Education, Early Childhood Education Option, M.A.E.

Candidates for Master’s programs must apply separately to both the university and the program by posted deadlines. Applications should be submitted at the same time. Program application deadlines may vary. Visit the College of Education website for specific program details, application guidelines and materials, and application deadlines (www.ced.csulb.edu/graduate). All university regulations governing the master’s degree apply to college programs. Program requirements published in the university catalog in effect during the year a candidate advances to candidacy are the requirements the candidate will be held to (catalog rights). Candidates may take up to 30% of course work that can be applied to the Master’s program prior to program entry (units must be taken at postbaccalaureate level).

Option in Early Childhood Education

The Master of Arts in Education, Option in Early Childhood Education (30-33 units) is designed to foster the development of educators who are able to apply researchbased knowledge in designing developmentally and culturally appropriate curriculum and assessment strategies for children ages birth through 8. Candidates develop parent involvement strategies, reflect on issues facing the field, evaluate the quality of early childhood programs in their local communities, critically evaluate policies that impact young children and their families around the world, and utilize technology to enhance communication and learning. Visit the program website for program details (www.ced.csulb.edu/teacher-ed/academic/ece).

Prerequisites

The following are required for admission to the program:

1. Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Minimum 3.00 overall grade point average in last degree (not credential or certificate) earned from an accredited institution of higher education. Applicants whose overall GPA is less than 3.00 but meet the University minimum GPA requirement and who present compelling evidence of academic and professional potential either through recent academic performance and/or experiential background, may be considered for admission at the discretion of the program admission committee.
3. EDP 301  or HDEV 307  or PSY 361 .
4. EDEL 420 .
5. EDEL 482A  or one year of documented and approved teaching experience.
6. International applicants have additional university application requirements including meeting the English language proficiency requirement. Please visit The Center for International Education (CIE) website at www.csulb.edu/cie for more information.

Application

(updated: October 13, 2020)

Applicants use Cal State Apply to file all application materials before the deadline. Deadlines and details about the Program Materials (e.g. statement of purpose prompt, recommendation prompts) may be found in the Application Process section of the College of Education Graduate Studies Office website. Please contact the College of Education Graduate Studies Office if you have questions. 

Submit one set of official transcripts from each college or university that you have attended. This includes all community college(s) attended, bachelor’s degree(s) coursework, and all post-baccalaureate or extension coursework. This set of transcripts will be used to determine grade point average eligibility. Failure to submit transcripts in a timely manner will result in a delayed review of the application.

After an initial review, select applicants are invited for an interview with program faculty.

Classified Admission

Successful applicants are admitted to the program with Classified admission status.

Advancement to Candidacy - Clear Admission

Students should advance to candidacy as early as possible. They should meet with the program coordinator to plan their program.

For Advancement to Candidacy (Clear Admission status), students must:

1. Fulfill the campus Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).
2. Resolve all incomplete grades.
3. Complete 6 units of program requirements.
4. Maintain a 3.0 grade point average.
5. Submit to the Graduate Studies Office an Advancement to Candidacy form signed by the program advisor.