Early Childhood Education Degree Programs in South Carolina (P-Z)
Accredited education degree programs in South Carolina allow students to pick the age range of the students they want to work with when they graduate. Early childhood education programs typically focus on the education of children in kindergarten and preschool, though some programs will train students on working with slightly older kids. Students studying education will gain experience in the classroom too. They often do observation work and watch teachers at work in their own classrooms. The students will then do experiences that let them do some actual teaching. South Carolina programs are available in rural and urban areas of the state. To see more accredited programs, visit Early Childhood Education Degree Programs in South Carolina (A-E) and (F-O).
Presbyterian College
Education Department
Clinton, SC is home to Presbyterian College, which has a religious affiliation with the Presbyterian Church. A reverend founded the college in 1880 as a way to give religious students an option for their studies. The college also offers students the chance to follow a liberal arts curriculum. It has its own honor code that all students must follow. Those accused of violating the code will need to appear in front of the Honors Board. Presbyterian College now offers more than 30 bachelor’s degree programs and nine different professional programs that appeal to its more than 1,100 students.
Major in Education: Early Childhood
The early childhood education program that Presbyterian College offers is one of the only accredited education degree programs in South Carolina that requires students take both art and music classes. As a religious institution, the college also encourages students to take at least one religion class. The college has its own honors society for all education majors, but it also offers a student teaching association. All education majors can join this association and learn more about becoming a licensed teacher and job opportunities in the state. The program asks students to take psychology and sociology students to learn more about working with all types of children.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
503 S. Broad St.
Clinton, SC 29325
(800) 476-7272
South Carolina State University
Department of Education
South Carolina State University is one of the only historically all black colleges in the state. Founded in 1872 as the South Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical Institute, it originally operated on the campus of another college before the state split it off into its own school. The school had a small number of enrolled students and offered black students opportunities not available to them through other colleges. It is now home to five separate colleges that each oversee different departments and programs in the arts and sciences and other subjects. Enrollment at the university includes more than 2,900 students.
Bachelor’s in Early Childhood
All incoming early education majors receive a program outline from SCSU that lists the courses they need to take in the future. This outline also provides students with a time line of when they should take those classes. Students will need to demonstrate proficiency with the English language and take the PRAXIS exam. The program features a clinical experience that allows students to do some teaching after they complete an observation period. SCSU also requires that all students complete a core of general education courses, which many students take in their freshmen and sophomore years. Other courses in this program, which ranks as one of the top accredited education degree programs in South Carolina, include Music Class Teaching, Math for Elementary, The Child Curriculum and Child Development. Students will also need to take two seminar courses and do an extensive research paper based around the topic presented in each seminar.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
300 College St NE
Orangeburg, SC 29117
(800) 290-5956
http://www.scsu.edu/academicdepartments/departmentofeducation/programsofstudy.aspx
Southern Wesleyan University
School of Education
Southern Wesleyan University is a private college in South Carolina with an enrollment of more than 1,800 students. Founded in 1904 by the Wesleyan Church, it opened for classes just two years later. During the 1920s, the school changed its focus and became a junior college that taught students who later went on to attend other colleges. It changed its focus again to become a traditional four-year university. Sometimes called Southern Wesleyan or SWU, the university offers accredited education degree programs in South Carolina for those who want to teach at any level. These programs teach students how to manage their classes.
BS in Early Childhood Education
The education programs available through Southern Wesleyan University go beyond simply teaching students how to work with students later. These programs also focus on classroom management techniques and what teachers can do to maintain their classrooms. Students can become licensed teachers after finishing this program or make the transition to a graduate education program. The program features both an early childhood education core and a core of education classes. Southern Wesleyan requires that students take professional education courses too, including two clinical courses that have a fieldwork component. Students in this program must maintain a 2.75 grade point average.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
215 Clayton St.
Central, SC 29630
(877) 644-5556
http://www.swu.edu/academics/school-of-education/bs-in-early-childhood-education/
The College of Charleston
Department of Teacher Education
One of the top schools in Charleston, South Carolina is The College of Charleston. Established in 1770, it ranks as the oldest college in the state. It received its charter from the state in the 1880s. The College of Charleston has an Honors College and seven schools that are each responsible for overseeing different programs and departments. It also has its own graduate school, which accepts graduates of all its programs each year. The historic look of the campus led to production studios choosing it as a shooting location for a number of different films and television shows in recent years.
Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education
The early childhood education program available through The College of Charleston ranks as one of the more popular accredited education degree programs in South Carolina. Students typically spend two years taking general education courses and electives and two years taking professional and education courses. The professional program core, which prepares students for working as teachers, includes classes such as Human Growth and Development and the Education Process, Application of Curriculum and Instruction, Creating Learning Environments and Meeting Needs of Diverse Learners. Students also take courses on teaching specific topics, including math and visual arts. The college requires that students have a GPA of at least 2.75 to take the Early Childhood Clinical Practice class. They earn 12 credits for the fieldwork that they do in local schools. Students must work in a classroom for children between pre-k and third grade. They’ll handle the daily operations of that class.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
(843) 805-5507
http://cofc.edu/academics/majorsandminors/early-education.php
University of South Carolina
College of Education
One of the largest public university systems in the entire south is the University of South Carolina. Though it has a flagship campus in Columbia, it also operates regional campuses in other cities. Established as the South Carolina College in 1801, the college grew quickly over the years and expanded its curriculum and course catalog as the number of incoming students grew. The university now offers more than 300 degree programs and majors for students across the top three levels of study. Enrollment on its flagship campus now tops more than 34,000 students, but more than 16,000 students attend one of its other campuses.
Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education
The University of South Carolina offers one of the only accredited education degree programs in South Carolina that helps students make the transition to graduate school. USC offers a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education that builds off the knowledge students learned in its Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education program. Its BA program teaches students how to use new forms of technology in the field, how to work with the community at large, the basics of classroom management and the teaching methods that work best in diverse classrooms. The practicum that students take focuses on diverse learning and looks at how students enter elementary and preschool with different skill levels. Students learn how to customize their lesson and learning plans to meet the needs of a diverse group of children. They must also do some fieldwork before they can graduate from the University of South Carolina.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
(803) 777-0169
http://www.sc.edu/study/majors_and_degrees/early_childhood_education.php
University of South Carolina Beaufort
Department of Education
The University of South Carolina Beaufort is the official name given to several schools. Founded as Beaufort College in 1795, it originally served as a preparatory school that taught students who wanted to attend college, but it later added some college classes to its curriculum. The university has a long history with the education field and actually opened its own elementary school during the Civil War, which students worked at while taking classes. Also called USCB and USC-Beaufort, the university how has one campus in Beaufort and a second campus that is a little larger on Hilton Head Island.
Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education
USC-Beaufort gives students more options than any of the other accredited education degree programs in South Carolina do because students can take classes on any of its campus. They can study in Beaufort, on the Hilton Head Island campus or on its campus in Bluffton. This accredited program requires that students take 123 credits of work, which includes both classes and fieldwork experiences. Students learn more about human development and how children grow and develop in their younger years. The program teaches them to how to identify and better understand the needs of their students, the basics of working with diverse groups of students, the impact that families and the environment has on students and how to use the right techniques in the classroom. Students will also need to do both observation and instruction work in the field to develop their own teaching styles before they can graduate.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
801 Carteret St.
Beaufort, SC 29902
(843) 208-8000
University of South Carolina Upstate
School of Education
The University of South Carolina Upstate is one of several regional campuses that make up the USC school system. Established in 1967, it is one of the newer campuses in that system but also one of the fastest growing campuses in the state. It changed its name from the University of South Carolina Spartanburg to USC-Upstate to reflect its commitment to all students living in that region. The university now divides itself into four colleges that include the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. Nearly 6,000 undergrads and graduate students attend this university each year.
Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education
USC-Upstate offers one of the top accredited education degree programs in South Carolina at the undergrad level and one of the top programs at the graduate level. Early childhood education majors learn how to work with students as young as four and those moving through into elementary school. Teachers work with students to ensure that they have the knowledge necessary to pass the PRAXIS, which is the exam that individuals must take to become a licensed teacher. Students do observation experiences early in the program, which allows them to observe teachers and get some hands on experience working with kids. They’ll then take over those classes as a licensed teacher observes them. The university requires that students spend one day a week working in the classroom. During the final semester in the program, students will work full-time in the field to gain more practical experience before they graduate and become teachers.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
800 University Way
Spartanburg, SC 29303
(800) 277-8727
University of South Carolina Aiken
School of Education
The University of South Carolina is a public university that goes by several other names, including South Carolina Aiken and USC Aiken. Founded in 1961 to meet the growing needs of students in the Aiken area, the university was initially so small that it held classes in a historic mansion. It took more than a decade before the university established its own campus. Located roughly an hour from the main USC campus in Columbia, USC Aiken offers more than 30 degree programs for undergrads. It has an enrollment of more than 3,200 students, but the majority of those students are undergrads.
Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education
USC Aiken offers one of the top accredited education degree programs in South Carolina for students who want to live and work in the state after they graduate. This program goes over the requirements for becoming a licensed teacher and the expectations that schools have of teachers working with younger children today. As a liberal arts university, USC Aiken requires that students take some liberal arts classes that make up its general education core. Students will need to take 22 credits of pre-professional courses and 14 credits of professional courses as sophomores and juniors. Each core features classes like Family Life Education and Professional Practice, PE & Health in Early Childhood Education, Child Development and Foundations in Early Learning and Math Experiences in Early Childhood. Students take a seminar course and do an internship in the final semester of their senior years to gain some fieldwork experience working for a local school.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Contact
471 University Parkway
Aiken, SC 29801
(803) 648-6851
https://www.usca.edu/majors-programs/early-childhood-education
Winthrop University
College of Education
Founded in 1886 as the Winthrop Training School, Winthrop University has a long connection to the education field. When first established, the school offered opportunities for young white women who wanted to work as teachers. It took nearly a decade for the school to add more programs and to change its name. This also led to the college admitting its first male students. Despite accepting both male and female students, the college separated the two until it became a coeducational institution of higher learning in the 1960s. Winthrop now has an enrollment of around 5,000 undergrads and 1,000 graduate students.
Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education
Winthrop University offers one of the only accredited education degree programs in South Carolina with accreditation from the top two organizations. This program has accreditation from both the CAEP and the NCATE. It meets all the guidelines put in place by both organizations to train teachers who will work with kids as early as those in pre-k through those in third grade. Most of the courses in the program are worth three credits each. Students will take courses such as Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Care and Education, Creative Learning Experiences for Young Children, Home School Community Collaboration and Creative Activities for Young Children. Students can also take courses on teaching and assessing in different subject areas like math and social studies. These courses are worth two credits. Winthrop awards students one to three credits for the fieldwork and internships they do.
Accreditation
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
Contact
701 Oakland Ave.
Rock Hill, SC 29733
(803) 323-2211
https://www.winthrop.edu/coe/ECED/
Related Resource: 20 Best Online Master’s in Early Childhood Education 2018
Early childhood education is a field of study that focuses on the education of younger students. Teachers working in this field teach students the skills they need to succeed as they move through elementary school. Accredited education degree programs in South Carolina can help students meet the requirements for getting a teaching license too.
