Curriculum & Instruction, MEd
(Early Childhood Education)
For students admitted PRIOR to Fall 2022, or in Fall 2022 who specifically opted to stay with prior curriculum.
Students admitted to the MEd Early Childhood Education program for Fall 2022 or later should visit this page for the updated program.
Are you a new student? Begin by reviewing the Early Childhood Education New Student Checklist
Click the links below to be directed to topic-specific content:
Academic Advising
Your academic advising team is Team Educator Prep!
Phone: (602) 496-1397; M-F 8:00am - 5:00pm AZ Time (MST)
Email: GradEdPrep@asu.edu - Please give us 24-48 hours to respond to your email
Add our email to your address book or list of safe senders
Make an appointment: https://calendly.com/d/3tr-7d9-5hv
Appointments are highly encouraged especially for new students or if you have multiple questions or complex issues to discuss.
To call or schedule an appointment? Here are some guidelines for determining which is most appropriate.
Meet the Team (click to learn more)
Your advising team works together in a system to keep you informed, on track, and supported throughout your program. Here is some information about the roles within the team.
Your Academic Advisors:
Aile DeRienzo - Academic Success Advisor, Sr
Kayla Kane - Academic Success Advisor, Sr
Amber Mesko - Academic Success Advising Coordinator
Aile, Amber, and Kayla are the core members of your advising team, who you will interact with most frequently. They are experts on your program and can assist with all things academic.
Other members of the advising system:
Lizzy Shuey - Student Support Specialist - Helps to support the work of the advisors. You may hear from Lizzy about things like registration, submitting your iPOS/Plan of Study, etc.
Tiffany Williams - Academic Success Advising Coordinator, Sr - Works behind the scenes to coordinate advising, though you may hear from her occasionally.
Megan Gamarra - Coordinated Care Strategist - Works with students who need coordinated care. If you are experiencing difficulties and need support, know that you can submit an "SOS" form and receive assistance from the coordinated care team.
Program Description
For more information on this program please visit:
Course Sequence
Upon admission to the program, each MEd Curriculum & Instruction: Early Childhood Education student is assigned a sequence of courses. It is important to follow the assigned course sequence and discuss any variation from the sequence with an academic advisor.
To determine the sequence in which you should take the courses in the program, click the link below that corresponds to the year, semester, and session when you started the program and your program pathway:
2022 Start Term
If you were admitted for Fall 2022 or later, please visit this link for the *new* MEd Early Childhood Education degree program. Or, if you were admitted for Fall 2022 and specifically opted to stay in the older Curriculum & Instruction program, please reference the course plan that was provided to you by advising in your Welcome email.
Summer 2022 Start term: Master's with Certification
iPOS/Plan of Study
Every graduate student at ASU must complete an "iPOS", or Interactive Plan of Study.
Use your course sequence to determine when you are taking each class and in what section it should be listed on your iPOS.
When in your iPOS, under the Advisors section, select Dr. Melissa Geiselhofer for Faculty Committee, then designate her as "Chair" for the Committee Role.
NOTE: Completing your iPOS indicates the courses you PLAN to take and when. Completing your iPOS is NOT the same thing as registering for classes. You still must register yourself in all your courses each semester via My ASU > My Classes box > Registration > Add.
Culminating Experience
ECD 593 "Applied Project" - 3 credits is your culminating experience class for the program. A grade of "B" or better is required in this course in order to graduate. The course will entail the following:
Action Research with at least 3-5 students with a common need. In the course, students will design, implement, and evaluate an intervention. Using the small group of 3-5 students over a course of a minimum of three interactions, the students will:
Collect data on a group of students’ academic skill and/or target behavior
Identify research based strategies used to help students grow in the target skill/ behavior
Design and implement an educational strategy to systematically address the target skill/behavior
Collect data on the target skill/behavior as the intervention is being implemented
Analyze and draw conclusions from the data collected
Communicate findings using evidence of best practice from current research
Required Clinical Experiences for Certification Students
Certification Students in the MEd Curriculum & Instruction (Early Childhood Education) program are required to complete the following professional experience coursework. Please plan ahead accordingly as this may require making arrangements such as not working during student teaching. All placements are arranged by our Office of Professional Experiences (OPE).
ECD 567: Preschool Internship - One full day per week over the course of the semester
ECD 576: K-3 Internship - One full day per week over the course of the semester
ECD 577: Preschool Student Teaching – 1st 8 weeks of semester, 40 days total, full-time (approx. 40 hours per week)
ECD 578: K-3 Student Teaching – 2nd 8 weeks of semester, 40 days total, full-time (approx. 40 hours per week)
Certification Information
Tests Required for Certification
For certification in Early Childhood Education, you must pass two exams, or meet their alternative. (Please see ADE Certification Requirements for more information). We recommend that you pass these exams just prior to or during the final semester of your program so there is no delay in receiving your teacher certificate.
Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessment (AEPA) Exams:
AEPA/NES® Subject (a.k.a. Content) Knowledge Early Childhood Exam
NOTE: By earning the MEd in Early Childhood Education, your Master’s degree can be used to satisfy the Subject Knowledge exam within the state of Arizona. However, other states may require you to still take the Subject Knowledge Exam.
Additional Information
Teacher Waiver for in-state tuition (must be submitted EVERY semester)