University of Southern Indiana

USI Alumni Association

Issue 8: December 2003
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USI early childhood education major approved

At the November Indiana Commission for Higher Education board meeting, the Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education was approved for USI. The program adds a teaching major in an area of growing need.

"We will have 10 students ready for the junior level as early as next semester," said Dr. Charles Price, chair of the Teacher Education Department. "Early childhood education is a specific field of study, and employers of teachers of young children seek candidates prepared specifically in this field."

The program of study leads to a degree and credentials for working with young children, preschool to grade three. Graduates of the program will be eligible for the Indiana teaching license, "elementary: primary" and thus eligible for employment in preschool (including kindergarten) through third grade.

Undergraduate students preparing for teaching positions, child care workers holding the associate degree who seek advanced training, and early childhood providers who seek leadership and supervisory positions will be interested in this degree program.

Two-year graduates from Ivy Tech State College and Vincennes University who want to continue their education in this field also can enroll in the program.

The program requires 124 semester hours of course work, including the University core curriculum, a professional education component that includes courses and experiences common to all teacher education courses of study at USI, courses in the major, and electives.

It also requires practical experience working with young children during a minimum of four semesters, three of which will involve intensive experience in classrooms. This includes student teaching with placement in two early childhood education settings.

More information about the program is available from the Department of Teacher Education, 812/465-7024.

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