Early Childhood Development and Education M.S.
Graduate Studies
Department of Child, Family and Community Sciences
The Masters of Science in Early Childhood Development and Education degree is designed for candidates with undergraduate degrees in a wide range of areas either related to early childhood education, such as child development, psychology, communication disorders, sociology, nursing, theatre, music or other degrees. The program of study includes advanced professional development in early care and education for careers with direct and indirect services for young children and families. Direct early education services to young children and families can include homes, schools, and other community settings, such as child care and Head Start. Indirect services can include: child assessment, program evaluation, child care resource and referral, early learning coalitions, and community college instruction. Graduates of this program are encouraged to serve as a bridge among schools and community agencies and to nurture leadership skills in these areas.
Note: This program does not lead to teacher certification.
Admission Requirements:
- For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective graduate students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).
Multiple data sources will be considered to make entrance decisions to the MS in ECDE: - Completion of Bachelor’s degree;
- Evidence of a GPA of at least 3.0 for the last 60 attempted credit hours of undergraduate study at an accredited institution,
- A competitive GRE score,
- Professional resume,
- Writing sample/ sample essay-type undergraduate assignment;
- Letters of Recommendation – three,
- Interview (eligible applicants will be contacted), and
- Grades in any Graduate courses taken as non-degree seeking (as applicable)
* Each type of data is given a numerical score on a rubric with totals of those points used for entrance decisions; a competitive total score will be considered for each candidate’s admission. *
Degree Requirements (36 credit hours):
- Two research core courses (6 credit hours),
- Advanced Early Childhood Professional courses (18 credit hours)
- Additional courses from any of the Electives or other Approved Electives (6 credit hours)
- One of the choices of Capstone Experience / Research study (6 credit hours)
The College of Graduate Studies provides leadership for and administers
policies on graduate education at the University of Central Florida.
Student Services in the College of Graduate Studies includes graduate admissions, student records, thesis and dissertation support, graduate fellowships, and other
activities, programs, and services to provide an excellent experience
for UCF graduate students from inquiry to graduation.
