Four CAEP accredited education degree programs in Mississippi emphasize early childhood instruction methods to produce teachers for the youngest of the Magnolia State’s 2.988 million residents. Since 2012, Governor Phil Bryant has phased in state-funded preschool options like Mississippi Building Blocks, Head Start, and Mississippi First. Early childhood majors are also needed to teach primary grades (K-3) in Mississippi’s 162 school districts that serve 493,650 students total. Some of the largest ones are DeSoto County School District, Jackson Public Schools, Rankin County School District, and Harrison County Schools. According to the BLS, Mississippi employs 2,350 preschool, 1,130 kindergarten, and 15,390 elementary teachers for an average annual salary of $40,560. Train to prepare young children for the rigor of Common Core curricula with these early childhood education degrees in Mississippi.
Alcorn State University
School of Education and Psychology
Belonging to the SWAC with 3,730 Braves and Lady Braves, Alcorn State University is a public, land-grant historically black school founded during the Reconstruction Era that’s now led by President Alfred Rankins, Jr. upon 1,700 acres in Claiborne County. Named America’s 14th best HBCU and 208th top college with no application fee on Niche, Alcorn was deemed the 45th best Southern bang for the buck in Washington Monthly. Currently charging $3,276 per full-time semester, the School of Education and Psychology is ranked in the country’s top 15 percent for human development courses by College Factual with CAEP accredited education degree programs in Mississippi.
Master of Science in Elementary Education with an Endorsement in Early Childhood Education
Alcorn State’s Master of Science (M.S.) in Elementary Education offers an Endorsement in Early Childhood Education for post-grads to learn the latest strategies for effectively designing curricula that resolves learning issues in PreK-3 classrooms. Enrolling around 150 certified teachers who’ve passed the Praxis Series in Mississippi each year, the 33-credit program blends courses like teaching models, young child assessment, child welfare, parenting, and educational psychology. Both thesis and non-thesis tracks are available, but all must complete a three-credit practicum at the on-site Child Development Laboratory Center or off-campus. Other opportunities include joining the Student National Education Association, pledging Kappa Delta Pi, creating an Edmentum account, and earning the Nicholas-Vaughn Scholarship.
Accreditation
• Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)
Contact
Walter Washington Building, 4th Floor
1000 ASU Drive, #989
Lorman, MS 39096
(601) 877-6141
rcarr@alcorn.edu
http://www.alcorn.edu/academics/schools/ed-psych/soep/graduate/index.aspx
Jackson State University
College of Education and Human Development
Established by the American Baptist Home Mission Society in 1877, Jackson State University is the country’s fourth-largest public, historically black TMCF member that’s endowed for $36 million under President Dr. William Bynum to educate 9,811 Tigers upon 250 acres near the Mississippi State Capitol. Cited as the #7 best degree producer for African-Americans in Diverse Issues in Higher Education, JSU is ranked the 186th top public school by Forbes. Graded “A” for professors with a 15:1 student-faculty ratio on Niche, the College of Education and Human Development operates the Lottie W. Thornton Early Childcare Center.
Early Childhood Education, M.S.Ed.
Jackson State’s Early Childhood Education M.S.Ed. stands out among CAEP accredited education degree programs in Mississippi by using an online format to encourage minority teachers to further their pedagogical methods for leadership in Birth-Third Grade settings. Requiring a 2.5 GPA, the 30-36 credit curriculum presently bills $462 per credit for post-grads to develop instruction ideas according to NAEYC standards. Online courses on Canvas are accessible 24/7 for topics like cross-cultural family relations, child development, emergent literacy, and children’s art and music. In addition to one practicum requirement, the one- to two-year program includes a thesis, scholarly paper, or extra electives. Instruction is delivered by experienced practitioners from Widefield School District, Jackson Public Schools, and more.
Accreditation
• Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)
Contact
1400 John R. Lynch Street
P.O. Box 18380
Jackson, MS 39217
(601) 979-3412
William.a.brown@jsums.edu
http://www.jsums.edu/jsuonline/early-childhood-education-m-s/
Mississippi State University
College of Education
Affiliated with alumni like John Grisham, Germany Kent, Alan Nunnelee, and Priscilla Slade, Mississippi State University is a public, co-educational RU/H institution with land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant status that’s endowed for $456 million to enroll 21,622 Bulldogs on its 4,200 campus in Oktibbeha County and off-campus. Ranked 75th nationally for social mobility in Washington Monthly, MSU was named America’s 98th best research university by the National Science Foundation. Founded in 1903, the College of Education has achieved 80 percent retention as the country’s 141st best graduate education school according to the U.S. News.
B.S. in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Concentration
Coordinated by Merrion M. Johnson, the B.S. in Elementary Education is another of the CAEP accredited education degree programs in Mississippi delivering an Early Childhood Concentration to satisfy initial licensure for K-8 teaching with added N-1 endorsement. The undergrad courses are available on-site in Starkville, at the Meridian Campus, or online in all 50 states. Consisting of 123 credits total, the program integrates courses like early literacy, childhood exceptionalities, creative arts, classroom management, and infant development. In Phase II, students with a minimum 2.75 GPA enter the 16-week student-teaching internship at supervised sites, such as Sudduth Elementary, Overstreet School, and Aiken Village Preschool. Undergrads can also engage with the Future Educators of America (FEA) Chapter.
Accreditation
• Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)
Contact
Allen Hall, Room 310
75 B.S. Hood Drive
Mississippi State, MS 39762
(662) 325-3523
mjohnson@colled.msstate.edu
http://cise.msstate.edu/undergraduate/elementary/
Mississippi Valley State University
College of Education
Occupying 450 acres along Route 82 in Leflore County just five miles from Greenwood and 120 miles south of Memphis, Mississippi Valley State University is a public, co-educational historically black TMCF constituent created by Governor Thomas L. Bailey in 1950 that’s now educating 2,502 Delta Devils. Crowned America’s 166th hardest college to get into on Niche, MVSU is ranked the 44th best HBCU nationwide by the U.S. News. Conferring nine CAEP accredited degree programs in Mississippi, the College of Education was placed in the United States’ top 5 percent for teacher preparation on College Factual.
Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education
Accepting applications until the August 17th deadline yearly, the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education was launched in 2010 as a non-licensure undergrad option for MVSU students to instruct children under age eight outside traditional school buildings. Courses take place at the main campus’ Olympia Lowe Education Complex or off-campus at the Greenwood Center. The 120-credit degree requires mastering courses like child psychology, human development, education computing, instructional planning, daycare administration, and nutrition with a 2.5 GPA or better. At least 100 clock hours of practicum are completed in the Child Development Center with three- and four-year-olds. Tuition for 2017-18 is $3,201 regardless of Mississippi residency.
Accreditation
• Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)
Contact
14000 Highway 82 W.
Itta Bena, MS 38941
(662) 254-3613
teresa.banks@mvsu.edu
https://www.mvsu.edu/academics/academic-programs/education
The U.S. News reported that only 67 percent of children between age three and five in America are enrolled in early childhood education, which is the third-lowest rate among OECD nations. Mississippi is particularly lagging behind with the United States’ fourth lowest spending per kid at $8,130. Research about the effectiveness of early childhood education on developing brains is sparking greater demand though. In fact, preschool teachers were recognized for the #7 best education job with unemployment at only 3.4 percent and above-average satisfaction. Turn your passion for childcare into a creative career in these accredited education degree programs in Mississippi.
Related Resource: 20 Best Online Master’s in Early Childhood Education
