Early Childhood Education: PreK-3 Licensure Only Program

For Individuals who have a non-teaching B.S. or B.A. and wish to complete a LICENSURE ONLY Program in grades PreK-3.

Admission Requirements:

1. Individuals entering this graduate program, must already possess a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and sciences (or equivalent). Prerequisite course work must meet the Virginia stated competencies for PreK-3 and must fulfill the following requirements:

English (must include composition, oral communications, and literature): 12 semester hours;
Mathematics: 9 semester hours;
Science (including a laboratory course and 2 different sciences): 9 semester hours
History (must include American history and world history): 6 semester hours
Social science (must include geography and economics): 6 semester hours;
Arts and humanities: 6 semester hours; and
Computer/technology: 3 semester hours (satisfied by ECI 304*)

2. Undergraduate GPA of 2.75
3. Passing scores on PRAXIS 1 (as determined by the Virginia Department of Education);
4. Computer literacy (as determined by passing scores on computer literacy assessment through the Old Dominion University Testing Center Assessment or transcript evidence of the successful completion of a basic computer course within two years of admission).
5. An interview with the Graduate Program Director of Early Childhood Education.

Continuance:

1. Maintain a grade point average of 3.00;
2. Earn no more than two grades below B- (2.70). Students must retake courses in which grades below B- are earned and receive grades of A or B. Obtaining three grades below B- in program course work leads to expulsion from the program; and
3. For licensure (PK-3), successfully complete Practicum with a grade of B or better in order to be approved for student teaching.

Your advisor's signature is required before registering for any courses. Without this signature, there is no guarantee that the courses will be accepted into the program of studies. Therefore, you must meet with your advisor each semester BEFORE signing up for any classes.

Prerequisite Courses

ESSE 468/568 Language Acquisition/Reading for Students with Diverse Learning Needs 3 cr. 
*ECI 304 or Educational Applications of Technology
ECI 530 Microcomputers and the Curriculum 3 cr.

Required Professional Core*

ESSE 474 / 574 Foundations and Contemporary Issues in ECE 3 cr.
ESSE 677 Advanced Child Theory 3 cr.
ESSE 478 / 578 Integrating Instruction Across the ECE Curriculum (PK-6) 3 cr.
ESSE 679 Advanced Classroom Management w/Practicum 3 cr.
ECI 683 or Diagnostic Teaching of Reading
ECI 680 Reading to Learn Across the Curriculum 3 cr.
ESSE 586 Student Teaching 6 cr.
Total 21 credits

*Note: No transfer credits will be accepted into the professional core of this program.

*Admission into the teacher "licensure only" program requires that a student take no more than 12 credits (professional core) prior to admission. Application for licensure-only must be submitted to Teacher Education Services through the Graduate Program Director of Early Childhood before going beyond 12 hours of professional course work. Any credits taken beyond 12 credits will not be accepted toward the licensure program.

Program Chair

Contact Dr. Katharine Kersey, kkersey@odu.edu, 757-683-5340