Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a Concentration in Early Childhood Education

Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies is a 42-course, 126-credit degree. It is not designed to overlap with existing degrees but rather to provide qualified students with an academic program that meets their unique needs. Offering students flexibility, independence, and academic rigor, this option provides undergraduate adult learners with the opportunity to draw on the resources of the entire curriculum, across disciplines while building an academic focus in areas they find most important.

Concentration in Early Childhood Education

The Early Childhood Education Concentration is an 8 course, 24 credit specialization that focuses on important issues for teachers working in private and pre-K child development centers. This non-licensure specialization builds upon the skills, experience, and coursework many students will have already received prior to enrolling in Endicott College. This concentration will give students writing, research and foundational skills, especially focused on language and literacy skills. Teachers will need to ensure that young children become “Kindergarten ready.” The Concentration in Early Childhood Education will be open to all students enrolled in our BA Program in Liberal Studies and our BS Program in Psychology. These concentration courses will replace corresponding open elective credit requirements.

Curriculum Requirements - Total Credits Required: 126

Required Curriculum

World Cultures Course (3 Cr.)
Aesthetic Awareness & Creative Expression Course (3 Cr.)
Individual and Society Course (3 Cr.)

Literary Perspectives (3 Cr.)
Values & Ethical Reasoning Course (3 Cr.)
Science & Technology Course (3 Cr.)
Global Issues Course (3 Cr.)
Liberal Studies Elective* (3 Cr.)
Core Electives (must be 300 level or higher) (6 Cr.)
Open Electives (38 Cr.)

BUS 120 - Business Fundamentals I (Cr: 3)
CMM 306 - Social Impact of the Media (Cr: 3)
EC 201 - Experience, Competency and Belonging (Cr: 3
EC 355 - Career Transitions (Cr: 4)
ENG 111 - Critical Reading and Writing I (Cr: 3)
ENG 112 - Critical Reading and Writing II (Cr: 3)
LST 305 - Applied Research Methods (Cr: 3)
LST 489 - Senior Research (Cr: 3)
LST 490 - Senior Thesis (Cr: 3)
MTH 126 - Applied Statistics (Cr: 3)
Satisfies the Quantitative Reasoning General Education Requirement
POL 113 - American Government and Politics (Cr: 3)
PSY 100 - General Psychology (Cr: 3)
OR
SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology (Cr: 3)

*Liberal Studies Electives

World Language Course - 3 cr.

Or one of the following courses:

LST 121 - Introduction to Gender Studies (Cr: 3)
LST 210 - Gender and Science (Cr: 3)

Required General Education Courses

ENG 312 - Literature for Children (Cr: 3)
PSY 204 - Child Growth and Development (Cr: 3)

Total Number of Credits Required for Concentration - 24 credits

Required Concentration Courses

ED 201 - Foundations of Reading (Cr: 3)
ED 203 - Inclusionary Practices in Educational Settings (Cr: 3)
ED 207 - Strategies of Teaching Early Childhood Curriculum (Cr: 3)
ED 221 - Emergent Literacy Instruction (Cr: 3)
ED 308 - Early Childhood Methods (Cr: 3)
ED 331 - Issues and Best Practices of English Language Learners (Cr: 3)
PSY 204 - Child Growth and Development (Cr: 3)

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will:

Effectively communicate in writing and through oral communication.
Demonstrate the critical inquiry and analysis skills needed to engage constructively in intellectual discourse in various disciplines.
Recall and apply the basic foundational knowledge of educational studies as delivered through the Baccalaureate Core.
Articulate the connections and distinctions between and among liberal arts disciplines, and their contemporary relevance.
Design, execute and present a personal project, which synthesizes and applies, selected knowledge, skills, and experiences appropriate to the student’s personal and professional goals and/or their chosen area of specialization.

In addition to fulfilling the outcomes of the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies program, students completing the concentration in Early Childhood Education will:

Effectively communicate in writing and through oral communication.
Recognize the fundamental benchmarks to work in the field of early childhood education.
Demonstrate the critical inquiry and analysis skills needed to engage constructively in intellectual discourse within the concentration.
Recall and apply the basic foundational knowledge of early childhood education as delivered through the Baccalaureate Core.
Apply quantitative decision-making techniques for problem solving in the early childhood classroom.
Design, execute and present a personal project, which synthesizes and applies selected knowledge, skills, and experiences appropriate to the student’s personal and professional goals and/or their chosen area of specialization.