Today’s schools need teachers who can successfully address the learning, developmental, social, emotional and physical needs of very young children. Strengthen your early childhood teacher qualifications with the Master of Science in Early Childhood Education (ECE) - Teaching option from the University of Central Missouri. This graduate degree program is specifically designed to help ECE teachers better understand and adapt pedagogy and curricula for children from birth through grade 3.
If you don’t already have early childhood education teacher certification, you can work with an advisor to develop a plan for coursework and experiential learning within the master’s in Early Childhood Education program to earn the professional credential. This will allow you to teach grades K–3 in Missouri’s public schools. Your early childhood education teacher certification will further demonstrate to employers that you have the critical knowledge and skills needed to create a safe, developmentally appropriate learning environment for young students.
Take classes for your ECE master’s degree in Teaching 100% online
UCM’s master’s-level ECE degree in Teaching is offered 100% online. To keep up with the evolving field and add to your early childhood teacher qualifications, this program option offers online courses that allow working ECE teachers to enhance their early childhood education teaching in an accessible, convenient way.
ContactKarrie Snider Department of Early, Elementary, Middle and Physical Education |
Faculty |
Request Info |
Visit |
Apply |
Longest CAEP-accredited program
Aligned to NAEYC standards
95% of new grads get hired
100% online degree program
150-year tradition of excellence
Hone your teaching strategies and boost your early childhood teacher qualifications with graduate coursework based on research and best practices. UCM’s master’s-level ECE degree program will also ensure that you can apply your classroom knowledge in a variety of early childhood education teaching environments, serving students with diverse educational needs. To strengthen your early childhood teacher qualifications, you can choose from a variety of electives, including:
The combination of core courses and electives offers well-rounded perspectives and insights on how to better assess students, integrate STEM into your curricula and create active, engaged learning environments as part of your early childhood education teaching.
Gain meaningful early childhood education teaching experiences in the field and personalized instruction in the classroom that you can apply in your own career:
This UCM master’s degree in Early Childhood Education will sharpen your early childhood education teaching strategies and build on your work experience in the classroom. ECE teachers with early childhood education teacher certifications can find jobs in a variety of childcare and classroom settings, especially public and private schools teaching grades K–3.
ECE teacher jobs
Use the interactive tool below to find more information on salary potential, job growth and career possibilities in early childhood education teaching.
You can build upon your early childhood teacher qualifications and pursue your graduate ECE degree in Teaching affordably. As a university recognized for its low student debt, UCM offers plenty of resources to help working graduate students finance their college education. Our College of Education also offers scholarships to ECE students.
You can learn more about program-specific scholarships with the UCM Scholarship Finder.
Gain specialized teaching skills in a content area or specific student population by adding a graduate certificate to your Early Childhood Education master’s degree in Teaching:
If you’re considering the MSE in Early Childhood Education, with a focus on Teaching, you may also want to check out these master’s programs at UCM:
With a Master of Science in Education degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE), you will use the knowledge and skills obtained in the program to achieve the following professional skills:
To be accepted into the Master of Science in Education in Early Childhood Education (ECE) degree program, you must: (a) have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.75; (b) submit proof of teacher certification or professional endorsement from any of the 50 states or territories and have graduated from a CAEP or regionally accredited university; (c) submit a copy of your last summative teaching evaluation, or a letter from a school superintendent, principal, director, or professor attesting to teaching skills and/or graduate studies potential.
The following courses are required by all three options within the Master of Science in Education degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE):
The Early Childhood Education Teaching option is focused on preparing early childhood educators for teaching in the field of early childhood education. Coursework and content focus on birth through grade 3. In addition to the core courses, you will select three of these courses for this option:
Request Info Visit Apply Today!