Early Childhood Studies

The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Early childhood Studies will prepare graduates with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively work with young children and their families from birth through eight years of age. Students will acquire knowledge and skills in order to serve typically developing young children and those with disabilities within the natural settings of home, community, and schools.

The academic program will offer core curricula and practica in early childhood development and pedagogy while highlighting the contextual influences of family, culture, language, and society. The Early Childhood Studies Program is distinctive in that the major emphasizes the first eight years of life as extremely significant in children's development. The philosophy implicit in the Early Childhood Studies Program is reflective of the Position Statements and Early Childhood Professional Preparation Standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children that include:

Promoting child development and learning

Building family and community relationships--whatever their structure, language, ethnicity, and child's ability or disability

Delivering developmentally effective assessment and teaching practices

Preparing early childhood professionals beyond a foundational level in order to support the acquisition and application of advanced knowledge and skills.

The degree coursework, including fieldwork with children and families, is also offered in Santa Barbara, CA at our Goleta Campus. Courses and programmatic requirements are consistent across both campuses, with some scheduling variations. There is a specific programmatic focus on the preparation of graduates who possess knowledge and skills in second language acquisition and literacy for young English learners.

Careers

The program will prepare graduates for multiple career paths in the fields of teacher education, health and human services. These careers include infant/toddler and preschool teachers, early interventionists, administrators of centers for young children and families. The program will provide the subject matter preparation for the multiple subjects and special education teaching credentials, as well as related professional programs in health and human services such as child life specialists and counselors. Graduates will also be prepared to pursue graduate studies in related fields such as, education, social work, human development, and counseling.

UPPER DIVISION REQUIREMENTS (49 UNITS)

University Electives (23–24 Units)

Total Units for Graduation

International Freshmen Checklist 

International Transfer Checklist 

Financial Affidavit for Undergraduate applicants 

Submit all application documents to the Center for International Affairs. 

*Transfer Students: We are currently accepting applications from all community colleges in the U.S.  Please make sure that you have at least 60 units and have completed “Oral communication”, “Written communication”, “Critical thinking” and “College level mathematics/quantitative reasoning” with “C” or better.  Please note that the Nursing programs are closed for international students.  

English Score

Submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or other acceptable test (see below for list of tests).  Scores must be sent directly to CSUCI from testing agency.

Acceptable English Placement Exams

TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language with a minimum Paper-Based score of 500, a minimum Computer Based score of 173 or a minimum Internet Based score of 61.

IELTS – International English Language Test System with an overall band score of 6.0.

*Transfer students: It’s not necessary to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score if you have completed the required Freshman Composition Class at your community college.