Early Childhood Education

Through the development of pedagogical and content knowledge, personal dispositions, practical applications, professional teaching, and advanced academic coursework, the mission of the PreK-PreK-3 Endorsement (Early Childhood) is to prepare candidates to successfully meet the academic and developmental needs of all students grades PreK-3.

Individuals with a valid and current Tennessee elementary teacher's license may complete a subset of the courses below for an add-on endorsement in the following:

Early Childhood Ed PreK-3 (Endorsement code 467)
Early Dev/Learning PreK-K (Endorsement code 468)

Please contact an education faculty member or the Licensure Officer for information.

Candidates will complete the specific course requirements below.

Emphasis in Early Childhood Education

Program of Study

MAT 5012	Early Childhood Curriculum & Assessment	3
MAT 5014	Education for the Developing Learner	3
MAT 5015	Support for Early Childhood Learning	3
MAT 5016	Motor Learning & Development	3
MAT 5070	Advanced Classroom Management	3
MAT 5080	Diverse Populations	3
MAT 5180	Education: The Profession & The Professional	3
MAT 5222	Methods of Classroom Teaching	3
MAT 5250	Building Literacy in the K-12 Classroom	3
MEd 5396/MAT 5396	Evaluation and Remediation of Mathematics	3
MAT 5285	Practicum	3-9
	or
MAT 5286	Student Teaching	3
MAT 5287	Student Teaching Seminar	3

Traditional Student Teaching is completed in one semester with MAT 5286 and MAT 5287 as co-requisites.

Job Embedded Clinical Experience is completed in two semesters with MAT 5285 (first semester of employment) and MAT 5287 (second semester of employment).

36 minimum hours required for graduation.

Licensure: Candidates for a Tennessee teaching license must pass state-required exams to be qualified for a license. Exam requirements periodically change. Candidates must consult the Tennessee Department of Education and Educational Testing Service websites for a list of current licensure exams. Teacher licensure candidates are responsible for taking and passing the correct licensure examinations at specific times in their program of study as is detailed in the online Teacher Education Handbook.