Western Kentucky University

Course Details

Master of Arts in Teaching - Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, Birth through Age 5, Initial Certification

Course Description

The program is designed to prepare early childhood educators to work with children with and without special needs, ages birth through kindergarten and their families. IECE program graduates are qualified to work with children from birth to entry into the primary program. This includes teaching children in kindergarten or other programs for five-year-olds if those programs are operated separately from the primary program. Graduates are prepared for positions in public schools, First Steps, Head Start programs, child care centers, and other public and private agencies serving young children and families. The MAT program in IECE, Birth to Primary, Initial Certification is for individuals who are not certified in any area of education or whose certification is not in IECE. The performance-based program of study requires 34 semester hours of course work and various field experiences. The program is not an alternate certification program. Courses in the program carry critical performance indicators (CPI’s) that must be completed before the final course grade will be recorded. The culminating experience of the program is an internship. Upon completion of the program and achieving a passing score on the required PRAXIS II exam, students are eligible to be recommended for the Statement of Eligibility to teach children ages birth through kindergarten.

Course Duration

NumberDuration
2year

Career outcomes

Careers in IECE Positions for IECE Certified Personnel Where the agency employs a certified teacher as a: * kindergarten teacher. * preschool teacher. * early childhood special educator (age 0-5 years). * developmental interventionist. * infant-toddler teacher. * early childhood parent educator. * special educator for IEP’s and IFSP’s. * home-based early childhood teacher. * itinerant early childhood teacher. * nursery school teacher.




Master of Arts in Teaching - Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, Birth through Age 5, Initial Certification Western Kentucky University