Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education

Nurture Your Career

Designed for working professionals, the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) program will prepare you for a career as an early interventionist, teacher, researcher, or administrator in early childhood or special education. Our graduates work in early intervention programs, preschools, kindergartens, child care facilities, and governmental agencies. As a graduate of our program you will be able to:

• Conduct classroom, program, and student assessments using a variety of tools, including observation, portfolios, and standardized testing.
• Develop educational plans for individual students and map curricula for classrooms and programs that draw on your knowledge of childhood development.
• Create rich learning environments that apply findings from research and theory and foster student learning outcomes.

Students who are not certified in IECE must complete the certification program before beginning the Master’s program. The certification program consists of 33 credit hours and leads to Rank III certification in Kentucky. Students who are certified in IECE may complete the Master’s of Education (M.Ed.). The program has thesis (30 credit hours) and non-thesis (36 credit hours) options. The Master’s program includes practica, which are supervised by U.K. faculty. The practicum may be completed at location convenient for the student. Upon completion of the M. Ed. program, students may seek Rank II certification in Kentucky.

Admission to the program requires an bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.8 or higher.