The 120 credit-hour minimum is achievable by using specific courses that meet both general education requirements and the Early Childhood Education major curriculum requirements. We recommend students work with their academic advisors.
The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education degree leads to the state of Illinois Educator Licensure in Early Childhood Education (birth – Grade 2) with an English as a Second Language (ESL) Endorsement. Early Childhood Education Majors must complete all requirements of the College of Education to be eligible for licensure.
Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) are general education courses Concordia-Chicago agrees to accept in lieu of comparable, lower-division general education requirements. For more information regarding IAI transfer credit, please see the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s iTransfer website at www.itransfer.org.
College of Education Graduation Requirements:
Students in the College of College of Education must meet all University requirements found in the Academic Information section of this catalog. Specific requirements of the College of Education include the following:
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 for all coursework completed at CUC
- A minimum GPA of 2.75 for all courses taken in the major at CUC
- A minimum grade of C- for all courses taken in a major at CUC
- A passing score on the Illinois State Licensure Test(s) (taken prior to student teaching for those seeking licensure)
- A passing score on the EdTPA (for those seeking licensure)
- A passing grade for the Student Teaching Internship
- With the exception of student teaching, courses in the education major at CUC may not be taken on the Pass/Fail grade option
- In addition to the overall minimum credits for the degree major, minor, endorsement, and special programs (Honors Program for example) requirements are also necessary if they have been declared. Deficiency in any area of the program will delay awarding of the degree and will require filing of a new intent to graduate. Students may elect to drop minors, additional endorsements, or other special programs if they present an obstacle to graduation.
Early Childhood Program General Education Requirements (38-41 hours)
All methods courses in the Illinois approved program must have the grade C- or higher, with the exception of student teaching, courses in the approved program may not be taken on the Pass/Fail grade option.
University Requirement ( Freshman only, transfer students are exempt)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COL-1995 | Vocation and College Success | 1 |
General Education Requirements
Communication (9 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENG-1100 | English Composition | 3 |
| ENG-2000 | Writing About Literature | 3 |
| COM-1100 | Speech Communication | 3 |
Humanities (9 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Course | ||
| HIS-1200 | History of the American People to 1877 | 3 |
| or HIS-1250 | History of the American People since 1877 | |
| Fine Arts select one course from list below | 3 | |
| Introduction to the Visual Arts | ||
| Two-Dimensional Basic Studio | ||
| Three-Dimensional Basic Studio | ||
| Western Art: Pre-History through Renaissance | ||
| Western Art: Post Renaissance through Contemporary | ||
| Non-Western Art | ||
| Introduction to Film Studies | ||
| Global Documentary | ||
| Exploration of Music | ||
| Survey of Western Music | ||
| Music of World Cultures | ||
| History of Jazz | ||
| Introduction to Theater | ||
| Humanities or Fine Arts: Select one from the following or from previous list | 3 | |
| Introduction to the Visual Arts | ||
| Two-Dimensional Basic Studio | ||
| Three-Dimensional Basic Studio | ||
| Western Art: Pre-History through Renaissance | ||
| Western Art: Post Renaissance through Contemporary | ||
| Non-Western Art | ||
| American Sign Language I | ||
| American Sign Language II | ||
| Introduction to Film Studies | ||
| Global Documentary | ||
| Literature for Children, Adolescents & Young Adults | ||
| Non-Western Literature | ||
| Society and Literature | ||
| U.S. Latina/o Literature(s) | ||
| Greek & Roman Mythology | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Classical World Literature | ||
| Modern World Literature | ||
| German for Reading I | ||
| German for Reading II | ||
| Greek I | ||
| Greek II | ||
| Hebrew I | ||
| Hebrew II | ||
| Survey of Early Modern Europe, 1350-1815 | ||
| Survey of Modern Europe Since 1815 | ||
| Survey of World History to 1350 | ||
| Survey of the World Since 1350 | ||
| U.S. Women's History | ||
| African American History | ||
| Hispanic and Latino American History | ||
| Ancient Greek and Roman Civilizations | ||
| A History of Illinois | ||
| Arts and Ideas | ||
| Intro to American Cultural Studies | ||
| Latin I | ||
| Latin II | ||
| Exploration of Music | ||
| Survey of Western Music | ||
| Music of World Cultures | ||
| History of Jazz | ||
| Primer in Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Introduction to Logic | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Elementary Spanish I | ||
| Elementary Spanish II | ||
| Intermediate Spanish I | ||
| Intermediate Spanish II | ||
| Introduction to Theater | ||
Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
Required Courses | ||
| GEO-1200 | World Geography: Culture Patterns | 3 |
| POS-1100 | American Government and Politics | 3 |
| Select one more courses from list below | 3 | |
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Foundations of Economics | ||
| Geography of North America | ||
| The Developing World | ||
| Introduction to Global Cultural Studies | ||
| Engaging Diversity: U.S. Perspectives | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Politics | ||
| General Psychology | ||
| The Mind and the Brain | ||
| Developmental Psychology: Life Span | ||
| Child and Adolescent Psychology | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| People and Society | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Marriage and the Family | ||
| Race, Ethnicity, & Racisms in the U.S. | ||
| Sociology of Gender/Sexualities | ||
| Social Inequality: Class, Status and Power | ||
Physical and Life Sciences (8 Hours)
At least one of the transfer courses in science must include a lab. All ECE majors must take Science courses that address at least three areas of science (physical science, life science and earth/space science) and earn a C- or higher in the coursework.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Physical and Life Science Requirements | ||
| NSCI-1110 | Concepts in Chemistry and Biology | 4 |
| NSCI-1120 | Concepts in Physics and Earth Science | 4 |
Mathematics (3 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MAT-1412 | Mathematics for Early Childhood Teachers: Geometry, Statistics, Functions | 3 |
Additional University Requirements
Theology – Public Teacher Education (6 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Biblical Studies Course | ||
| THY-1100 | The Bible (B) | 3 |
| Theological Studies Course | ||
| THY-1210 | Introduction to Christianity (S) | 3 |
Theology – Lutheran Teacher Education (21 Hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Methods Course | ||
| EDUC-4900 | Lutheran Teacher: Vocation and Methods | 3 |
| Theology Course (2.75 GPA Required) | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| THY-2010 | Introduction to the Old Testament (B) 2 | 3 |
| THY-2500 | Martin Luther's Small and Large Catechisms (S) 1 | 3 |
| THY-3105 | Introduction to the New Testament (B) | 3 |
| THY-3320 | Survey of Church History (H) | 3 |
| Select two courses from the list below | 6 | |
| The Augsburg Confession and its Apology (S) | ||
| The Ancient Creeds, the Smalcald Articles, and the Treaties (S) | ||
| The Formula of Concord (S) | ||
| 1 | Fulfills Gen. Ed. Theology Doctrine requirement. |
| 2 | Fulfills Gen. Ed. Theology Bible requirement. |