MASTER OF SCIENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION
UCF's School of Teacher Education offers the Master of Science in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE), which is designed for professionals seeking to support the growth and learning of young children and their families. This program provides rigorous, relevant coursework paired with meaningful academic experiences that prepare graduates for advanced roles in early childhood education.
The ECDE program requires a minimum of 36 credit hours beyond a bachelor’s degree, structured as follows:
6 credit hours of core courses
18 credit hours of specialization courses
6 credit hours of electives
6 credit hours of a capstone experience, which may include a thesis, practicum, or additional graduate-level coursework
Culminating Experience: all students must complete a thesis, practicum, or written comprehensive examination as the final requirement of program
Core Courses (6 total credits)
EDF 6481 - Fundamentals of Graduate Research in Education (3)
EDF 6401 - Statistics for Educational Data (3)
Specialization Courses (18 total credits)
EEC 5205 - Programs and Trends in Early Childhood Education (3)
EEC 6269 - Play Development, Intervention, and Assessment (3)
EEC 6405 - Home-School-Community Interaction in Early Childhood Education (3)
EEC 6406 - Guiding and Facilitating Social Competence (3)
EEC 6606 - Global Issues in Early Childhood (3)
EEX 6222 - Observation and Assessment of Young Children (3)
Elective Courses (6 total credits)
Students must complete at least two of the following:
EEC 6216 - Communicative Arts in Early Childhood Education (3)
EEX 6017 - Typical and Atypical Applied Child Development (3)
EEX 5702 - Planning Curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten Children with Disabilities (3)
EEX 5750 - Communication with Parents and Agencies (3)
MHS 6403 - Family Play Therapy (3)
MHS 6421 - Foundations of Play Therapy Theories and Techniques for Individuals and Groups (3)
SOW 6726 - Social Work Practice with Children from Birth to Age Five and their Families (3)
*other courses of interest may be selected, with consent of faculty
Thesis/Nonthesis Option (6 total credits)
Thesis Option: earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses:
EEC 6971 - Thesis
Non-thesis Option: complete 1 of the following:
Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
EEC6947 - Practicum in Child, Family, and Community Sciences (6 - 99)
Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses:
6 Credit Hours of approved electives with a written comprehensive examination
Total Credit Hours: 36
Prerequisite or Corequisite:
EEX 6612 - Methods of Behavioral Management (3 Credit Hours)
Course Description: Analysis of the principles of behavior management and precision teaching and application of these principles to the solving of classroom management problems.
Required Courses:
EEX 6608 - Concepts and Principles in Applied Behavior Analysis (3)
Course Description: This course is designed to develop students' competence in the use of technical terminology pertaining to the concepts and principles of behavior analysis. This course includes content tailored to fulfill the concepts and principles of behavior analysis coursework requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (http://www.bacb.com ) fourth edition task list.
EEX 6619 - Advanced Behavior Analysis (3)
Course Description: This course prepares practitioners to use the principles of advanced behavior analysis (ABA) to assess and teach communication skills to individuals with autism and develop knowledge of current augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology.
EEX 6618 - Single Case Research Methodology (3)
Course Description: This is an initial course in the use of single-subject research methodology. It includes an overview of behavioral measurement, single-subject research designs, and methods of data analysis. This course includes content tailored to fulfill the behavior analysis coursework requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (http://www.bacb.com ).
EEX 6668 - Radical Behaviorism (3)
Course Description: This course is designed to provide students with a complex understanding of the differences between radical behaviorism and other philosophies, and their impact on science. This course includes content tailored to fulfill the coursework requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (http://www.bacb.com ) fourth edition task list.
EEX 6669 - Supervision and Personnel Management in Applied Behavior Analysis (3)
Course Description: Prepare students in Behavior Management using Performance-based assessment, performance-based measures, and performance management systems. Course requirements are consistent with Applied Behavior Analysis International for the Verified Course Sequence coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis.
EEX 6747 - Ethics and Legal Issues in Applied Behavior Analysis (3)
Course Description: This course is designed to develop students' competence in applying behavior analytic principles in both a legal and ethical manner. This course includes content tailored to fulfill the Ethical and Professional Conduct coursework requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (http://www.bacb.com ), fourth edition task list.