Students who are searching for an accredited early childhood education program in Oklahoma will find this article a valuable tool. The programs will all provide the education and practicum required to sit for the state teaching exams. Some of the schools housing the programs are religious, and they have other requisites as well. Additionally, some of the programs confer a general elementary education degree with an early childhood concentration. Others offer the ECE program as a separate degree. The amount of student teaching included in the programs varies as does the type of practicum involved. Schools on this list are all accredited to provide the early childhood education degree which is an important consideration for prospective students. To see more accredited early childhood education degree programs in Oklahoma, visit Early Childhood Education Degree Programs in Oklahoma (S-Z).
Cameron University
Department of Education
Cameron University is a public coeducational school that was founded in 1908, which was one year after Oklahoma achieved statehood, as the Cameron School of Agriculture. In 1974, it became Cameron University. The student-to-faculty ratio is 19:1, and the four-year graduation rate is six percent. The school offers more than fifty degree programs. The Department of Education, which houses the early childhood education degree, works to graduate students who are “competent, caring and committed,” and who will become successful educators. Besides the early childhood and elementary education degrees, the Department of Education offers the professional courses that are requisite to education degrees in other disciplines such as math education or social studies education. This certification is necessary to teach secondary or post-secondary education.
Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education
This accredited Oklahoma early childhood education degree program contains 124 hours, of which 44 to 46 are in general education courses. There is a foreign language proficiency requirement as well as proficiency in English, math, science and social studies. There are three requisite university classes that are orientation-type courses available to all freshmen. These are an introductory course to university life, a computer literacy course and a capstone experience. There are 74 hours in the major. In addition, students who wish to add a concentration in special education can add on additional courses to their early childhood degree programs, bringing the total required for graduation to 139 hours.
Accreditations
• North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE-TED)
Contact
Department of Education
Cameron University
2800 West Gore Blvd.
Lawton, Oklahoma 73505
580-581-2320
jdennis@cameron.edu
East Central University
Department of Education
This public, coeducational school was founded in 1909 as the East Central State Normal School. It became known as East Central University in 1985. It has four satellite campuses and offers online degree programs. It is divided into three colleges and two schools. The Department of Education prepares teachers in three specializations: elementary education, early childhood education and special education. It also provides professional courses for teachers intending to teach in secondary schools and graduate degree programs in education at the master’s level. The Department of Education has an in-house testing facility for teacher certification in Oklahoma, so graduates may sit for the exams as a part of their degree programs.
Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education
This early childhood degree program leads to certification to teach nursery school, kindergarten and grades one-through-three. Its focus is to help students understand the unique nature of young children, assessment of “emerging skills,” and planning and delivery of educational activities for young children. There are 125 credit hours in the accredited early education degree program including 46 in general education. There are 39 hours in the major, 51 in related courses and several professional education courses. In addition, students have field experiences and student teach.
Accreditation
• North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE-TED)
Contact
Department of Education
East Central University
1100 East 14th Street
PMB Y-8
Ada, OK 74820
580-559-5579
jenlsne@ecok.edu
Langston University
School of Education and Behavioral Sciences
This historically black school was founded in 1897 as the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University. One of its noted faculty was Poet Melvin B. Tolson, whose story was told in the movie “Great Debaters,” and who was portrayed on screen by acclaimed actor Denzel Washington. The school’s US News and World Report ranking is not reported. The ratio of students to faculty is 17:1. There are six schools in the university, one of which is the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences which houses the accredited early childhood education degree. The goal of the education program is to “produce graduates who possess the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed, effective and ethical decisions that serve the best interests of their students…”
Bachelor in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education
This 125-hour degree program includes 66 hours of general education, 41 hours of required courses in the major and 35 hours in professional education courses with a minimum of 18 hours in early childhood education courses. An example of classes included in the degree program is Fundamental Reasoning in Elementary Schools. There is a foreign language proficiency component to the degree as well. Early childhood education majors must have subject area concentrations that classify them as generalists.
Accreditation
• North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE-TED)
• National Council for the Education of Young Children (NCETC)
• National Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (NCAEP)
Contact
School of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Langston University
102 Page Hall
Langston, OK 73050
405-466-3268
mdherron@langston.edu
Northeastern State University
College of Education
This public university has its roots in the Cherokee Nation. It was founded as a female seminary in 1851. Male students were later allowed to study at the school. In 1909, after Oklahoma became a state, the land and buildings were purchased from the Cherokee Nation by the new state government and the school became known as the Northeastern State Normal School. In 1985, its name was changed to Northeastern State University. It is the oldest school of higher learning in Oklahoma. Twenty-five percent of the students identify as American Indian. The school has core values of integrity, excellence, creativity, leadership and collaboration.
Bachelor of Science in Education, Early Childhood Education
There are 45 credit hours in the major courses for this degree along with 29 hours in professional education requirements. With electives and minor, the accredited early childhood education degree program contains 124 hours. Students in the program take courses such as Educational Psychology, Technology in Education and Introduction to Education of Children with Exceptionalities. Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in English. There is also a foreign language requisite. The degree demands a minimum of 55 credits in liberal arts and in the sciences plus a capstone experience.
M. Ed. In Education in Early Childhood Education
This degree program contains 32 hours plus the capstone project. It is intended to build competencies in people who want to assume leadership positions in early childhood education. The program takes an interdisciplinary approach and emphasizes reading and special education. There are three components to the program: professional, early childhood and the area of emphasis. It includes six hours of professional education courses, fifteen of specialized early childhood courses and eleven hours of enrichment courses. There are required seminars and a capstone experience as well.
Accreditation
• North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
Contact
College of Education
Northeastern State University
600 North Grand Ave.
Tahlequah, OK 74464
918-444-3711
armstros@nsuok.edu
http://catalog.nsuok.edu/preview_degree_planner.php?catoid=19&poid=1922&returnto=654&print
Oklahoma Baptist University
Division of Teacher Education
This private Christian liberal arts university ranks as #510 on Forbes Top Colleges list, and has been Oklahoma’s top-rated regional college on the U.S. news rankings for eighteen years. It has 1986 students, of which 1900 are undergraduates. The school is owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. This university offers five graduate degrees, and more than 87 undergraduate areas of study through seven colleges. The teacher’s education program is housed in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Bachelor of Science in Education, Early Childhood Education
This accredited early childhood education program contains 128 credit hours. There are 44 hours in core education including Biblical Literacy. There are 17 hours in Flex-Core courses, which allows the student to select from several courses in mathematics, psychology and other subjects. The degree contains 67 hours in early childhood education including courses like: Child, Family and Community Relations, Science/ Social Studies for the Young Child and Reading Assessment. The program also includes credit hours in professional education classes like: Introduction to Early Childhood Education and Introduction to Exceptional Children. Students must demonstrate a foreign language proficiency or tale courses in multicultural experience. There is also a student-teaching component.
Accreditation
• North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
Division of Teacher Education
Oklahoma Baptist University
500 W. University
Shawnee, OK 74804
405-585-4251
Jeanne.akin@okbu.edu
https://www.okbu.edu/catalog/programs/early-childhood-education.html
Oklahoma Christian University
Department of Teacher Education
This university is listed as a private “comprehensive” Christian liberal arts school. It was founded in 1950, affiliated with the Churches of Christ and was originally called Central Christian College. When it began, it was a two-year school and had just 97 students. In 1980, its name was changed to Oklahoma Christian University. The school is still small, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1. It has the distinction of being the first university in Oklahoma and one of the first in the nation to have campus wireless Internet. The teacher education department has a 100 percent placement of its graduates. Areas of emphasis in the program are early childhood, elementary, English, math, music, science and social studies.
Bachelor of Science in Education in Early Childhood Education
The goals of this accredited early childhood education program are that graduates will achieve competency in teaching, an in-depth knowledge of subject matter for the level at which they teach and that they will pass the Oklahoma State teacher’s certification exam. The 126 credit-hour program contains the major, core, minor and electives. There are 32 hours in education and practicum, 48 hours in general education courses and 25 hours in professional education classes. There is also a foreign language requisite.
Accreditations
• North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
• Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
Contact
Department of Teacher Education
Oklahoma Christian University
2501 E. Memorial Road
Edmond, OK 73013
Allison.cassady@oc.edu
http://www.oc.edu/academics/b-s-e-degree-in-early-childhood-education
Oklahoma City University
Department of Education
Oklahoma City University is a private, coeducational school owned by the United Methodist Church. It began in the early 1900s as Epworth University, but that school was short-lived. It was merged with The Oklahoma Methodist University and, in 1924, became Oklahoma City University. The school has about 3,000 students that study in eight colleges and a Methodist seminary. The university awards more than 70 undergraduate degrees and 20 graduate degrees. It is classified as a Master’s university by the Carnegie Foundation, which means that a significant number of its graduates have earned graduate degrees. The Department of Education offers degrees in early childhood, elementary, secondary and in Montessori education.
Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education
This degree program is based on the concept that teachers must understand the growth patterns of young children, their development and how they learn. The degree includes 124 credit hours including general education, the major, professional education and electives. Most of the general education courses are taken in the first two years, and then students apply to the teacher education program. All education students complete a portfolio which is tantamount to a thesis. Student teaching takes place at the end of the last semester, but students must apply to that program at the end of the fifth semester.
M.Ed. In Early Childhood Education
This degree is a Montessori program. Students take Sensory Motor Learning; Psychological Basis of Learning and Guiding Young Children; Music and Movement; Perceptual Development; Basic Concepts of Early Math and Language and Reading Development and Cultural Studies. Following those courses, they perform a half-internship at a Montessori school for nine-and-a-half months. They must also take Methods of Research, or Research and Writing, plus Evaluation of Young Children.
Accreditation
• North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• Council for Accreditation of Teacher Preparation
• Office of Educational Quality and Accountability
• Certification Examiners for Oklahoma Educators
• Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium of Oklahoma(INTASC)
• Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE)
Contact
Department of Education
Oklahoma City University
2501 North Blackwelder
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
405-208-5526
icdelgadobrown@okcu.edu
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
School of Education
This private, Christian evangelical school is ranked by U.S. News as #81 of Regional Universities West. There are about 1,200 undergraduates enrolled at Oklahoma Wesleyan. It is also ranked #5 for Best Value Schools in the Western Region. The mission of the university is to teach the Primacy of Jesus Christ, the priority of scripture, the pursuit of truth and the practice of wisdom. The school views all disciplines and degrees through the lens of the Christian faith.
Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education
This 126 accredited degree program trains educators to teach children from preschool through second grade. There are 65 hours of general education courses along with 61 credit-hours in the major. Classes in the degree program include Creative Experiences in Elementary School, Reading Foundations and Process, Tests and measurement in Elementary School and Diversity Issues in Education, among others. The capstone of the program is a full semester student teaching. There are several requires higher-level courses including The Psychology of Educating and Learning. In addition, all teacher education students must pass a competency test in conversational language.
Accreditations
• The North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education ( NCATE)
Contact
School of Education
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
2201 Silver Lake Road
Bartlesville, OK, 74006
918-335-6219
sgerth@okwu.edu
Oral Roberts University
College of Education
This Christian Evangelical university has a history of controversy. It was founded in 1965 by Oral Roberts in response to a “mandate from God.” It became accredited in 1971. The school has 3,288 undergraduate students. It is recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as a Master’s University. All students admitted must sign a pledge to abide by the university code of honor. The goal of the College of education is to “provide opportunity for individuals responding to the call of God to become professional transformed Christian educators.”
Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education
Students who want to become certified teachers must be admitted to the Professional Education Program by the time they have earned 75 credit-hours. This accredited early childhood education program focuses on the “psychological, cognitive, symbol and creative growth and development of children birth to age eight.” Also included in the program is a ten-hour practicum on infant and toddler development that spotlights parents and caregivers. The 131-hour program requires students to choose either English as a Second Language or Special Education-Mild to Moderate Disabilities as a concentration. There are 68 hours of general education courses in the degree program along with 31 hours in the major and 32 in professional educator courses.
Accreditations
• North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission
• Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
College of Education
Oral Roberts University
7777South Lewis Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74171
918-495-7085
ldunham@oru.edu
http://www.oru.edu/academics/coe/early-childhood-education.php
One of these programs may be a good “fit” for prospective education students. Interested people should go to the websites of schools they select from this list for further information. This list is intended to be a good starting place for those searching for accredited early childhood education degree programs in Oklahoma.
Related Resource: 20 Best Online Master’s in Early Childhood Education 2018
