UMass Boston

Prepare to be a leader in early childhood settings from the classroom to the policy world.

Graduates of the Early Childhood MEd have a working knowledge of the dimensions of typical and atypical child growth and learning (language development, cognition, approaches to learning, social and emotional development, and physical and motor development); skills in assessment, curriculum development and implementation, and ethics and professionalism.  Graduates are able to create and/or modify environments, curriculum, and individualized and family development plans to ensure access and involvement by all children and their families in educational settings.

The Early Childhood Master’s Program, housed within a public urban university, is dedicated to the training of educators who are prepared to teach individuals from various diverse backgrounds in school and early childhood settings

Choose Your Track

The Early Childhood (ECHD) program offers two separate Master’s programs: Initial Licensure Pre-K-2 and Non-Licensure/Community Professional.

1. The Initial Licensure program is a 37-credit program that consists of 13 required courses leading to public school licensure. The 13-course sequence includes a 1-credit pre-practicum and a 6-credit full-time practicum. Students take 2-3 courses a semester and complete their pre-practicum in their penultimate semester and their practicum in their final semester. This program takes 2-3 years to complete depending on how many courses students complete each semester.
2. The Early Childhood Non-Licensure/Community Professional program is a 36-credit program that prepares students for work in a broad range of early childhood settings as an educator, policy worker, non-profit professional, or leader. This program consists of 12 courses including core classes and electives. This program takes 2-3 years to complete depending on how many courses students complete each semester.