Early Childhood Education Teacher Licensure, Post Baccalaureate Program

I. Contact Information

Jennifer Mortensen, Graduate Faculty Advisor
mortensen@unr.edu
(775) 682-5507

II. Brief Introduction

The Post Baccalaureate Program in Early Childhood Education (ECE) Teacher Licensure enables students who have completed an undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies to obtain coursework toward the Nevada Birth through 2nd grade teaching license. This program does not lead to a master’s degree. Before applying to the Post Baccalaureate Program in ECE Teacher Licensure, students should consult a faculty advisor in the College of Education.

III. Program Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

The Post Baccalaureate Program in ECE Teacher Licensure includes both graduate and undergraduate courses that meet coursework requirements for teacher licensure. Students are engaged in learning through advanced courses in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. In order to be eligible for the Nevada Department of Education’s Birth through 2nd grade teaching license, students must also complete 8 credits of a student teaching internship or have 1 year of verifiable experience teaching pupils under 6 years of age in a program of early childhood education conducted by a public school, a public agency or licensed private school. In addition, students must take the required Praxis licensure exam(s) before being eligible for a teaching license. More information can be found on the Educational Testing Service website under Nevada test requirements.

As part of this program, students will:

1. Complete licensure-related coursework that addresses the content areas required for Nevada’s Birth through 2nd grade teaching license. 
2. Learn the principles and strategies associated with teaching young children, firmly rooted in developmentally appropriate practice. Develop approaches for curriculum development, implementation, and assessment.
3. Demonstrate the ability to be professional, innovative, and collaborative in the early childhood classroom and community.
4. Demonstrate initial understanding and mastery at the beginning teacher level of all NAEYC Standards for Initial Early Childhood Professional Preparation.

IV. Admission Requirements

Students need to have an earned bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and completed or plan to complete all prerequisite coursework. Their undergraduate cumulative GPA must be a 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale. Students need to submit an application; a signed self-assessment of dispositions toward professional practice (available as part of the application packet); transcripts from all previous college work (unless already on file at UNR); an essay of three to five pages following the rubric in the application packet; a resume or curriculum vitae focusing on education-related experiences; and at least one letter of recommendation that supports the candidate’s ability to be successful working with students in a learning setting (e.g., a letter from a practicum instructor). In addition, the candidate needs to pass all parts of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators or the California Basic Educational Skills Test prior to beginning the program. Application due dates will be posted on the College of Education website.

V. Program Requirements

VI. Total Units (21-29 units)

VII. Undergraduate Prerequisites

• EDES 300 - Language Arts and Literature PK-3 (3 units)
• EDU 205 - Early Foundations in Mathematics (3 units)
• HDFS 201 - Lifespan Human Development (3 units)
• HDFS 250 - Early Childhood Education (3 units)
• HDFS 431B - Advanced Human Development: Childhood (3 units)
• HDFS 435 - Child Socialization: A Systems Perspective (3 units)