Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education

NATIONAL-LOUIS UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR of ARTS in EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (ECE)

The Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education (ECE) program leads to birth through Grade 3 certification. The ECE program provides educational experiences that prepare professionals who support and improve the quality of programs and services for young children, their families, and the community in which they live. In 1887, NLU’s founder Elizabeth Harrison championed the concept of early childhood education by establishing the Chicago Kindergarten Training.

NATIONAL-LOUIS UNIVERSITY (NLU) offers students who complete the prescribed course work at a community college that has a transfer guide with NLU, the opportunity to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education (ECE) with full recognition of the work completed. All required courses in the prescribed program at your community college will apply to the Bachelor’s degree. Students who do not complete the prescribed program at a community college, will have all previous college work evaluated on a course-by-course basis.

UNIVERSITY ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Application for admission
• Application fee (non-refundable)
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
• A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better on a 4.0 scale on all previous coursework.

PROGRAM ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission to the National College of Education is a separate admission process. In a second application process, students must then apply for admission into the Early Childhood Education program. Early Childhood Education transfer students must take 12-15 hours of coursework at National-Louis University (not including skill labs) before acceptance to National College of Education. Students are expected to apply for admission by the published deadline in the University Schedule prior to enrollment in Term I (methods courses).

At the time of application, students should be enrolled in or have completed ECE 207 and ECE 315. To be eligible for admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education degree program in the National College of Education you must:

• Complete the general education and other courses listed in the transfer guide for your community college.
• Have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better on a 4.0 scale on all previous coursework.
• Have a grade of C or better in any of the foundational educational coursework.
• Take and pass the Illinois Test of Basic Skills.

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT

Reading, writing, and math assessments will be administered upon enrollment at NLU. This assessment is used for academic advising purposes.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR OF ARTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION (ECE) MAJOR: 33 QH (22 SH)

Upon successful completion of the Foundations in Education requirements specified in the transfer guide for your community college, you may be eligible for admission into the National College of Education, where you will enroll in the Professional Sequence below. These courses must be completed at NLU to fulfill the requirements for the major and NLU residency requirements.

• Prior to entry into student teaching, students must complete a minimum of 100 clock hours of pre-student teaching observation.
• Students complete a standard teaching concentration in Psychology/Human Development of 30 quarter hours as part of the Early Childhood program.
• A double major in Early Childhood Education and Psychology/Human Development is an option, requiring one additional upper level course in psychology. It is strongly recommended that students complete this option.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

To graduate with a bachelor’s degree from National-Louis University, all students must successfully complete a minimum of 180 QH (120 SH) consisting of courses in general education, the program major, electives and any additional program requirements.