Early Childhood Care and Education, B.S.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Care and Education is a 120 credit hour degree program whose coursework emphasizes children from birth through age five, although several courses will cover children’s learning through the primary grades to meet the needs of persons who also work with the school-age population within their programs and to meet National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Teacher Education Accreditation requirements.

Course content will focus on teaching diverse learners, curriculum and assessment, instructional strategies, child development, family and community relations and leadership skills. It will include multiple opportunities for firsthand field-based experiences and will be based on the NAEYC standards

University Core Requirements (42 hours):

Communication (6 hours)

WRIT 1301 - Composition I Credit Hours: 3
WRIT 1302 - Composition II Credit Hours: 3

Mathematics (3 hours)

Choose ONE course from the UHCL core approved list.

MATH 1314 - College Algebra Credit Hours: 3
MATH 1324 - Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences. Credit Hours: 3
MATH 1325 - Calculus for Business and Social Sciences Credit Hours: 3
MATH 1332 - Contemporary Mathematics Credit Hours: 3
MATH 1342 - Elementary Statistical Methods Credit Hours: 3
MATH 1350 - Mathematics for Teachers I Credit Hours: 3
MATH 2412 - Pre-Calculus Mathematics Credit Hours: 4
MATH 2413 - Calculus I Credit Hours: 4

Life and Physical Sciences (6 hours)

Choose TWO courses from the UHCL core approved list.

ASTR 1303 - Stars and Galaxies Credit Hours: 3
ASTR 1304 - Solar System Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 1306 - Biology for Science Majors I Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 1307 - Biology for Science Majors II Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 1308 - Biology for Non-Science Majors I Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 1309 - Biology for Non-Science Majors II Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 2301 - Anatomy & Physiology I Credit Hours: 3
BIOL 2302 - Anatomy & Physiology II Credit Hours: 3
CHEM 1305 - Introductory Chemistry I Credit Hours: 3
CHEM 1311 - General Chemistry I Credit Hours: 3
CHEM 1312 - General Chemistry II Credit Hours: 3
ENSC 1301 - Environmental Science I Credit Hours: 3
ENSC 1302 - Environmental Science II Credit Hours: 3
GEOL 1303 - Physical Geology Credit Hours: 3
GEOL 1304 - Historical Geology Credit Hours: 3
PHYS 1301 - College Physics I Credit Hours: 3
PHYS 1302 - College Physics II Credit Hours: 3
PHYS 2325 - University Physics I Credit Hours: 3
PHYS 2326 - University Physics II Credit Hours: 3

Language, Philosophy and Culture (3 hours)

Choose ONE course from the UHCL core approved list.

HUMN 1301 - Humanities Credit Hours: 3
LITR 2341 - Literature and Experience Credit Hours: 3
PHIL 1301 - Introduction to Philosophy Credit Hours: 3
WGST 1301 - Gender Matters: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies Credit Hours: 3

Creative Arts (3 hours)

Choose ONE course from the UHCL core approved list.

ARTS 1303 - World Art Survey I Credit Hours: 3
ARTS 1304 - World Art Survey II Credit Hours: 3
ARTS 2379 - Arts and the Child Credit Hours: 3

American History (6 hours)

HIST 1301 - United States History I Credit Hours: 3
HIST 1302 - United States History II Credit Hours: 3

Government/Political Science (6 hours)

POLS 2305 - Federal Government Credit Hours: 3
POLS 2306 - Texas Government Credit Hours: 3

Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours)

Choose ONE course from the UHCL approved core list.

ANTH 2346 - General Anthropology Credit Hours: 3
CRIM 1301 - Introduction to Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 3
ECON 2301 - Principles of Macroeconomics Credit Hours: 3
ECON 2302 - Principles of Microeconomics Credit Hours: 3
GEOG 1303 - World Regional Geography Credit Hours: 3
PSYC 2301 - Introduction to Psychology Credit Hours: 3
SOCI 1301 - Introduction to Sociology Credit Hours: 3

Component Area Option (6 hours)

Two 1-hour Life and Physical Science Labs

COMM 1315 - Public Speaking Credit Hours: 3
PSYC 1100 - Learning Frameworks Credit Hours: 1

Major Requirements (63 hours):

ECED 1303 - Children and Families Credit Hours: 3
ECED 1311 - Historical and Recent Trends in Early Childhood Education Credit Hours: 3
ECED 1318 - Nutrition, Health and Safety Credit Hours: 3
ECED 1354 - Developmental Theories of Young Children Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4303 - Child Guidance and Classroom Management for Young Children Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4305 - Literacy Development Birth-Age 5 Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4306 - Assessment of Young Children Birth-Age 5 Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4307 - Mathematics and Science in Early Childhood Education Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4308 - Creativity in Early Childhood Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4309 - Advocacy and Parent Engagement Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4320 - Play in Early Childhood Curriculum Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4321 - Advanced Topics: Infants and Toddlers Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4322 - Cultural Awareness for Young Children Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4323 - Advanced Topics: Preschool Curriculum Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4324 - Early Childhood Leadership, Program Development, and Management Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4326 - Effective and Positive Classroom Interactions for Young Children Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4332 - Teaching Young Children with Special Needs Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4377 - Practicum Credit Hours: 3
LLLS 4348 - Selecting Literature for the Very Young Child Credit Hours: 3
SILC 4318 - Linguistic Diversity in Young Children Credit Hours: 3

Choose ONE of the following

WRIT 3304 - Writing for Education Credit Hours: 3
WRIT 3307 - Advanced Writing Credit Hours: 3

Elective Requirements (15 hours):

Students can choose to complete an approved University minor OR complete 15 hours of electives from the list:

ARTS 2379 - Arts and the Child Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4325 - Early Childhood Program Development & Management I - Leadership Strategies and Staff Development Credit Hours: 3
ECED 4333 - Advanced Studies in Young Children with Special Needs Credit Hours: 3
HLTH 3301 - Health, Emergency Care and First Aid Credit Hours: 3
HLTH 3303 - Nutrition and Weight Management Credit Hours: 3
INST 3313 - Survey of Instructional Technologies Credit Hours: 3
MATH 1332 - Contemporary Mathematics Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 3301 - Management Theory and Practice Credit Hours: 3
MGMT 3313 - Organizational Communication Credit Hours: 3
PSYC 4314 - Child Psychology Credit Hours: 3
SILC 4313 - Language Learning Credit Hours: 3
SILC 4315 - Theories of American Pluralism Credit Hours: 3
SPED 4300 - Survey of Exceptionalities Credit Hours: 3
WGST 4348 - Development of Gender and Racial Identity Credit Hours: 3

General Degree Requirements:

Students must complete at least 120 semester credit hours. A minimum of 45 hours of the 120 semester hours must be advanced (3000-4000 level) coursework according to the requirements of the respective major.
Students must complete the University Core Curriculum requirements (refer to Core Curriculum Requirements in the UHCL catalog).
Students must fulfill the statutory requirements of the Texas State Education Code, including the following:
- Six hours of U.S. History (three hours may be Texas History).
- Six hours of Constitutions of the United States and Texas.
Students must demonstrate writing proficiency by completing nine hours of lower-level (1000-2000 level) and upper-level (3000-4000 level) English composition course credit with a minimum grade of “C-” or better. Some majors may require higher grades in English composition.
Students must complete at least 25% of the credit hours required for the degree (i.e., 30 semester credit hours for a 120 credit hour program) through instruction offered by UHCL to fulfill the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) residency requirements.
Students must complete the final 30 semester hours of 3000 and 4000 level course work in residence at UHCL.
Students must complete a minimum of 12 semester credit hours of upper-level (3000-4000 level) coursework in the major in residence at UHCL.
Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.000 on course work completed at UHCL with grades of “C” or better on at least 30 hours of resident upper-level work. Grades of “C-” or below cannot be applied toward the 30 hours of resident upper-level work.