework should be completed before the program begins.

Program Information for Early Childhood Education - M.A.T.

Program Description

Full Description

The Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Early Childhood Education is for qualified students who possess at least a baccalaureate in a discipline other than teacher education. This program leads to Ohio licensure for teaching children in pre-kindergarten through grade five. Students have intensive, supervised field experiences in pre-school, primary and upper elementary grades, including those in urban/diverse settings.

This degree program requires 19 months of full-time study, which begins in mid-May of odd years and ends with a final student teaching experience and a December graduation.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.

Admissions for Early Childhood Education - M.A.T.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
  • Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
  • Official transcript(s)
  • Goal statement
  • Questions in Anticipation of Licensure form
  • Supplemental form
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Interview
  • English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:1
    • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
    • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
    • Minimum 58 PTE score
    • Minimum 110 DET score

Applicants will be assessed holistically, considering academic credentials; standardized test scores of reading, writing and mathematics; academic or professional references; non-academic dimensions; and other specific program criteria.

1

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores may be considered for conditional admission.

Application Deadlines

  • Summer Term
    • Priority deadline: February 1
      Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.
Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Co-construct curriculum as a co-worker with learners and others (parents, families, colleagues and community members) to make sound decisions for learning and teaching experiences, as opposed to being passive receivers of prescribed curriculum.
  2. Synthesize conceptual understandings of children, theory, content, technology and socio-cultural contexts into meaningful activities and opportunities for learning with all students from pre-kindergarten to grade five.
  3. Engage in the habit of self-assessment in order to continually uncover unknown possibilities in children’s learning, classroom practice, educational theory and one’s own teaching identity in the local and global context.
  4. Become committed to the children and their learning, the families and the local community while having an awareness of the global context.
  5. Engage in continuous self-improvement and lifelong learning.
  6. Apply skills, knowledge and dispositions to challenge "questionable" policies that limit opportunities for all children.
  7. Utilize research and theory to develop varied and effective pedagogies and assessments that will positively impact all students’ learning (learning and teaching is a transdisciplinary practice).
  8. Advocate as ethical leaders and moral agents striving for social justice.
  9. Acknowledge and practice multiple, multi-ethnic, multicultural, multiracial, multi- social and -economic and multilingual perspectives in a global society.
Coursework

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements
CI 67005INTERCULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING 3
ECED 50125INQUIRY INTO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 3
ECED 50203CRITICAL INQUIRY: THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE FRAMEWORK 3
ECED 50301TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN K-5 CLASSROOMS 3
ECED 50302TEACHING PHONICS AND WORD STUDY 3
ECED 50303TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS I 3
ECED 50304TEACHING SCIENCE IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS 3
ECED 50402TEACHING READERS IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS 3
ECED 50403TEACHING WRITERS IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS 3
ECED 50404TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN THE ELEMENTARY YEARS II 3
ECED 54444DEVELOPMENT AND PEDAGOGY IN UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 3
ECED 60103SOCIAL STUDIES AND THE ARTS IN PRESCHOOL 3
ECED 60201TEACHING EARLY READERS 3
ECED 60113PRESCHOOL EDUCATION 3
ECED 60151SOCIOMORAL ENVIRONMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 3
ECED 60152APPLICATION OF SELECTED THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN 3
ECED 60115SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS FOUNDATIONS FOR EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 3
ECED 60392CLINICAL EXPERIENCE PRIMARY III 11
ECED 60492CLINICAL EXPERIENCE PRIMARY IV 11
ECED 63333FAMILY-SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN DIVERSE SETTINGS 3
ECED 67292PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 18
Minimum Total Credit Hours:64
1

Teacher candidates are only permitted to repeat a field experience course once. Please see policy for details.

Graduation Requirements

Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
- 3.000
  • No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
  • Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

Licensure Information

Candidates seeking Ohio licensure are required to pass specific assessments in order to apply for licensure. Students should consult their advisors for specific program requirements and refer to the Ohio Department of Education-Educator Preparation website for more information on assessments specific to licensure type.

Program Delivery
  • Delivery:
    • In person
  • Location:
    • Kent Campus
Accreditation for Early Childhood Education - M.A.T.

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Early Childhood Education - M.A.T.

Graduates of Â鶹´«Ã½'s M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education are prepared for specialized career opportunities in the early childhood education industry.

Education teachers, postsecondary

4.8%

about as fast as the average

77,300

number of jobs

$65,440

potential earnings

Elementary school teachers, except special education

3.5%

about as fast as the average

1,452,100

number of jobs

$60,940

potential earnings

Kindergarten teachers, except special education

3.7%

about as fast as the average

127,700

number of jobs

$57,860

potential earnings

Preschool teachers, except special education

2.5%

slower than the average

540,400

number of jobs

$31,930

potential earnings

Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

3.6%

about as fast as the average

1,395,900

number of jobs

$28,900

potential earnings

Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' . Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.

Request Information

Loading...