We are so excited about your decision to join us in the McKay School! I'm a little biased, but I think the Early Childhood Education Major is the best. This blog post is all about the prerequisites for the Early Childhood Education Major, what they entail, and other fun facts.
There are three prerequisite courses for ECE Majors: SFL 210 (Human Development), ECE 202 (Foundations of Child Development), and EL ED 200 (Introduction to Education). These courses are designed to give you the foundation for your future major classes. The great news is that each of these courses is a lot of fun!
SFL 210 Human Development
This is a 3.0-hour credit course and it is important to get done right away since it is a prerequisite for ECE 202, This course helps you understand the interactions between the different aspects of human development -- biological, cognitive, emotional, social, and more. It is a great course because you will be able to apply what you learn in real life. You learn a lot about different human development theories in this course, which will help you in ECE 202 and throughout your entire major. Something to note is that this course gives you the opportunity to interact with students from a variety of majors including Elementary Education, Art Education K-12, Family Life, Gerontology, Music Education: K-12 General Music, Nursing, Special Education, and more.
ECE 202 Foundations of Child Development
ECE 202 is a 3.0 credit hour class, so make sure you have space in your schedule. This course gives you an overview of the entire development process of a child. You do this by focusing on five specific development categories: cognitive, social, emotional, linguistic, and physical. You do need to take SFL 210 as a prerequisite for this course, so make sure you take that one first. Be prepared to work in this course, but also to have a lot of fun! I personally took this course last semester and absolutely loved it.
EL ED 200
This course is brand new. Be excited! You're among the first to take it, which means you get to be part of the course's development. This course entails exactly what its title suggests: an introduction to education. In this course, you will learn about the ins and outs of public education in the United States. This will give you great insights into the real-world of education—the philosophies behind it, why it is so important in our society, and how public education exists to give everyone the opportunity to become educated. We're so excited for you to take this course!
After You Complete the Prereqs
Once you've completed SFL 210, ECE 202, and El Ed 200 you'll be ready to apply for the Early Childhood Education Major.
If you have any questions about the application process you can contact the advisement center. The advisors will walk you through the process--they are so helpful!
ECE