BA in Early Childhood Education

Bachelor of Arts Early Childhood Education

(Birth through Grade 3)
Leads to teacher licensure

Degree Overview

Our online early childhood education degree will prepare you to fill a vital role in the education of young children. The B.A. in Early Childhood Education (Birth through Grade Three) will teach you the content knowledge and teaching skills necessary to become a certified instructor ready to work with infants, toddlers, and young children from birth through age eight.

Note: This program is built in alignment with the standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Who the program is for:

• Those who want to work with and teach young children from birth through age eight.
• Child care workers who hold a Child Development Associate (CDA) certification and wish to become early childhood educators.
• Unlicensed child care workers, unlicensed substitute teachers, career changers, retired military personnel, school paraprofessionals, and others who feel the call to teach.

Note: WGU is the first exclusively online university to receive NCATE accreditation for its degree programs that lead to teacher licensure, a testament to the fact that WGU graduates "have the knowledge and skills to be effective in helping all students learn."

This program will be flexible and adaptable to your schedule. Click here to learn more about how your program works.

What You’ll Learn -- Areas of Study:

In this online early childhood education degree, you’ll learn all the essential skills and knowledge needed. This program includes six domains of study, supervised practice teaching in an actual classroom, and completion of a professional portfolio.

• Early Childhood Education
• Effective Teaching Practices
• Foundations
• Foundations of Teaching
• General Education
• Demonstration Teaching (includes practice teaching)

Total Program: 122 Competency Units (credit equivalents)
Less: Any competency units waived through transfer of prior college credits.

Note: Your prior college experience may waive some degree requirements. If you hold a Child Development Associate (CDA) certification, you will waive some degree requirements. Click here to learn more.

More details about your challenging course of study

View the Program Guide (PDF)

Answers to your questions
Click a question, see the answer below.

• Will I practice teach?
• What courses will I take?
• Is financial aid available?

Will I practice teach?

Yes, this program includes practice teaching in an actual classroom. This will be part of your Demonstration Teaching domain of study. This is obviously not an online portion of your degree program. Exactly how your practice teaching occurs will depend on the specific school district in which you plan to teach. Speak to an Enrollment Counselor who can explain this in more detail.

What courses will I take?

As a WGU student, you take and complete assessments. You’ll prepare for your assessments by engaging various learning resources including textbooks, web tutorials, and online courses. You will determine what learning resources are best for you in consultation with your mentor using your personalized Degree Plan. You can learn more about what your experience may be like by exploring the WGU Experience. Speak to an Enrollment Counselor who can explain this program in greater depth.

Is financial aid available?

Yes, WGU offers federal financial aid. Loans are available to most students, regardless of financial need, and grants that don’t requirement repayment are available for those with financial need. You can check into your financial aid eligibility at any time during the admissions process. Speak to an Enrollment Counselor to learn more or visit the Financial Aid section of the website.