SUNY Potdam
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B.A. Early Childhood Education
Contact Person:
Kathleen Valentine, Department Chair
112A Satterlee, (315) 267-3314 (valentkm@potsdam.edu)
Early Childhood Education Major
(Birth-Grade 2)
(Note: This program is not admitting new students; applicants interested in pursuing early childhood certification should select the new Childhood/Early Childhood dual certification program.)
The B.A. degree program in Early Childhood Education requires 41 credit hours for completion.
The Early Childhood Education major must be completed with an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher to be allowed to student teach. (Note: General Education designators are indicated in parentheses.)
Each course in the Early Childhood Education major must be completed with a 2.0 or higher.
| Required Courses | Credits |
| EDLS 201 Principles of Education (PI) (prerequisite to the following education courses) | 3 |
| @EDUC 305 Early Childhood Development and Learning (prerequisite to Block I) | 3 |
| Professional Block I: | |
| EDLS 306 Early Childhood Literacy I (WI) | 3 |
| @EDUC 302 Early Childhood Practicum I | 1 |
| @EDUC 303 Learning Through Sensory and Creative Experiences | 3 |
| @EDUC 304 Care and Education of Young Children with Special Needs | 3 |
| Professional Block II: | |
| @EDUC 402 Early Childhood Practicum II | 2 |
| @EDUC 404 Building School/Home Partnerships | 3 |
| @EDUC 405 Early Childhood Curriculum: Integrated Math, Science, Social Studies | 3 |
| @EDUC 406 Early Childhood Literacy II | 3 |
| Student Teaching Semester: | |
| @EDUC 417 Student Teaching Internship I: Pre-K or K (SI) | 6 |
| @EDUC 418 Student Teaching Internship II: Grades 1 or 2 (SI) | 6 |
| EDLS 420 Student Teaching Issues Seminar: Issues and Ideas in Early Childhood Education | 2 |
Certification Requirements:
- New York State Teacher Certification Exams required for Initial certification: LAST, ATS-W and CST (multi-subject)
- Fingerprinting Clearance
Arts and Sciences Concentration
71-73 credit hours, plus 4 PE activities. All courses in the arts and sciences concentration must be completed with a 2.0 or higher.
| English: (10 credit hours) | Credits |
| COMP 101 Writing and Critical Thinking (FW) | 4 |
| LITR 100 Introduction to Literature (AC, FC) | 3 |
| COMM 106 Basic Principles of Speech (FS) | 3 |
Mathematics: (9 credit hours)
Students interested in the math specialization, major or minor, should contact the Department of Mathematics prior to registering for the following courses:
| MATH 101 Mathematics for Elementary Education I (FM) (prerequisite to MATH 102) | 3 |
| MATH 102 Mathematics for Elementary Education II (FM) | 3 |
| MATH 125 Probability and Statistics I (FM) | 3 |
| Science: (9 credit hours) | |
| BIOL125 Biological Concepts (SB, LB) | 3 |
| GEOL125 Dynamic Earth (SP, LB) | 3 |
| plus one of the following | 3 |
| PHYS 100 Physical Science (SP, LB) | |
| CHEM 125 Matter and Energy (SP, LB) |
For students planning to pursue a science specialization in phys- ics, PHYS101 College Physics is a recommended alternative to PHYS100 or CHEM125.
| Social Science/History: (13 credit hours) | |
| GEOG 350 World/U.S. Geography (XC) | 4 |
| HIST 100 World History (XC) | 3 |
| HIST 201 U.S. History to 1877 (AH) | 3 |
| HIST 202 U.S. History Since 1877 (AH) | 3 |
| Fine Arts: (6-8 credit hours) | |
| Fine Arts I: one of the following | 3-4 |
| ARTH 100 Idea and Image (AC) | 3 |
| ARTH 101 Survey of Art: Ancient to Renaissance (WC) | 3 |
| ARTH 102 Survey of Art: Renaissance to Modern (WC) | 3 |
| DANC 100 Mind of the Artist (AC) | 4 |
| DRAM 100 Mind of the Artist (AC) | 4 |
| DRAM 101 Introduction to Performance Studies (FC) | 3 |
| DRAM 208 Orientation to Theater (AC) | 3 |
| DRAM 210 Play Analysis & Interpretation (AC) | 3 |
| DRAM 312 History of Theatre I (WC) | 3 |
| DRAM 313 History of Theatre II (WC) | 3 |
| MULH 101 Crane Live (AC) | 3 |
| Fine Arts II: one of the following | 3-4 |
| ARTS 109 Introductory Studio Art (AE) | 4 |
| ARTS 110 Drawing I (AE) | 4 |
| ARTS 120 Color and Design (AE) | 4 |
| DANC 302 Dance Education & Performance (SI, PE, AE) | 4 |
| DRAM 235 Acting I (AE) | 3 |
| DRAM 363 Theatre for Young Audiences (AE, SI) | 3 |
| DRAM 364 Applied Theatre (AE, WI) | 3 |
| Psychology: (6 credit hours) | |
| PSYC 220 Child Development (SA) | 3 |
| PSYC 350 Educational Psychology | 3 |
| Health: (2 credit hours) | |
| HLTH 230 School Health (CA, SAVE) | 2 |
| Liberal Arts Electives: | 7-8 |
| Modern Language (ML) Requirement or Liberal Arts Elec. | 9 |
Note: If ML has been satisfied, 9 credits of liberal arts elective credits must be selected.
| Physical Education Requirements: | |
| @PE 148 Cooperative Activities (PE) | 1 |
| @Physical Education (PE) | 1 |
| @Physical Education (PE) | 1 |
| @Physical Education (PE) | 1 |
Specialization Areas:
Select one of the following Specialization Areas. Contact the Department of the specialization area of your choice to declare, be assigned a specialization area adviser and select appropriate courses. Each course in the specialization area must be completed with a 2.0 or higher.
The GPA for the specialization area (including courses in the Arts and Sciences Concentration that are in the specialization discipline) must be 2.5 or higher to be allowed to complete the Early Childhood Education Program and enroll in student teaching.
English Specialization: | |
| one of the following | 3 |
| LITR 200 Literary Traditions | |
| LITR 201 Patterns of Literature | |
| one of the following | 4 |
| COMP 201 Intermediate Writing | |
| COMP 202 Creative Writing | |
| plus the following | |
| LITR 322 Children’s Literature | 3 |
| LITR One 300-level LITR course | 3 |
| One Upper division non-Literature elective (LNGS, COMP or COMM) | 3-4 |
Mathematics Specialization: | |
| MATH 151 Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 152 Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 340 Set Theory and Logic | 3 |
| MATH 375 Linear Algebra I | 3 |
| MATH Upper Division Elective (chosen under advisement) | 3 |
Biology Specialization: | |
| BIOL 152 General Biology II | 4 |
| BIOL 300 Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 311 Genetics | 4 |
| BIOL Upper Division Electives | 5 |
Chemistry Specialization: | |
| CHEM 105 General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 106 General Chemistry II | 4 |
| plus at least nine credits from the following | |
| CHEM 301 Fundamentals of Environmental Science | 3 |
| CHEM 304 Chemistry Lab Techniques | 1-3 |
| CHEM 311 Quantitative Analysis | 4 |
| CHEM 315 Forensic Science | 3 |
| CHEM 341 Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 342 Organic Chemistry II (prerequisite: CHEM 341) | 4 |
Geology Specialization: | |
| one of the following | 3 |
| GEOL102 Ancient Life | |
| GEOL104 Historical Geology | |
| plus 12 credits from the following | |
| GEOL 301 Sedimentology-Paleontology-Stratigraphy I | 4 |
| GEOL 302 Sedimentology-Paleontology-Stratigraphy II | 4 |
| GEOL 311 Mineralogy | 4 |
| GEOL 405 Structural and Field Geology | 4 |
| GEOL 406 Hydrology | 3 |
| GEOL 407 Geophysics | 3 |
| GEOL 409 Seismology and Plate Tectonics (SP, LB) | 3 |
| GEOL 420 Geochemistry | 3 |
| GEOL 421 Environmental Geology Problems | 3 |
| GEOL 480 Geology Research | 3 |
Physics Specialization: | |
| one of the following | 3-4 |
| PHYS 111 Laser and Light | |
| PHYS 130 Music Acoustics | |
| plus the following | |
| PHYS 202 College Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 330 Meteorology | 3 |
| PHYS 335 Astronomy | 3 |
| plus one of the following | 3 |
| PHYS 325 Energy and the Environment | |
| GEOL 407 Geophysics | |
| CHEM 301 Fundamentals of Environmental Science | |
| CHEM 315 Forensic Science | |
Social Science/History Specialization: | |
| HIST 379 History of New York State | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective in U.S. Political Institutions | 3-4 |
| Upper Division Elective in European or North American History | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective in Third World History | 3 |
| Upper Division Liberal Arts Elective (History/Social Science) | 3-4 |