When you major in Education and Child Development, you’ll become well-versed in child development and gain real-life experiences working with children and families in a variety of settings. This flexible major allows students to choose an area of focus within special education, early childhood, or education more broadly to meet their professional and personal goals. Through extensive internship opportunities, students gain valuable experiences building their skills and working in the field of their choice before graduation.
Graduates from this program are prepared for a wide variety of careers working with children and families, from early interventionists to directors of childcare facilities to caseworkers with human services organizations. Students interested in pursuing graduate programs for careers as speech-language pathologists or child life specialists will also find this major a great fit, as they can easily select courses that best meet the prerequisite requirements for their graduate work.
Program Goals:
The goals of the Lander University Education and Child Development Major prepare students to be able to:
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Note: The information below provides convenient links to some of the courses required for this degree; however, it should not be used as a course registration guide. Please refer to the official Lander University Academic Catalog for the most accurate and up-to-date program requirements.
| GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS1 |
CREDIT |
||
| A. Core Skills |
|
||
| ENGL 101 | Writing and Inquiry I | 3 | |
| ENGL 102 | Writing and Inquiry II | 3 | |
|
Approved Mathematics |
3 | ||
|
B. Humanities and Fine Arts |
6 | ||
| C. Behavioral and Social Perspectives | |||
| PSYC 101 | General Psychology | 3 | |
| Behavioral and Social Perspectives elective | 3 | ||
| D. Scientific and Mathematical Reasoning | |||
| Approved Science or Mathematics | 3 | ||
| Approved Lab Science | 4 | ||
| E. Founding Documents of the United States | |||
| HIST 111R2 | United States History to 1877 OR HIST 112R2 United States History since 1877 OR POLS 101R2 American National Government |
3 | |
| F. World Cultures | 3 | ||
| G. LINK 101 | 1 | ||
| Total General Education Requirements | 35 | ||
1 For approved courses see the General Education section
2 If you already have credit for HIST 111, do not take HIST 111R; if you already have credit for HIST 112, do not take HIST 112R; if you already have credit for POLS 101, do not take POLS 101R
| MAJOR PROGRAM CORE REQUIREMENTS | CREDIT HOURS |
|
|---|---|---|
| ECED 222 | Child Growth and Development OR EDUC 240 Child Growth and the Educational Process |
3 |
| ECED 227 | Introduction to Early Childhood | 3 |
| EDUC 223 | General Pedagogy | 3 |
| SPED 223 | Pre K-12 Student Diverse Learning Needs | 3 |
| SPED 240 | Characteristics of Diverse Learners, K-12 | 3 |
| ECED 307 | Health and Movement for Childhood | 3 |
| ECED 405 | Children and Families | 3 |
| MAJOR PROGRAM ELECTIVES | CREDIT HOURS |
|---|---|
| SPED or ECED or EDUC 300 or higher | 3 |
| SPED or ECED or EDUC 300 or higher | 3 |
| SPED or ECED or EDUC 300 or higher | 3 |
| SPED or ECED or EDUC 300 or higher | 3 |
| MAJOR PROGRAM PROFESSIOINAL INTERNSHIP | CREDIT HOURS |
|
|---|---|---|
| EDUC 490 | Internship | 3 |
| EDUC 491 | Internship II | 9 |
| Total Major Requirements | 45 | |
| Additional Electives | 40 | |
| TOTAL FOR BS DEGREE | 120 | |