Early Acceptance to the MEd Program
Students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education, Double Degree Concentration, may apply to the College of Graduate Studies for early acceptance into the MEd program, and no application fee will be required. Application for early acceptance requires that the student:
- be a Bridgewater State University senior, enrolled in the Early Childhood Education, Double Degree Concentration;
- have completed an application to enroll in the early childhood education “block” or student teaching; and
- file an application for admission to the MEd in Early Childhood Education leading to Professional License program for the semester immediately following their anticipated BSE completion date.
Students must apply for admission and be accepted into professional education after completion of ECED 230, one three-credit concentration course and either ELED 120 or PSYC 224.
Although students may be accepted into the graduate program during their senior year, they will be classified as undergraduate students until all requirements of the Bachelor’s degree have been fulfilled and the Bachelor’s degree has been awarded. Under the early acceptance program, students will be admitted and classified as graduate students in the semester immediately following conferral of the Bachelor’s degree. Students accepted under the early acceptance program must begin taking graduate courses the semester immediately after receipt of their Bachelor’s degree.
Undergraduate Program Requirements
Students who wish to be early childhood teachers are required to select a major in early childhood education as well as a major in the liberal arts or sciences. A major in liberal arts or sciences is a requirement of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires three Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL) for Early Childhood licensure: Communication and Literacy, Early Childhood content and the Foundations of Reading. All three of these exams must be passed as a prerequisite to professional semester courses.
All matriculated undergraduate early childhood education degree seeking students must take the professional semester as a block of courses and must register with the department. These courses are usually taken the semester prior to student teaching.
All undergraduate students seeking licensure must consult the Educator Preparation and Licensure Policies and Procedures section of this catalog for information pertaining to admission to a professional education program and the State Regulations for the Licensure of Educational Personnel and important institutional deadlines.
Students must complete 80 hours of prepractica experience at the undergraduate level. A 40-hour experience is attached to the course ECED 230. An additional 40 hours is attached to the professional block courses. Undergraduates who are not taking these courses together in a professional block must meet with their advisor to plan appropriate prepractica experiences.
After completing all education block courses, students must complete a full‑time, semester-long student teaching experience in a local school under the joint supervision of a university supervisor and a supervising practitioner.
Students successfully completing the program are eligible to apply for initial Massachusetts licensure in early childhood education (Grades PreK-2).
This program has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and includes licensure reciprocity with signatory states under the Interstate Certification Compact.
Core Curriculum Requirements
A minimum of 120 earned credit hours is required for graduation. These earned hours include the Core Curriculum Requirements as specified in the Core Curriculum section of this catalog and at the Core Curriculum website, www.bridgew.edu/corecurriculum. For additional graduation requirements, see the Undergraduate Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.
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