If you are great at working with kids, then a career in Early Childhood Education is ideal for you. But to make the most of this career, you’d need to get a higher degree like a master’s in early childhood education.
Acquiring a master’s degree in early childhood education will boost your CV and also fatten your monthly payments as a childhood educator.
So if you’ve been going back and forth the thought of getting a masters in early childhood education, this article will convince you on why you need to go get it.
Meanwhile, find the table of contents below to have a peep into what you’ll find in this article.
So let’s quickly delve into what we have here.
Table of contents
- What is Early Childhood Education?
- Can I Get A Master’s Degree In Early Childhood Education?
- How Long Does It Take To Get A Master’s Degree In Early Childhood Education?
- What Can I Do With A Master’s Degree In Early Childhood Education?
- What kind of job can I get with the master’s degree in Early Childhood Education?
- How many credits do you need for a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education?
- How much does it cost to get a master’s degree in early childhood education?
- What is the salary of an early childhood educator?
- How do you get a masters in early childhood education?
- Scholarships for Early Childhood Education
- Frequently Asked Questions on How to Get a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education
- Conclusion
- Author’s Recommendations
- References
What is Early Childhood Education?
Early Childhood Education is a formal or informal type of education that is provided to infants, from birth up to 8 years of age. The education provides crucial stimulation and guidance during the time in which a child’s brain is forming faster than any other period of life.
Early Childhood Education aims at the development of a child’s emotional, social, physical, and cognitive needs. Education is more than preparation for primary school, it lays the foundation for a lifetime of learning.
Can I Get A Master’s Degree In Early Childhood Education?
Yes! Any student with a bachelor’s degree in education can get a master’s degree in early childhood education. A master’s degree in this field can open a wide range of job opportunities in administration, teaching, and caregiving in preschools and elementary schools in the private and public settings around the world.
So go ahead and get it if you so desire for it.
How Long Does It Take To Get A Master’s Degree In Early Childhood Education?
Students who want to obtain a master’s degree in early childhood education are expected to have at least a bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited institution, which usually takes up to 4 years or more and after that, they can go for their master’s degree in early childhood education.
The program is normally designed to take 2 years to complete as a full-time graduate student with 3 to 4 semesters, but most times it can take longer than two years especially for part-time students, depending on the school of choice.
It is important to know that you’ll need to include programs like practicum and internship.
What Can I Do With A Master’s Degree In Early Childhood Education?
A Master’s degree in early childhood education enables graduates with bachelor’s degree move up to a higher or new chapter in the field of early childhood education.
Master’s degree in early childhood education helps you build on your experience in becoming a leader and innovator in the field. Master’s in early childhood education prepares teachers to work with young children.
The program is designed for educators and child care professionals who wish to explore issues in early childhood research, theory, and practice.
Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education also enables students who wish to pursue administrative or leadership roles in the education sector, as well as higher coordination/directorship positions in public offices.
What kind of job can I get with the master’s degree in Early Childhood Education?
There are lots of carrier options for those with master’s degree in Early Childhood Education which ranges from postsecondary teaching and advocacy roles to administrative and leadership positions.
After you have acquired your masters degree in Early Childhood Education, you’ll be qualified to take up any of the following career opportunities.
You can become a preschool, kindergarten, or elementary school teacher. You can also find career options as a child and family advocate, childcare center director, assistant director of a childcare center.
In addition, people who have a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education become Professional development facilitators, Early childhood education instructional coordinators, Childcare administrator, Public policy coordinator.
Interestingly, they also become Consultants for government and NGOs that are concerned with early childhood education and you can be your own boss by owning a childcare center.
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How many credits do you need for a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education?
To complete and acquire a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, every student is required to complete 30 to 40 credits of coursework.
This largely varies from school to school. So how many credits you’d need to complete before getting a master’s degree in early childhood education depends on the school of choice.
How much does it cost to get a master’s degree in early childhood education?
To earn a master’s degree in early childhood education can often be less expensive than earning an undergraduate degree. There is online and on-campus master’s degree in early childhood education program with an average tuition and fees ranging from $8,550/year to $20,669/year.
Therefore, students are advised to research and compare schools to know more about their average tuition and fees.
What is the salary of an early childhood educator?
Early childhood educators earn a median annual salary of $59,780. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), kindergarten and elementary school teachers earn a median annual salary of $57,980.
Additionally, preschool and childcare center directors earn $67,540 in state, local, and private school settings.
How do you get a masters in early childhood education?
There are some important requirements for a master’s in early childhood education program they include: a minimum of 3.0 GPA, a Teaching Certificate, Teaching Experience (2-5 years of teaching experience.), Bachelor’s degree, and a GRE OR MAT scores.
Let me quickly give you a step to step guide on how you can get your masters in early childhood education.
How to get your masters in Early Childhood Education: Step to step Guide
Requirements for becoming an early childhood educator depends largely on the state or region in which seek certification, but generally, you’d need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and completion of a state-approved teacher preparation program is expected.
To get your masters in the same, you’d need to go a step further from the later. So to acquire your master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, you’ll need to follow the steps given below.
- Get a High school certificate
- Earn a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
- Complete an internship in early childhood education.
- Take your state’s licensing exams for early childhood educators.
- Apply for a license through your state board of education.
- Once you have received your license, begin applying for open positions.
It is very simple, isn’t it? Yea, this is the most concise guide you can get on how to get a master’s degree in early childhood education.
During your master’s degree program, you’ll do courses that include coursework in child psychology, educational psychology, child development, curriculum development, and teaching methods.
Most early childhood education programs also include student teaching and practicum experiences during the junior and senior years of study.
Scholarships for Early Childhood Education
If you are looking to pursue a career in early childhood education and you want some financial aid, then look up some of these scholarships listed here. They are scholarships for early education tutors.
- Inspire Our Future Scholarship
- JEA Future Journalism Teacher Scholarships
- Jack Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship
- NAJA Scholarship
- Lucille Hodgins Selective Recruitment Grants
1. Inspire Our Future Scholarship
This scholarship is for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, child development, special education, or general education.
Award: $500
TO QUALIFY, YOU MUST…
- be in the field Early Childhood Education or Elementary/High School Educationcurrently
- be an undergraduate freshman, undergraduate sophomore, undergraduate junior, undergraduate senior, or high school senior
- have a 3.5 GPA
2. JEA Future Journalism Teacher Scholarships
This scholarship is open to undergraduate juniors, seniors, and graduate students that are education majors, who are highly interested in teaching scholastic journalism.
Current secondary-school journalism teachers, who are in a degree program to improve their journalism teaching skills are also eligible to apply.
Award: $1000
TO QUALIFY, YOU MUST …
- be planning to teach scholastic journalism
- be in the field Early Childhood Education or Elementary / High School Education currently
- also, be an undergraduate junior, undergraduate senior, or graduate student
Application deadline: The application deadline for this scholarship is 15th July.
3. Jack Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship
The Jack Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship scholarship is for active National Education Association participants planning to pursue an education degree.
Award: $2,500
4. NAJA Scholarship
This scholarship is for all students aiming for a career working with children, for example as counselors or psychologists, though not as general teachers. Graduate fields of study include, but are not limited to:
- Counseling, Psychology
- Speech Pathology, Hearing Impaired
- Exceptional Children
- Special Education, Remedial Skills Development
Scholarships are not awarded for work in administration or general education.
TO QUALIFY, YOU MUST:
- be in the field Elementary / High School Education, Early Childhood Education or Psychology / Psychiatry / Mental Health / Counseling
- be studying half time (or more) or full time currently
- also, be a graduate student
Lucille Hodgins Selective Recruitment Grants
This scholarship is for students who are pursuing a career in education and are members of one of the following associations: Educators Rising, Educators Rising Collegiate, Pi Lambda Theta, and/or PDK Association.
Award: $500 – $5,000
TO QUALIFY, YOU MUST…
- be in Elementary / High School Education or Early Childhood Education
- be studying half time (or more) or full time
Frequently Asked Questions on How to Get a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education
The program is normally designed to take 2 years to complete as a full-time graduate student with 3 to 4 semesters, but most times it can take longer than two years especially for part-time students, depending on the school of choice.
Early childhood educators earn a median annual salary of $59,780.
Yes! NAU offers an online early childhood education master’s degree through the College of Education’s Department of Teaching and Learning.
Usually, an advanced degree in any career is worth it. It will you a huge career boost and also fatten your salary.
Conclusion
Getting a masters in Early Childhood Education will add a huge boost to your career profile. The process is not as rigorous as getting so many other masters degrees in other disciplines. Take the plunge now and reach for the skies. Good luck!
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