Elementary and Early Childhood Education, M.Ed.

The Master of Education with a major in Elementary and Early Childhood Education meets the Georgia Professional Standards Commission standards for the degree.

The M.Ed. with a major in Elementary & Early Childhood Education is designed for candidates who are already certified and are practicing P-5 teachers who wish to continue to learn more about the Elementary field and improve their practice. The program allows certified teachers in Elementary education (P-5) to earn their M.Ed. in 13 months while continuing their teaching career.

General Requirements for Admission to M.Ed. in Elementary & Early Childhood Education

The M.Ed. wtth a major in Elementary & Early Childhood Education is designed for accomplished classroom instructional leaders. The Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education Graduate Admission Committee in the Bagwell College of Education determines the eligibility of each person who applies for admission. To be considered for admission to the Master of Education with a major in Elementary Education & Early Childhood Education a candidate must submit the following:

1.  the online graduate application.
2. official transcripts from each college attended, including those institutions where degrees were not earned. Official transcripts are those in a university-sealed envelope. Transcripts should reflect at least a bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.75 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
3. a copy of your valid teaching certificate indicating B-K or P-5 certification. You must hold certification in Early Childhood or Elementary Education to be considered for this program, or receive permission of the chair.
4. two administrator recommendation forms. These forms and their directions are located in the online graduate application. Please do not submit letters of recommendation. Only the forms located via the graduate application will be accepted. These two forms of recommendation must come from an educational professional who has taught or supervised your work and who can write with authority about your abilities as an educator.
5. a Letter of Commitment.
6. a personal profile.
7. a personal statement and writing sample.

*International applicants have additional requirements and each case is reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Committee. See Graduate Admissions section of this catalog.

Admission to a cohort group is competitive and is open to a limited number of candidates. An applicant will not be considered for admission unless all application requirements are met by the specified deadline. Admission decisions are made by the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education Graduate Admissions Committee. The decision from the Graduate Admissions Committee is communicated in writing to the applicants. There is no provisional admission status.

Transfer Credit

Candidates enrolled in the M.Ed. with a major in Elementary and Early Childhood Education will not be given credit for graduate courses taken at other institutions.

Grades in Graduate Courses:

Expectations for satisfactory graduate level student performance are detailed in Academic Policies section of this catalog.

Licensure Requirements: 

To be considered for this program, you must hold teacher certification in Early Childhood or Elementary Education, or receive permission to waive the requirement that certification be in this field through 1) permission of the department chair or his/her designee, or 2) providing a different (departmentally-approved) teaching credentials or its equivalent.

Non-Degree Candidates:

Students classified as non-degree students are not permitted to enroll in the M.Ed. with a major in Elementary & Early Childhood Education. This program will not provide graduate-level course work for certification renewal purposes.

Petition to Graduate:

Each M.Ed. candidate must petition to graduate at least one semester prior to completion of program requirements.