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BA Program Information: 

Find a 4 year college in your county

Although we do not currently offer scholarships for four year degrees we hope to provide students an opportunity to learn about the various BA programs available in Washington State.  The following program information relates to degree programs in the early learning field, including; elementary education, Children’s Studies, Special Education, Individual and Family Development,  family consumer sciences, human development,  early education and family studies majors available at 4-year colleges in Washington State.  The following information provides details on the basics of entrance requirements, degrees available across the state and definitions of some commonly used terms.  For more information on specific programs you should contact the college directly.

Entrance Requirements and Prerequisites

Admission procedures vary from school to school. It is important to check with the college you wish to attend or transfer to for further qualifications. Most 4 year colleges or Universities in Washington have articulation agreements with the 2 year community colleges which make for an easy transfer. Follow the link to your college of choice to find out about articulation agreement available.

Career Opportunities
A B.A. degree in the early childhood education field will prepare students for positions in social services/mental health, education, childcare or research. Job opportunities are expanding in the area of early childhood education. National efforts (e.g. Head Start, National Association for the Education of Young Children) are underway to ensure that early childhood teachers have a bachelor’s degree. The demand for trained early childhood educators is increasing and should remain strong over the next several years.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of Early Childhood B.A. programs will be able to:

  • Promote research designed to investigate best practices for the instruction of and learning by P/K-12 students.
  • Provide leadership and cope with the complex problems teachers’ face of rural and urban society.
  • Understand and meet the needs of individual families and children.
  • Demonstrate an ability to individualize instruction and be sensitive to the socio-cultural issues involving the learner.
  • Provide an opportunity for students to develop a foundational and global perspective of children and childhood.
  • Identify ways to meet each child's individual needs and ways to plan culturally relevant activities to nurture cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of child development from a multi-cultural perspective from birth to age eight.
  • Identify ways to build partnerships with families and ways to share information, resources, and referrals.
  • Develop knowledge and tools needed to teach core curriculum to a diverse population of elementary and middle school children.

College ECE Program Information

The following certificates and degrees are general courses of study within the ECE field available at 4-year colleges in Washington State.

Elementary Education B.A.

  • City University
  • Central Washington University
  • Eastern Washington University
  • Antioch University
  • Heritage University
  • Pacific Lutheran University
  • Seattle Pacific University
  • Trinity Lutheran College
  • Washington State University
  • Western Washington University
  • Whitman College
  • Early Childhood Education B.A.
  • Central Washington University
  • Trinity Lutheran College
  • Washington State University
  • Western Washington University

Child Development B.A.

  • Eastern Washington University
  • Washington State University
  • Special Education B.A.
  • Central Washington University
  • Eastern Washington University
  • Gonzaga University
  • Pacific Lutheran University
  • Saint Martins University
  • Seattle Pacific University
  • Washington State University
  • Western Washington University
  • Whitworth College
  • Central Washington University

Children’s Studies B.A.

  • Eastern Washington University

Individual and Family Development B.A

    • Seattle Pacific University

Family Consumer Sciences B.A. with Teaching Certification

    • Seattle Pacific University

Human Development B.A. with a specialization (Certification) in Early Childhood Education or Development

    • Washington State University

 Education B.A.

    • Whitman College

Early Childhood and Family Studies B.A.

    • University of Washington
    • Central Washington University

Definitions of some commonly used terms:

  • BA: A Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) is an academic degree given by a college or university to those who complete the undergraduate curriculum within a specific academic field. Also called baccalaureate.
  • Teaching Certification: The certificate is an official document which attests to minimum prerequisites which include the following:
  1. At least 18 years old
  2. Hold a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university.
  3. Moral Character & Fitness background check.
  4. Preparation Program. (A teacher preparation program at a state-approved college/university which includes content (what to teach) methodology (how to teach), and a student teaching experience (internship, or practicum).

* According to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), teachers in public and private schools in Washington State are required to hold a teaching certificate.

Preparation Programs are offered at many colleges and off campus locations. Follow the link below to find the school nearest you.

http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/approvedprograms/default.aspx

  • Teaching Endorsements: An endorsement is a statement appearing on a certificate that identifies the specific subjects or grade level that the certificate holder is authorized to teach. Teachers may ask to add additional areas of qualification as endorsements during the course of their careers or they may choose to become qualified in new subjects without obtaining additional endorsements. In either case the teacher is considered qualified in the subjects.

 Endorsement Areas (related to early education)

  • Bilingual
  • Deaf Education
  • Designated Arts:
      • Dance
      • Music: Choral
      • Music: General
      • Music: Instrumental
      • Theatre Arts
      • Visual Arts
  • Designated Sciences:
      • Biology
      • Chemistry
      • Earth Science
      • Physics
  • Designated Career/Technical  Areas:
      • Agricultural Education
      • Business Education
      • Family & Consumer Science Education
      • Marketing Education
      • Technology Education
  • Designated World Languages:
      • Chinese
      • French
      • German
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Latin
      • Norwegian
      • Russian
      • Spanish
      • Swedish
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Early Childhood Special Ed
  • Elementary Education
  • English Language Arts
  • English as a 2nd Language
  • Health/Fitness
  • History
  • Library Media
  • Mathematics
  • Middle Level Humanities
  • Middle Level Math/Science
  • Reading
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Traffic Safety