Working with children is a rewarding career, but those working with those kids often earn a degree from one of the accredited education degree programs in Oregon or a different state first. Early education degree programs focus on the education of children before they start a traditional school program. You’ll work with kids in kindergarten as well as toddlers who need help learning their colors, shapes and other basic information. The more work you put in, the more you can prepare those children for elementary school. Check out all the options available to you in Oregon before deciding on a college or program.
Portland State University
Graduate School of Education
Founded in 1946 as an extension center, Portland State University originally offered education opportunities for World War II veterans going back to school. As less than 300 students enrolled that first year, the school held classes in a local junior high. When enrollment sharply increased just a few years later, the school decided to build a campus of its own. It became Portland State College in the 1950s and functioned as a state college for more than a decade before becoming PSU at the end of the 1960s. Washington Monthly ranked PSU as the 137th best college in the country. PSU offers a number of educational and teaching programs that give you experience working with actual students. The adviser assigned to you as a freshman will help you find placements in areas similar to where you will one day work.
Masters in Early Childhood: Inclusive Ed and Curriculum and Instruction
One of the top accredited education degree programs in Oregon is this program from PSU, which is open to students with a bachelor’s degree in an education field. This program is available as a traditional on-campus program or as an online program. The university designed the online program as a way for working teachers to more easily finish their advanced degrees. When you enroll in the on-campus program, you can sign up for different types. These is a version that meets each Thursday night and takes just one year to finish and another version that takes place over the summer semester. You can transfer in credits from another college or university, and PSU gives you up to seven years to finish the program once you enroll. Portland State University has a rolling admissions policy that lets you apply to the program and start classes at the beginning of any semester during the school year. Unlike some of the other education programs in the state that focus on all areas of teaching, this program focuses more on curriculum design and instruction. You’ll learn how to do research to determine the needs of a student body, how to create a curriculum to meet their needs and the basics of instructing teachers on how to use and present those materials to their classes. Curriculum development and instruction includes both putting together a new curriculum and instructing others on using it.
Accreditation
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Contact
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751
(503) 725-3511
askadm@pdx.edu
https://www.pdx.edu/education/home
University of Portland
School of Education
Not far away from Portland State is the University of Portland. Established in 1901, it has a religious affiliation with the Congregation of the Holy Cross. UP considers the University of Notre Dame in Indiana as its sister school because the Congregation founded both colleges. Despite its religious affiliation, the university accepts students of other faiths and does not require that students follow a strict code of ethics like other religious schools do. The university has a selective admissions policy and accepts around 70% of those who apply. U.S. News & World Report ranked UP as a Best Value School because it keeps its tuition low and also ranked it as the seventh best college in the western region. UP offers scholarships and financial aid packages that further bring down costs. The university also ranks highly on other lists because of the opportunities it offers students.
Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood
The BA in Early Childhood that the University of Portland offers is one of the more unique accredited education degree programs in Oregon because it lets you set goals as a freshman and work on meeting those goals later in your studies. As a BA student, you must earn at least 120 credits of work while in the program and maintain a GPA of 2.5 in all your courses. The university requires that you maintain a 2.7 GPA in all your education courses too. You will take 81 credits of education courses that include technology in education, fostering creativity in the classroom, math and science methods and reading and language arts methods. The University of Portland lets you customize your degree based on the age of the students and the subjects that you want to teach. Though some students will want to work with toddlers and kids before they start school, others can learn more about working with elementary school children. You can take classes designed to help you teach math, reading, science and other types of classes. In addition to electives and general education classes, you’ll also take a seminar course and do several student teaching experiences.
Accreditation
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Contact
University of Portland
School of Education
5000 N Willamette Blvd
Portland OR 97203
(503) 943-7135
soed@up.edu
Western Oregon University
College of Education
Western Oregon University has a long history of providing the state with qualified teachers. Established in 1865 as Monmouth University for the name of the surrounding city, it went through several name changes as it served as a normal school and then a teaching college. The university implemented its own rental program in the early 2000s that helps students save money on renting textbooks instead of buying books. This helped significantly bring down the expenses that students face each year. It also started a Tuition Promise program that guarantees students will pay the same tuition rate for the entire four years it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree. WOU has several programs in place to help veterans and military students as well as their families attend college and use government resources to pay for their classes.
BA/BS in Early Childhood Education
The early childhood education program that WOU offers goes beyond other accredited education degree programs in Oregon. This program trains you to work with students ranging in age from just three years old up through those in fourth grade. The blended major is best for those who aren’t sure where they want to one day work. It prepares you for working in preschools, private and public elementary schools and for nonprofit organizations. This program gives you knowledge of younger children and can help you gain experience working with newborns and babies. If you want to work for a school, you can sign up for the teaching program. The teaching program includes some required fieldwork. You’ll take 43 credits of professional education courses that include teaching experiences as well as all other required general education classes. When doing your fieldwork, WOU will place you in a school near the campus and help you work with kids of the same age you want to teach when you graduate.
Accreditation
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Contact
345 Monmouth Ave. N.
Monmouth OR 97361
(503) 838-8000
Not all teachers work with kids who are old enough to talk and write. If you want to work with younger children, an early childhood education program is right for you. Accredited education degree programs can help you develop all the skills required for working with kids before they start elementary school.
Related Resource: 20 Best Online Master’s in Early Childhood Education 2017-2018
