Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, Rank I (156)
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
This non-degree program is designed to prepare educators to work with children both with and without special needs, age’s birth through kindergarten and their families. Graduates are eligible to apply for certification in interdisciplinary early childhood education (IECE), birth to primary (B to P). This certification qualifies individuals 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.
Concentration(s)
- Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (KIE)
Program Admission
In addition to meeting Graduate Studies and College of Education and Behavioral Sciences admissions requirements, applicants must complete the IECE application process through the School of Teacher Education. This application process includes documentation of early childhood related professional experiences and training, a professional written goals statement, and three letters of reference. Applicants must be officially admitted to the IECE program before beginning the program sequence. Students must also have had SPED 330 or SPED 516 or equivalent prior to entering the Rank I program or complete one of them as a program deficiency.
Graduate Studies Admission
Please refer to the admission section of this catalog for Graduate Studies admission requirements.
Program Requirements (33 hours)
The performance-based program of study requires 33 hours of course work and 240 clock hours of field experiences. Approximately one-half of the field experience hours are completed as a part of ongoing course work. The culminating experience of the program is a summer internship.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisites | ||
| SPED 330 | Introduction to Exceptional Education: Diversity in Learning | 3 |
| SPED 516 | The Exceptional Child: Perspectives and Issues for Educational Leaders | 3 |
| Total Hours | 6 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Education | ||
| SLP 517 | Normal Language Development | 3 |
| CD 486G | Language Disorders | 3 |
| IECE 521 | Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education | 3 |
| IECE 522 | Family-Focused Services | 3 |
| IECE 524 | Internship in Early Childhood Special Education | 3 |
| IECE 523 | Planning Curriculum and Instruction in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| SPED 523 | Curriculum/Methods in Early Childhood Special Education | 3 |
| Content Area Courses | ||
| IECE 520 | Organizing Programs for Early Childhood Special Education | 3 |
| FACS 577 | Child Development Theory and Research | 3 |
| SWRK 436G | Services to Children | 3 |
| PSY 645 | Consultation in Educational and Mental Health Settings: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| Total Hours | 33 | |