Graduate Catalog 2023-2024
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Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, Birth to Primary, for Initial Certification, Master of Arts in Teaching (0460)

Department website: http://www.wku.edu/ste/


Program Coordinator

Janet L. Tassell, janet.tassell@wku.edu, (270) 745-5306

Program Contact
Rachael Lee, rachael.lee@wku.edu, (270) 745-2819

The program is designed to prepare early childhood educators to work with children with and without disabilities, ages birth through kindergarten and their families.  IECE program graduates are qualified to work with children from birth to entry into the primary program.  This includes teaching children in kindergarten or other programs for five-year-olds if those programs are operated separately from the primary program.  Graduates are prepared for positions in public schools, First Steps, Head Start programs, child care centers, and other public and private agencies serving young children and families.

The MAT program in IECE, Birth to Primary, Initial Certification is for individuals who are not certified in any area of education. The performance-based program of study requires 30 semester hours of course work and various field experiences. The culminating capstone experience of the program is an internship. Upon completion of the program and achieving a passing score on the required PRAXIS II exam, students are eligible to be recommended for the Statement of Eligibility to teach children age’s birth through kindergarten.

Program Admission

To be considered for admission, applicants must be:

  • Present a letter of application including a professional goals statement.
  • Submit documentation to the School of Teacher Education in order to satisfy partial criteria for admission to professional education including: references; physical; signed code of ethics; criminal background check; Child Abuse & Neglect (CAN) check.
  • For students who are not teaching under Option 6 or other temporary certification, you will be required to complete IECE 524 on site to fulfill your student teaching requirement. This course occurs during the summer on WKU campus over the course of several weeks.

Graduate School Admission

Please refer to the admission section of this catalog for Graduate School admission requirements.

Program Requirements (30 hours)

Required Courses
EDFN 500Research Methods (or advisor approved research course)3
IECE 520Organizing Programs for Early Childhood Special Education3
IECE 522Family-Focused Services3
IECE 423GInterdisciplinary Services for Young Children with Low Incidence Disabilities 13
IECE 521Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education3
SLP 517Normal Language Development 13
IECE 523Planning Curriculum and Instruction in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education3
IECE 524Internship in Early Childhood Special Education3
SPED 523Curriculum/Methods in Early Childhood Special Education3
IECE 525Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education3
Total Hours30
1

Or advisor approved electives